Land & Farming.

[TsarSamuil]

Living in the Mootrix: Russian cows try out VR headsets to lighten their mood.

RT.com
27 Nov, 2019 14:04

Theories that we all live in a simulated world are debatable, but it may actually become a thing for Russian cows as farmers believe virtual reality could be used to trick the animals into giving more milk.

It was a cold and murky November day in the Moscow Region, but the cows at one farm were absolutely sure they were grazing a green field in the middle of summer.

The first trials of VR headsets, specially designed for the cattle, has shown a decrease in the level of anxiety and improved mood among the test subjects, an article on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Moscow Region said.

Cows sporting futuristic goggles also improved the mood on the internet as commentators said they were jealous and wanted such headsets for themselves to survive the infamous Russian winter. “That’s the cyberpunk that we deserved,” one of the comments read, while many also remembered the popular meme: “How do you like it, Elon Musk?”

But the veterinarians and IT experts behind the project are dead serious as they developed the headset especially to match the anatomy of the cows. The visuals presented to the animals were also adjusted in accordance with the fact that those animals have a much better perception of the colors from the red portion of the spectrum.

The test was hailed as a success, with the effect of virtual reality on milk yield to become the subject of further complex studies. Many international surveys prove that happy cows produce more and better quality milk – so putting them in the Matrix may really be a solution.

[TsarSamuil]

Russian grain exports hit historic high.

RT.com
3 Feb, 2021 09:29

Grain exports by Russia in the current agricultural year, from last July to June 2021, have already hit 34.3 million tons, 25 percent more than during the same period last season.

According to business daily Vedomosti, citing the head of the Rusagrotrans analytical center, Igor Pavensky, it is also the highest indicator in the history of the market. He pointed out that the previous record had been set in the 2018-2019 crop year, when Russia had delivered 32.15 million tons of grain to the global market by January.

Pavensky said that exports of wheat have amounted to 29 million tons this current year, also a record amount. His words were echoed by the director general of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies, Dmitry Rylko, who said that wheat exports in January alone have totaled a record 3.2 million tons. Rylko attributed the dynamic to several factors, such as high yield, global grain prices growth, and the introduction by Russia of export duties on grain from February 15.

Booming agricultural production in recent years has enabled Russia to capture more than half of the global wheat market, becoming the world’s biggest exporter of grain, thanks to bumper harvests and attractive pricing. Since the early 2000s, this share of the global wheat market has quadrupled. Supported by a massive grain harvest, the country is projected to retain its leadership in the world’s wheat market in the coming years.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia needs regulations for grain exports to control rising food prices – Putin.

RT.com
6 Feb, 2021 06:11

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for the creation of a mechanism for regulating grain exports, to help domestic agriculture and curb rising food prices on the domestic market.

“Russia is one of the largest exporters of commodities,” he said, during a meeting with Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov this week, mentioning energy and agriculture as examples.

“We focus on the exchanges located outside the country, with grain as an example. The situation in the global food market is worsening,” Putin said, stressing that there is a need to establish a mechanism to help domestic agriculture.

According to Reshetnikov, his ministry will launch a permanent grain export instrument as soon as April 1. A formula-based export tax for grains, which the Kremlin had previously planned to switch to from fixed-value tariffs that had been imposed on grain exports, will come into effect from February 15.

The minister added that the new mechanism would become a permanent “price damper” aimed at “preventing global price fluctuations and high global prices from affecting Russia’s domestic market.”

Starting April 1, Russian grain exporters will have to register their contracts at one of Russia’s bourses, which would then calculate a price indicator for the formula, according to Reshetnikov.

Last year, Russia introduced an export limit of 17.5 million tons for grains such as wheat, rye, barley and corn, for the remainder of the marketing year in order to curb rising domestic food prices. The step also includes an export tax on wheat of $30.40 per ton. Later, the export duty for wheat was raised to $60.59 per ton, effective from February 15.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia becomes net exporter of food for first time in post-Soviet history.

