Attacks on ships in the Red Sea continue to push ocean freight rates higher, triggering warnings of inflation and delayed goods. To avoid strikes by Iran-backed Houthi militants based in Yemen, carriers have already diverted more than $200 billion in trade over the past several weeks away from the crucial Middle East trade route, which, along with the Suez Canal, connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean. This has created a multiple-front storm for global trade, according to logistics managers: Freight rates increasing daily, additional surcharges, longer shipping times, and the threat that spring and summer products will be late due to vessels arriving late in China as they travel the long way around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope.

The Taiwan Flour Millers' Association has issued an international tender to buy an estimated 82,975 metric tons of grade 1 milling wheat sourced from the United States, European traders said on Wednesday. The tender seeks a range of wheat types for 2024 shipment from the U.S. Pacific Northwest coast, such as dark northern spring, hard red winter and white wheat.

The North American Millers’ Association (NAMA) is prioritizing the inclusion of the American Farmers Feed the World Act in the next farm bill, foreseeing its advancement as an opportunity to feed people around the world with US-grown commodities instead of food purchased from US agricultural competitors. The legislation eliminates the practice of giving food aid through cash vouchers or purchases from US agricultural competitors and restores the Food for Peace program to an in-kind commodity donation program.

Idaho set a record for total value of agricultural exports in 2022, according to USDA data released in late October. It was the third straight year the state set a record in that category. According to a separate set of data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in early November, the state was on pace through the first nine months of 2023 to set another record for total ag export value. According to the USDA data, $2.89 billion worth of agricultural products from Idaho were exported to other countries in 2022. That was up 12 percent from the 2021 record of $2.57 billion and 28 percent more than the $2.26 billion total in 2020, which was also a record at the time.

The University of Idaho has hired Armando Falcon-Brindis as an assistant professor of entomology and extension specialist based at the UI Parma Research and Extension Center. Falcon-Brindis has an extensive research background in pollinators, biological pest control agents, ecology and taxonomy, according to a release from the UI College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. “I like to understand why we have a certain pool of species in one area,” he said. “What are those conditions making those species occur?”

Looking ahead to holiday gatherings, events and activities may fill you with anticipation and excitement, along with a little angst. You may feel that build-up of anxiety as the holidays approach. Here are some coping strategies to help you bolster your mental health during the holidays:

Recognizing the increased emphasis consumers are placing on nutrition, the Wheat Foods Council (WFC) launched a social media campaign that educates fitness professionals and trainers about the benefits of incorporating wheat foods into healthy diets. U.S. Wheat Associates and the WFC are both U.S. farmer-led organizations that promote the value and benefits of U.S. wheat. International customers of U.S. wheat are encouraged to look to the WFC for resources and ideas to increase awareness of wheat foods nutrition.