ASIA-PACIFIC | SE Asia Wants to Talk Economics  Fri Aug 2, 2:14 AM ET  They...

ASIA-PACIFIC

SE Asia Wants to Talk Economics  Fri Aug 2, 2:14 AM ET  They tried valiantly to make it about money — about resurgent Southeast Asian economies coming together in the name of development and recovery.

U.S. Signs Treaty With S.E. Asians  Thu Aug 1, 8:20 AM ET  BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (AP) - The United States and a bloc of Southeast Asian nations signed a sweeping treaty Thursday aimed at making the region, which has become a second front in the war against terrorism, more responsive to future threats.

Companies in Vietnam, Thailand to irradiate meat and other products San Diego-based SureBeam Corp., a provider of electron beam food irradiation technology, has entered into an equipment and processing licensing agreement with Son Son Co., a private Vietnamese food processing corporation owned by Tram Be, a Vietnamese investor, and Thai Electron Pasteurized Products Co. Ltd., based in Bangkok, Thailand. Both sites will treat meat, a SureBeam spokesman told the Meatingplace.com

China's import quota for crude, oil products up 15 percent  China has increased its import quotas for crude oil and oil products by 15 percent for next year,following the commitment it made to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the State Economic and Trade Commission said.

Rise in smuggling at Shanghai Port ( 08/02-16:41) SHANGHAI, Aug. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Shanghai, China's largest trading port, dealt with 1,059 cases of smuggling in the first six months of the year, said sources from local customs house.

Farmers say focus on world trade talks Australia should focus on world trade negotiations rather than get carried away by a possible bilateral deal with the United States, according to the National Farmers Federation (NFF).

Record $5.4 billion red meat exports  08/01/2002 Australian red meat exports were worth a record $5.4 billion in 2001/02, up seven per cent on the previous financial year.

Free trade push takes a beating The Australian Government's push for a free trade deal with the US has been slammed by one of the farm [FULL STORY]

Drought shores up eastern livestock prices The drought has shored up prices for prime sheep and cattle in eastern states saleyards though, as dry [FULL STORY]

GM crop framework set out A framework to ensure genetically modified crops can exist side by side with conventional crops has been put [FULL STORY]

Nippon Meat Packers incinerated beef before inspectors could check it With government inspectors breathing down its neck, Nippon Meat Packers Inc. burned a load of beef it had initially claimed was eligible for a taxpayer-funded buyback program, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday.

AMERICAS

Canada Boosts Japanese Exports 08/01/2002 Canadian agriculture minister in talks in Japan to raise sales of pork and beef.

Experts predict higher inflation, slower growth for Mexico Citing its monthly survey of some 30 international and national financial experts, Mexico's central bank predicts inflation this year will hit 4.87 percent, moderately higher than the official forecast of 4.5 percent.

IMF, O'Neill Back New Loans for Brazil: Talk of New Bailouts Helps Reverse Plunge of Nation's Financial Markets (Post, Aug. 2, 2002) Seeking to douse a financial firestorm raging through South America, the International Monetary Fund and U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul H. O'Neill yesterday made it clear that new international loans for Brazil and Uruguay are in the works.

EUROPE–RUSSIA-ME

Italy Launches Cattle Database 08/02/2002 New cattle database will allow tracking of animals and beef products.

U.S. Will Fund Oil Study in Siberia The United States will fund the exploration of oil and gas fields off the Arctic coast of eastern ...

USA

Senate Clears Trade Bill - 8/02/2002 Trade Promotion Authority measure heads to president's desk for signing.

Dollar in Retreat as Recovery Fears Grow  Fri Aug 2, 6:19 AM ET  The dollar was on the defensive on Friday as dealers braced for a disappointing U.S. jobs report after a slew of sluggish economic data this week cast doubt on the pace of the U.S. recovery.

What to do when corn is fading fast Stick a fork in it, it's done. That's the sentiment of several corn growers in Crop Scouting Talk this week as they survey their fields. The situation is looking so bad in northeast Indiana that one grower is wondering if he should chop for silage and take the insurance. Meanwhile, west of Sidney, Nebraska, another farmer reports a feedyard will be chopping irrigated corn for silage this week. Before you start chopping, two Purdue experts have some advice on topics ranging from insurance and LDP related issues to nitrate content and a guide to discounts in pricing silage from drought-damaged corn. 07/31/2002 06:46 a.m. CDT

Economist sees feeder cattle prices in low $80s this fall Wide swings in feed grain prices have had a ripple effect on feeder cattle prices in recent weeks, but optimism about slaughter cattle prices seems to abound. Kansas State University ag economist James Mintert says, barring a significant runup in corn prices from late July's $2.55 December futures, "look for feeder steers to continue to trade near $80." Longer term, feeder prices could be slightly higher if slaughter cattle prices rise as much as expected this fall. 07/31/2002 11:21 a.m. CDT

Livestock Price Drops Pull Ag Price Index Lower The July index, at 89, was down 2.2 percent from June 2002 and down 21 percent from July 2001. 8/1/2002

Spring Beef Exports Rise - 8/02/2002  Soccer players and fans like beef.

Watch for Short- and Long-term Effects of Drought - 8/02/2002  Early weaning and early pregnancy checking can improve 2003 cowherd performance.

Tighter Beef Supplies Should Boost Autumn Cattle Prices - 8/01/2002  Lighter weights could also help lift fed cattle prices

Ten Straight Years of Record Large U.S. Pork Exports - 8/02/2002  This year probably will not make it 11 in a row.

Deaths of three deer-eating hunters being investigated for possible CWD link Here's some potentially scary news relating to chronic wasting disease from Reuters. The deaths of three Wisconsin hunters back in the 1990s who regularly ate wild game are being investigated for any possible connection to chronic wasting disease -- a fatal brain disease afflicting the state's deer herd. Eight other states have reported cases of CWD in deer and elk herds.

Food-safety policy gets guarded praise Meat industry experts and meat producers offered praise this week for a new government information-sharing policy intended to improve meat safety but said still more needs to be done. The Food Safety and Inspection Service put the policy change into effect in June. The change followed the recall in June of 354,200 pounds of meat from a ConAgra Beef Co. plant.