RT.com
10 Mar 2021 | 07:01 GMT

Russia exported 79 million tons of food products last year, worth $30.7 billion, the AgroExport center under the country’s Ministry of Agriculture said in its latest report.

According to the agency, Russian food exports saw a 20-percent surge compared to the previous year, beating the record set in 2018, when the country exported 78.5 million tons of produce worth $25.8 billion.

The nation also exported more grain, meat, fish, vegetables, dairy and other products than it imported, becoming a net seller of agricultural produce for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Grains traditionally made up more than half of Russia’s agricultural export in terms of weight, accounting for about 33 percent of foreign food sales. In 2020, the country recorded its second-strongest grain harvest in history. Turkey became a major consumer of Russian grains, having bought nine million tons for $1.9 billion.

The biggest rise was seen in meat exports, which reportedly rose 49 percent over the year to a total value of nearly $900 million, boosted by strong and growing demand from China.
Beijing remained the top importer of Russian food produce, accounting for 13 percent of overall sales.

Turkey became the second-biggest buyer with 10 percent, while the share of Kazakhstan’s imports totaled seven percent. In total, Russia exported food products to 150 countries across the globe.

Russia’s agricultural sector has been booming since 2014, when the country banned some food imports from the European Union in response to sanctions over the Crimean reunification, and had to develop domestic alternatives to European dairy products, fruits, vegetables, cheeses and meat.

Under the strategy put forward by the country’s government, agricultural imports are set to increase by another 50 percent over the next three years. Russia’s Agriculture Ministry expects food exports to amount to at least to $26 billion in 2021.

However, recent measures undertaken by the Russian government may hold back the dramatic growth. The Kremlin has recently introduced an export limit and a tax hike on exports of grains in an effort to keep excess supplies at home to prevent domestic food prices from rising.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia becomes net exporter of food as import phase-out begins bearing fruit – PM.

RT.com
12 May, 2021 12:45

Last year, international sales of Russian agricultural produce exceeded foreign purchases, according to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

“The export volumes of the country’s agro-industrial complex totaled 271 billion rubles, topping the imports by some $1 billion,” the PM said during question-and-answer session with State Duma members.

He highlighted the crucial role played both by the imports phase-out and domestic enterprises in the process of implementing national infrastructure projects.

The state-backed program to phase out imports was launched in 2014, after relations between Russia and Western countries dramatically declined due to economic sanctions introduced by the US and the EU against Russia. Moscow responded with counter-sanctions, having phased out traditional American and European imports from the Russian market.

According to Mishustin, the share of domestically produced goods in the state purchase contracts increased from 49% to 57%, partly due to fixed quotas applied in favor of domestic produce.

Earlier this year, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture reported that Russia’s food exports hit a record high of $30.7 billion in 2020, compared to $25.6 billion in exports recorded in the previous year.

In 2020, Russia exported its agricultural produce to 150 countries. China became the top market for Russian food products, with imports worth more than $4 billion.

[TsarSamuil]

oh, those motherfuckers, i'll buy more meat now, got some burgers today

Animal rights activists block McDonald’s distribution centres in UK, demanding 100% ‘plant-based’ menu.

RT.com
22 May, 2021 10:52

An animal rights organisation known as Animal Rebellion attempted to shut down McDonald’s distribution centres in the UK with bamboo structures, vans, and other obstacles, demanding that the company go completely vegan.

The organisation announced on Saturday that around 50 activists were blocking four distribution centres in Coventry, Basingstoke, Heywood, and Hemel Hempstead, and would continue to do so for at least 24 hours.

Videos show the activists hanging from bamboo structures in front of the gates as one woman issued the demand that McDonald’s “go plant-based immediately.” A McDonald’s sign and burger sculpture were also drenched in blood by the activists, while placards protested the fast food company’s use of both meat and dairy – signalling that a plant-based menu could not include burger staples like cheese.

“The only McDonald’s distribution centers in the UK, we’ve shut them all down today,” bragged the woman, who called McDonald’s “one of the biggest symbols of the animal agriculture industry, which as we know is destroying the climate, destroying the planet, it’s killing animals, and it’s exploiting workers.”

