USDA Weapons Request & Tight Beef Supplies

USDA Weapons Request & Tight Beef Supplies plus Food Forethought. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

A recent acquisition request by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for weapons and body armor has raised a lot of eyebrows. Back on May 7th in a solicitation posted on the government's Federal Business Opportunities website USDA requested an unknown number of submachine guns. The solicitation for body armor says it's gender specific, lightweight, and contains plate/pad. Again, there is a lot of speculation as to why USDA would be procuring these items.

Planning a big barbecue? Might want to lay in a supply now as USDA expects less beef to be produced in 2015 compared to this year. World Agricultural Outlook Board Chair Gerry Bange talks about what that might mean for the price producers receive for their product.

BANGE: We're looking for another 1% reduction in beef production owing to the tight cattle supple, the size of the herd and so forth. We're looking at 24.56 billion pounds in 2014 and a reduction to 24.32 billion pounds in 2015. If you look at 2015 price for steers you're seeing an increase of about 2.3%. Again, we're looking at a continuing tight supply on the beef front so we're looking at a price now of $150.75 CWT for 2015 compared to $146.09 CWT for 2014.

Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Lacy Gray.

Last week six U.S. Senators called for the Obama Administration and Congress to support policies that promote biodiesel production and jobs. Their press conference followed on the heels of the recently released survey by the National Biodiesel Board that showed that roughly 78% of biodiesel producers have reduced production this year and nearly 60% of biodiesel plants have been made idle or completely shut down. The Senators spoke of the need for reinstatement of the biodiesel tax incentive, which expired January 1, and for the Environmental Protection Agency to increase the proposed 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard volumes for biodiesel. They also outlined the negative impact that the nation's renewable energy policy is having on the entire renewable fuels industry, stressing that "this is not the time to tell investors that we're backing off ethanol". Senator Maria Cantwell stated that since 2005 when the standard for biodiesel was introduced we've gone from producing 25 million gallons to 1.7 billion gallons, and that they and others are wanting to make sure that this product continues to grow.

Thanks Lacy. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.