The CME Group and the Kansas City and Minneapolis boards of trade plan to expand daily electronic trading up to 22-hours beginning next Monday. Officials say the proposal will not affect day-time Open Outcry trading hours. The original 10-day comment period ended Wednesday. At that time commissioners of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission were split [...]
DECORAH, Iowa (AP) — A surprisingly chilly April has had an adverse effect on crops in Iowa. Officials say freezing temperatures last month has damaged crops throughout the state. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that horticulture and agronomy experts say up to 80 percent of the apple crop in eastern Iowa has been ruined. Apple [...]
According to new data presented by the Auto Alliance and Global Automakers, results from a two-year study on engine durability indicates that – E15 fuel can wreck your engine. The groups call a government study resulting in the approval of the use of a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline, – premature, [...]
LightSquared filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday. The company failed to reach a debt restructuring deal with its creditors. The company wanted to create a wireless network using satellites. Federal regulators at first championed the idea, but in recent months turned its back on the proposal after military, agriculture and others said the [...]
The House Agriculture Committee continues key farm bill hearings this week, and as it does a dozen farm groups have sent a letter to House Ag Chairman Frank Lucas and Ranking Member Collin Peterson on the importance of crop insurance. In their letter the groups state – Federal crop insurance provides an effective risk management tool to farmers and [...]
44 U.S. Senators have signed a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell calling for a timely and open debate on the Senate farm bill, the ‘Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012’. According to the Senators, the bill takes steps to reduce the deficit and decrease government [...]
Arizona Representative Jeff Flake has introduced the Commonsense Legislative Exceptional Events Reform – or CLEER – Act. Flake says exceeding Clean Air Act standards can have costly regulatory consequences even when caused by so-called exceptional events like a dust storm that rolled through parts of Arizona last summer. According to Flake – farmers and ranchers [...]
Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn will try to amend the Senate Agriculture Committee’s farm bill in order to cap crop insurance premium subsidies. It’s been reported that Coburn’s spokeswoman says the Senator is hopeful the Senate will engage in debate and vote on amendments to the measure that would include the Government Accountability Office’s recommendations and [...]
According to European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht – the U.S. and EU are making progress on a trade deal. In fact – the details may be spelled out by mid-2014. Tariffs, services, procurement and regulatory issues are reportedly topping the agenda for the proposed agreement. In June – an interim report on the [...]
The maker of lean finely textured beef says it’s laying off 86 employees from its South Dakota corporate office and company officials point the finger at the campaign of misinformation against the product. Beef Products Inc. food-quality director Craig Letch said Monday that the company initiated this second round of layoffs in response to intense negative publicity [...]