In a statement, Animal Rebellion also declared that the “only sustainable and realistic way to feed ten billion people is with a plant-based food system,” adding that “organic, free-range and ‘sustainable’ animal-based options simply aren’t good enough.”

While some social media users expressed support for the demonstration, many responses were not so positive, with critics calling the activists “stupid,” “selfish,” “thugs,” and “bullies.”

“Love plant based food but not these tactics,” commented one person, while another wrote, “I absolutely support people’s right to choose a plant based diet, but forcing your choices and beliefs on others is not the way forwards.”

“Had enough of being told what I should do or eat! You eat your vegan and plants and I’ll eat what I choose!” protested one fed up man, as others mocked the activists with McDonald’s order requests.

Animal Rebellion claims on social media to be “in solidarity” with the climate change activism group Extinction Rebellion, but it is not clear whether the two have any official links.

[TsarSamuil]

Nearly 100,000 Russians claimed free land in Far East.

RT.com
2 Sep, 2021 13:29

Around 95,000 people received a free hectare of land under Russia’s state-backed land giveaway program in the country’s Far East.

“We continue to implement the Far East hectare program. In several days, 95,000 people will be provided with a free hectare of land,” Yuri Trutnev, Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), currently underway in Russia’s Vladivostok.

Trutnev noted that most of the time people take land for individual housing construction or to start businesses in the agriculture, tourism and recreation spheres.

The program, approved by the president in 2016, is meant to populate and develop Russia’s Far East. Initially, any Russian citizen could claim their free hectare (10,000 square meters) of land in Russia’s Eastern and Pacific regions. A year after the program was introduced, Putin proposed expanding it to foreign citizens with ancestors born on Russian territory.

The areas covered in the program include Yakutia, Kamchatka, Chukotka, Primorye, Khabarovsk, Amur, Magadan, Sakhalin, and the Jewish Autonomous Regions. The land can be used for any lawful purpose, but the new owners cannot rent, sell, or give it away for five years. The claims for free land in the Far East are coming from all over Russia, according to Kamchatka Governor Vladimir Ilyukhin.

According to the official land register, Russia currently has about 198 million hectares of agricultural land, of which at least 28 million is state-owned and unused.

[TsarSamuil]

China lifts all restrictions on wheat imports from Russia.

RT.com
27 Feb, 2022 09:01

China is now fully open to Russian wheat deliveries, as all import restrictions have been lifted, the South China Morning Post has reported, citing the country’s General Administration of Customs.

The announcement was made public on Thursday, hours after Russia began its military operation in Ukraine, the paper says, adding that the deal could provide a lifeline to the Russian economy as it faces tough economic sanctions from the EU and the US, and at the same time addresses China’s need to enhance food security.

China previously restricted imports from Russia due to phytosanitary concerns, as a measure to control the spread of plant diseases. Earlier this month, during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing, China agreed to allow imports from Russia.

The crisis in Ukraine sent global wheat prices to record highs this week. Russia, the world’s top wheat exporter, and Ukraine, dubbed ‘the breadbasket of Europe’, both account for nearly a third of the global wheat export market.

China refused to condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine, instead calling for the sides to “exercise restraint” and accusing the United States of “fueling fire” in the region.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia’s grain shipments drop by half.

RT.com
2 Mar, 2022 10:53

Grain shipments from Russia have more than halved due to traffic restrictions in sea and river ports, the country’s grain union announced on Wednesday.

“Before the current situation [the war in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia], daily shipments of grain from Russia amounted to 100,000 tons. Now the volume is less than 40,000 tons,” the union’s president, Arkady Zlochevsky, said, as cited by RIA Novosti.

Not only has navigation via the Sea of Azov, which hosts several large Russian ports, been halted, but also shipments on river-sea routes in the Azov Basin, Zlochevsky explained, adding that only long-term contracts were currently permitted to be fulfilled.

Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, accounting for over 18% of international exports. Together with Ukraine, which has also stopped shipping grain, the two countries account for about 30% of global wheat supplies. The crisis threatens to push food prices across the world to an all-time high.

[TsarSamuil]

well, how about that

China wants to feed millions with seawater rice.

RT.com
8 Mar, 2022 09:09

Chinese scientists have succeeded in developing a new saline-alkali tolerant type of rice in coastal regions where it’s currently impossible to grow crops. The development comes as China strives to secure domestic food and energy supplies amid global warming and geopolitical tensions.

“China is looking at another method now, to develop grain varieties that can withstand the soil’s saltiness,” Zhang Zhaoxin, a researcher with the country’s agricultural ministry, told Bloomberg.

Known as “seawater rice” because it’s grown in salty soil on the coast, the strains were created by over-expressing a gene from selected wild rice. Test fields in Tianjin recorded a yield of 4.6 metric tons per acre last year, higher than the national average for production of standard rice varieties.

China has been studying salt-tolerant rice since at least the 1950s. The research has been spurred on by the country’s coastal waters rising faster than the global average over the last 40 years. Authorities have raised alarms over China’s heavy reliance on its long and low eastern coast for grain production.

The idea of a seawater rice was suggested in 2012 by agricultural scientist Yuan Longping, known as the “father of hybrid rice.” He said in a documentary broadcast in 2020, “We could feed 80 million more people” with salt-tolerant rice.

The research center in Qingdao aims to harvest 30 million tons of the crop using 6.7 million hectares of barren land. The research team said last October it can meet the goal of growing 6.7 million hectares of seawater rice within ten years. In 2021, the group was put in charge of 400,000 hectares of land to expand production of salt-resistant rice.

“If China can be more self-sufficient in staple foods, it would be a contribution to the world's food security too,” said Zhang. “The less China imports, the more other countries will have.”

[TsarSamuil]

Russia-Ukraine conflict could trigger global food shortage – UN.

RT.com
12 Mar, 2022 09:19

Following a dramatic global food shortage due to the Covid pandemic, disruption to agricultural production in Russia and Ukraine due to the ongoing military conflict could seriously exacerbate global food insecurity, said Qu Dongyu, director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

In a statement on Friday, the FAO chief said Russia and Ukraine play a substantial role in the global food production and supply.

“Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, and Ukraine is the fifth-largest. Together, they provide 19% of the world’s barley supply, 14% of wheat, and 4% of maize, making up more than one-third of global cereal exports,” he said.

Qu added that the two nations are also lead suppliers of rapeseed and account for 52% of the world’s sunflower oil export market. Global fertilizer supply is also highly concentrated, with Russia the lead producer.

He explained that supply chain and logistical disruptions on Ukrainian and Russian grain and oilseed production, as well as restrictions on Russian exports, will have significant food security repercussions.

“This is especially true for some 50 countries that depend on Russia and Ukraine for 30% or more of their wheat supply,” Qu said. “Many of them are least developed countries or low-income, food-deficit countries in Northern Africa, Asia and the Near East. Many European and Central Asian countries rely on Russia for over 50% of their fertilizer supply, and shortages there could extend to next year.”

Food prices, which were already on the rise since the second half of 2020, reached an all-time high in February 2022 due to high demand, input and transportation costs, and port disruptions.

Data from the UN agency shows that global prices of wheat and barley rose 31% over the course of 2021. Rapeseed oil and sunflower oil prices soared more than 60%. High demand and volatile natural gas prices have also driven up fertilizer costs. Thus, the price of urea, a key nitrogen fertilizer, has increased more than threefold in the past 12 months.

“The conflict’s intensity and duration remain uncertain. The likely disruptions to agricultural activities of these two major exporters of staple commodities could seriously escalate food insecurity globally, when international food and input prices are already high and volatile,” Qu said.

