China Has Culled 200,000 Hogs Since August Due to African Swine Fever
In an attempt to stop the spread of African Swine Fever in the country, the Chinese government has culled 200,000 hogs. Their policy is to destroy all swine on a farm where ASF has been confirmed and then additionally all hogs in a 3 kilometer radius of the infected farm. Analysts expect hog prices in China to increase heading into Lunar New Year, where pork is a traditional holiday dish. Zheijang, a province in eastern China, has seen pork prices increase by about 4.30 yuan ($0.62) per kilogram. Annually, China slaughters around 700 million hogs and is the largest pork producer in the world. African Swine Fever has had 41 confirmed outbreaks in China alone and has been reported in Eastern Europe.
President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to Meet at Next Month’s G20 Summit
According to the South China Morning Post, a tentative agreement has been made between President Trump and Xi Jinping to sit down for talks with one another at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires on Nov 29. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He has told reporters that officials from Washington DC and Beijing have been in contact with one another regarding the summit. China’s GDP data was published this morning, posting 6.5% growth in Q3 2018, below expectations of 6.6% and dropping from Q2 2018’s number of 6.7%. This marks the slowest pace of growth in China since 2009.
Export Sales Announcements
Cancellations of export sales totaling 180,000 metric tons of soybeans for delivery to China during the 2018/2019 marketing year. Cancellations of optional origin sales totaling 120,000 metric tons of soybeans for delivery to unknown destinations during the 2018/2019 marketing year. An optional origin contract provides that the origin of the commodity may be the U.S. or one or more other exporting countries.
Some Rivers Remain Flooded But Forecast Remains Dry for Midwest
The 5 day forecast shows little to no rainfall for the Western Corn Belt, where areas of E Iowa, W Illinois, and E Nebraska are needing to dry out. The National Weather Service reports that the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are still overflowing past their banks. The Missouri is still flooding from Council Bluffs, IA to St Joseph, MO and the Mississippi is flooded from Dubuque down towards Keokuk, IA. Further south, the Colorado River in Texas is also flooded and is expecting even more rain, which could lead to even more flash flooding in Central Texas.
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