🚢 The Ag Exports Shipping Conundrum

Seemingly nothing should shock us anymore, but trying to understand the current shipping container shortage is mind-boggling.

Ag exporters around the world are watching stockpiles grow as they struggle to find containers to get products moving.

The reason? China.

Faster pandemic recovery has led to increased manufacturing in the Asian nation. And Chinese exporters are paying a premium to get their hands on shipping containers to move their goods around the globe.

Those premiums have led to global shipping giants rejecting opportunities to deliver U.S. agricultural products so they can ship empty containers to be filled in China.

Worth repeating… U.S. ag commodities are literally missing the boat as shippers can make more money sending empty cargo bins back to China.

But it’s not just a problem in the United States. Internaitonal grain sellers are struggling to secure container space. Left unchecked, some experts are concerned consumers could start seeing higher food prices as a result.

+ While we’re here: Remember that whole U.S.-China trade war thing? Well, Phase One didn’t entirely live up to expectations. The USDA reported that while China agreed to buy $36.5 billion worth of ag products in Phase One, only $28.75 billion was actually sold.

→ Singapore green lights cell-cultured meat. Alt-protein company Eat Just, Inc. will sell the first-of-its-kind cell-cultured chicken after regulators approved the product for human consumption.

→ Produce exports side-eye pandemic. The USDA revealed that 2020 U.S. fresh fruit exports fell 1% while vegetables toppled 4% due to pandemic-related supply chain disruptions.

→ Bunge is chipper. Revenue leaped 17% thanks to oilseed processing and strong exports leaving the global grain giant with sweet Q4 earnings.

→ Aussie wheat prices set to sink. Showers soaked key producing regions which boosted projected yields, and prices are expected to plunge after reaching a 7-year high last month.

→ Feel-good moment: Chiquita, the famed banana business, is investing significant time and resources into Central America following extensive damage from Hurricanes Eta and Iota.

U.S. ranchers can wave ‘bye-bye’ to those handwritten herd notebooks.

AgriWebb, a ranch management software, is placing roots in North America with a new HQ in Denver.

The AgTech ranch hand’s profile:

→ Born in Australia in 2014 and valued at $76 million.

→ Branches in Sydney and London (and now Denver!) with boots on the ground in South Africa, Brazil and Ireland.

→ 14 million head of cattle on the app with $23 million to spend on global domination.

The software helps ranchers digitize inventory, pasture management, treatment records, feed costs, and fertility rates.

And it’s not just saving cowboys from carpal tunnel.

Globally, producers have notched a 7.5% uptick in productivity found through weight gains, fertility, and other data-driven decisions. Savings have summed up to $50K and 200+ hours for producers.

What’s next: After gaining market share in the U.S., investments in additional individual animal management platforms and carbon footprint tracker tools are on the docket.

Reputation matters. Jaelyn Peckman said it best when she said it was the “prestigious reputation” of the Texas Tech Agricultural Education & Communications Department that caught her attention.

“I was searching for a school that would provide the same rigor and opportunities for online students as on-campus students. I'm continually impressed with the authentic educational experiences and opportunities to collaborate with other students in the department, even as an online student.”

Due to the flexibility and quality found in her program, Jaelyn advanced professionally and earned her master’s degree online.

Like Jaelyn, you too can set your career up for success. Whether it’s an online master’s degree in Agricultural Communications or Agricultural Education, the TTU AEC Department can be your new (virtual) home.

Stay right where you are while you earn a degree from one of the top agricultural education and communications departments in the nation.

Discover the TTU AEC Department and learn more today.

Asia just can’t seem to shake the African Swine Fever.

After new strains of the virus popped up across China last month, now Hong Kong is facing a test. For the first time in two years, the independent region found ASF in its domestic herd. Authorities ordered 3,000 pigs to be culled.

Here we go again: The last ASF flare-up in 2019 was a fluke. 10,000 pigs imported from mainland China, the epicenter of the pork pandemic, tested positive for the virus and had to be culled.

Zoom out: Hong Kong isn’t alone. New, sporadic cases continue to resurface in other Asian countries. Indonesia, South Korea, and Cambodia are in the mix, attempting to tamper wild boars who are spreading the disease.