U.S. corn

The NW cherry crop for this year looks to be bigger than last year’s. Northwest Cherry Growers estimates 23.8 million 20-pound boxes, based on data by its Field Estimate team.

In a four-day shopping spree, importers bought 3.876 million tons of U.S. corn for delivery to China this marketing year, according to the USDA.

Nothing “chicken” about these French fowl.That’s the feeling after a hungry fox snuck into a chicken coop in France and got a lot more than it bargained for.

China's purchases plunged, after domestic supplies became cheaper following a farm policy overhaul. Farmers needing to be more involved in the new Farm Bill.

**A growing concern among U.S. lawmakers and food manufacturers that they’ll see the price of sugar go up if the sugar refining industry gets what it’s demanding from Mexico. A group of 51 House members has signed onto a letter to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross not to go through with some proposals like raising the floor price for raw and refined sugar and funneling some raw sugar imports directly

**The USDA’s latest cold storage report showed strong retail and export demand for meat. Pork was down 10% on the year, despite record pork production during March, including a 68% drop in bellies, and beef supplies were 4% lower, even after a 7% year to year increase in production last month...

** Both sides found something to be happy about in a federal judge’s ruling in a class-action lawsuit seeking damages from lost sales and reduced prices resulting from China’s rejection of U.S. corn shipments. A U.S. District Judge in Kansas City rejected the basis for a nationwide class on the plaintiffs’ claim, and narrowed the issues to be considered at a trial in June...