Georgia's tobacco and pecan crops are on pace for a surprisingly good year, but above-normal temperatures have taken a toll on peanuts and cotton. Pecan trees are alternate-bearing, meaning they produce a full crop every other year; most trees in Georgia are on the same cycle and this was supposed to be an "off" year for pecan production, but Georgia farmers will likely produce 75-80 million pounds, double what has been produced in other off years. Extreme heat in July and early August hurt peanut plants' ability to set peanut pods. Yield is expected to be 3,300 pounds per acre, or 7 percent less than last year. [University of Georgia Cooperative Extension]
U.S. beef exports remained on a record-shattering value pace in October, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). October pork exports trended seasonally higher compared to recent months but were still below the results posted in October 2017. Lamb export volume in October more than doubled year-over-year, while value increased nearly 50 percent. October pork export volume was 207,725 mt, the largest since May but still 2 percent lower year-over-year, reflecting smaller variety meat exports. Export value ($536.5 million) was also the largest since May but still down 5 percent from a year ago. For January through October, pork exports were 1 percent above last year’s record pace at 2.02 million mt, while value was also up 1 percent to $5.33 billion. For pork muscle cuts only, January-October exports increased 5 percent from a year ago in volume (1.63 million mt), valued at $4.43 billion (up 2 percent). Source: U.S. Meat Export Fed