Poland reaches deal with farmers to call off blockade of Ukraine border crossing – POLITICO

Polish farmers ended a blockade of a Poland-Ukraine border crossing after reaching an agreement with Warsaw that met their demands, defusing a dispute that had become an early test of the new government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Newly appointed Polish Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski signed the deal with Polish farmers blockading the Medyka-Shehyni border … Read more

Polish farmers resume blockade of border crossing with Ukraine – POLITICO

WARSAW — Polish farmers restarted a blockade of a Poland-Ukraine border crossing on Thursday, accusing the new Polish government of failing to guarantee it will meet their demands for financial help. The farmers rejoined truckers at the Medyka-Shehyni crossing — hauliers are also blocking other crossings complaining about competition from Ukrainian rivals — turning the … Read more

UK Ministers Under Fire for Allegedly Reneging on £2.4 Billion Pledge to Support English Farmers

Ministers are under fire for allegedly reneging on their commitment to support English farmers after pledging to allocate £2.4 billion annually to agriculture by the conclusion of this parliamentary term. This financial commitment was intended to replace the European Union’s common agricultural policy, which compensated farmers based on the hectares of land under their management. … Read more

Livestock parades in cities around the U.S.

Every January, thousands of people flock to Downtown Denver to watch cowboys drive a herd of longhorn steers up 17th Street as the kickoff to the annual National Western Stock Show. The parade is led by that photogenic cattle drive, followed by a variety of literal show ponies, cars, tractors and notable figures and celebrities. … Read more

William H. Macy debuts Colorado whiskey with Woody Creek Distillers

William H. Macy describes his first visit to the mountains near Aspen, Colorado, as “pretty much love at first sight.” It was sometime in the mid-1980s, Macy recalls, and he was traveling with then-girlfriend Felicity Huffman back to the area where she grew up. “Her mom was a magnificent cook, and they ride horses,” Macy … Read more

High Rice Prices Worldwide Likely to Continue Into 2024

WASHINGTON —  Arnong Mungoei has farmed rice in Thailand’s Khon Kaen province for half a century. Working land some 500 kilometers northeast of Bangkok never made her rich, but it provided a dependable livelihood. But since February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, global geopolitical tensions and weather conditions elsewhere have upended the rice markets and … Read more

Lovers of sweet treats could be hit by rising sugar prices

Sugar for sale at a supermarket in Yichang City, in China’s Hubei province, on April 6, 2023. Future Publishing | Future Publishing | Getty Images A mammoth rally in 2023 for El Niño-exposed raw materials will likely hit consumers’ pockets over the coming months, according to one specialist food and agribusiness bank. Soft commodities have … Read more

Olive oil is getting more expensive — and these Italian farmers can tell you why

On a warm, blustery December afternoon outside the De Laurentis olive oil-producing co-op in the white hilltop town of Ostuni, Puglia, Luigi D’Amico holds out his palm, revealing an olive picked earlier in the day. Instead of resembling the plump, gleaming green and black fruit overflowing in bins around him, this one is half-consumed, dry … Read more

The first nail-biter election of 2024: Taiwan – POLITICO

TAIPEI — 2024 will be a bumper year of elections around the world, but one of the first votes on the calendar will also be one of the most hotly contested and consequential: Taiwan, where there are vital strategic interests at play for both the U.S. and China on January 13. If the campaign started … Read more

Canada’s economy stalled again in October but likely up 0.1% in November

Canada’s economy was essentially unchanged for the third consecutive month in October, missing growth forecasts, but gross domestic product likely edged up in November, Statistics Canada data showed on Friday. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.2 per cent month-over-month rise. September’s GDP was downwardly revised to zero growth from an initial report of … Read more