[TsarSamuil]

Speaking of which, here's some Bulgarians acting like animals (in video, fights across the country, one old man died) for some temp price drop in sunflower oil for fear prices will go way up,
I thinks chaos will spread all across the world n people will point fingers at western pigs n Russia as the solution..
West is so far gone, that Russia ought to take not just southern n eastern ukraine, take central with kiev as well, n secure all farm lands, then put all scum into western ukraine n boycott them into hell just like they deserve for bringing all this shit down upon the world, my patience has reached its end...

BURN IN HELL UKRAINE!

[TsarSamuil]

This critical food item is about to run out in Europe.

RT.com
14 Mar, 2022 10:17

Europe now faces a deficit in sunflower oil because exports from Ukraine have stopped, with the available stocks projected to last between 4 and 6 weeks, the EU vegetable oil industry association has warned.

“Beyond that period, it is likely that [the] lack of availability of crude sunflower seed oil and limited alternatives will lead to a shortfall of refined/bottled sunflower seed oil on the European market, and that this will be felt up to the consumer level,” reads the latest FEDIOL press release.

According to the association, the conflict in Ukraine has already prevented approximately 200,000 tons of sunflower seed oil per month from being shipped to European ports.

The EU sources between 35% and 45% of the oil it consumes from Ukraine, FEDIOL explains, adding that such volumes are difficult if not impossible to replace on short notice.

Producers are already redirecting the oil destined for biodiesel back to the food market, FEDIOL says, predicting that rapeseed oil, soybean oil, and tropical oils could also be used as a replacement.

Since the beginning of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine on February 24, the country’s Black Sea ports have been closed, leaving dozens of cargo ships stranded and disrupting shipping.

[TsarSamuil]

Russian wheat exports plunge.

RT.com
14 Mar, 2022 16:37

The world's largest exporter of wheat, Russia, supplied 23 million tons of the crop to the global market since the beginning of the 2021-2022 agricultural year (July 1, 2021) to March 10, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Monday. That is 30.9% lower than the figure for the same date last season.

The country’s overall grain exports are also down, with barley deliveries falling by 34.7% to 2.9 million tons, and corn shipments declining by 21.7% to 1.8 million tons.

Wheat prices hit record highs lately on supply shortage concerns due to the crisis in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine account for about 30% of global wheat exports.

The conflict between the two countries has brought the world to the brink of a food crisis, analysts warn. The number of people on the edge of famine has jumped to 44 million from 27 million in 2019, the UN's World Food Program said this month.

[TsarSamuil]

I don't see how, and with global warming happening, they will have water problems..

Asian power aims to become world’s top wheat exporter.

RT.com
16 Mar, 2022 11:06

India is planning to become the world’s leading wheat exporter amid the ongoing conflict between top suppliers Russia and Ukraine, Mint newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing sources in the Indian government.

According to the publication, India wants to take advantage of the situation amid the large number of requests from buyers looking for alternatives to supplies from Russia and Ukraine.

The publication mentions several measures New Delhi intends to take within the next two weeks to ensure growth in exports. These include ordering government-certified labs to urgently test the quality of wheat for export, making port authorities prioritize wheat exports, and providing additional rail wagons for transporting grain.

With these steps, India is aiming to help growers export higher quality grain to show global buyers that the country can secure a steady supply of high-protein wheat, the sources said. The government selected 213 laboratories to test the quality of wheat for export, and also asked the state standards bureau to control the quality.

India had signed contracts to export 7 million tons of wheat in the current fiscal year, which ends on March 31. It is a record high for the country, which is one of the world’s largest producers of the grain, but has traditionally consumed the lion’s share of its production domestically. Still, the current export value would only make India the world’s ninth-biggest exporter of wheat, according to Statista.com.

Russia is currently the world’s largest exporter of wheat, accounting for over 18% of international exports. However, grain shipments from Russia more than halved last month due to Ukraine-related sanctions, which resulted in traffic restrictions in sea and river ports, the country’s grain union said in early March.

This week, Russia temporarily banned grain exports (including wheat) to the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union in order to secure the domestic market amid sanctions.

The situation has already resulted in skyrocketing wheat prices. The grain’s May futures reached a record high on March 7, jumping to $13.63 per bushel, up 60% since the beginning of the year.