New California Vineyard Acreage and U.S. Ag Sets Export Record
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.**California winegrape growers are expected to plant 15 to 18,000 acres of new vineyards this year.
That number is about the same as what is expected to be removed from the state’s more than 500,000 acres of winegrapes.
California produced more than 4 million tons of winegrapes a year between 2016 and 19, causing a glut in the market.
Allied Grape Growers president Jeff Bitter characterizes the market as “stable with a chance of oversupply.”
**The American agricultural industry posted its highest annual export levels ever recorded in 2021, according to Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The final 2021 trade data shows exports of U.S. farm and food products totaled $177 billion, topping the 2020 total by 18% and eclipsing the previous record, set in 2014, by 14.6%.
The top 10 U.S. export markets all saw gains in 2021, with six of the 10 – China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines and Colombia – setting new records.
**World food prices rose during January and remained near ten-year highs.
Reuters says the Food Price Index tracks the most globally-traded food commodities.
The index averaged 135.7 points in January, up from 134.1 during December.
The higher food prices are contributing to a wider surge in inflation as global economies try to bounce back from COVID-19.