Ukraine

White House Asks Congress for Additional $33 Billion in Aid for Ukraine

Fri, 29 Apr 2022 10:58:58 GMT

In a press release on Thursday, the White House announced the Biden administration is calling on Congress to provide additional resources overseas to “help ensure Ukraine’s democracy prevails over Putin’s aggression.”

The White House says continued bipartisan support in Congress is “vital” to Ukraine’s victory over Russia. To demonstrate commitment, the Administration plans to keep an uninterrupted flow of aid to address the food crisis.

In March, Congress dedicated roughly $7 billion to Ukraine’s cause, which the Biden administration claims to have depleted through weapons and ammunition, NATO defense, as well as humanitarian, economic and food security.

An additional $33 billion proposed by the White House to Congress today would be used to:
1. Increase security and military assistance in Ukraine—$20.4 billion
2. Strengthen Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative—$6 billion
3. Bolster the State Department’s Foreign Military Financing program—$4 billion
4. Improve humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine—$3 billion
5. Additional funding to provide economic assistance to the Government of Ukraine—$8.5 billion

Humanitarian Needs

Wheat and flour are two main food supplies the U.S. will deliver to Ukraine if Congress approves the $33 billion.

“An additional $500 million in domestic food production assistance will support the production of U.S. food crops that are experiencing a global shortage due to the war in Ukraine, for example, wheat and soybeans,” the White House says. “Through higher loan rates and crop insurance incentives the request provides greater access to credit and lowers risk for farmers growing these food commodities, while lowering costs for American consumers.”

According to the White House, these resources will impact the long-term outcome of NATO’s work to “deter and defend” against Russian forces.

Read more on Ukraine:

> Ukraine-Russia Tensions: What it Could Mean for Agriculture

> Ukrainian Farmers Don Bulletproof Vests to Plow Frontline Fields

> War in Ukraine: Risks and Opportunities for U.S. Farmers

Farmers Are Now Paying Above $5 For Off-Road Diesel, And It's More Than Just Russia to Blame

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 14:04:57 GMT

Gas prices keep crushing records in the U.S., but diesel prices are posting even more sticker shock as fears of a possible diesel shortage this year are also causing concerns. It’s not just retail diesel prices that are rapidly rising. There are now reports of farmers booking off-road diesel for farm use trending above the $5 mark, too.

(Farm Journal)

It’s an issue facing the trucking industry from coast to coast. AAA reports the national average diesel price is now $5.77 a gallon. A year ago, it was $3.21.

“It’s almost like every five minutes, I see the little live indicator tick up on our GasBuddy data,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis, GasBuddy , told U.S. Farm Report two weeks ago.

GasBuddy tracks both diesel and gas prices in real time. And while the pain at the pump is something drivers are seeing across the country, it’s also an issue plaguing agricultural producers across the U.S.

“We had some farm diesel delivered yesterday, and it cost us $4.85 or $4.89 a gallon delivered. Two years ago, we bought fuel for just over $1,” Craig Moss, a farmer in Hull, Iowa, told Farm Journal’s Michelle Rook.

The rapid rise in input prices is eating into outlooks this year, even with high livestock and grain prices.

“It’s a challenging market, no doubt, buying $8 corn and $5.50 diesel; it’s a tremendous challenge for producers,” says David Newman, a pork producer in Myrtle, Mo.

While prices at the pump for both gas and diesel climbed this week, it’s a similar story for off-road diesel prices. A survey of farmers on Twitter drew a wide range of responses regarding the prices they are currently seeing. Farmers reported off-road diesel at $4.13 in the northern Corn Belt, while off-road diesel is now above $5 for those further east and in western states like Montana.

Research by Texas A&M Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) shows farmers are seeing nearly every input cost on their farm rise this year. Nitrogen prices produced the biggest increase, up more than 133% per acre year-over-year. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizer were up nearly 93% during that time. That was followed by fuel and lube, which jumped more than 86% compared to last year.

(Farm Journal)

The latest baseline projections from the University of Missouri Food and Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) also shows the sharp rise in fuels costs today.

“A 57% increase may or may not capture what’s happening right now throughout the whole calendar year of 2022, but it is capturing at least the part that we’re seeing right now,” says Bob Maltsbarger, a senior research economist with FAPRI.

FAPRI’s baseline projection shows even if fuel prices retreat the second half of this year, higher overall production costs will continue to sway balance sheets. Maltsbarger points out diesel prices vary by not only geography, but also by farm, especially considering crops like corn typically require more fuel use.

“It will vary quite a bit on the dollars-per-acre impact, but if you have about an equal increase on a percentage change basis, you will see those dollars per acre be more expensive in this calendar year,” he says.

Why Are Diesel Prices So High?

Why have diesel prices raced higher this year? It’s largely due to a shortage of refining capacity, not a shortage of oil, but the prices started to climb higher long before Russia invaded Ukraine.

“The nation is dealing with about a million barrels a day less of capacity than we had just three years ago. That’s the equivalent of about 5%,” De Haan explains. “So, not only is oil a problem with sanctions on Russia’s oil, but turning that oil into something like gasoline and diesel is also now a choke point.”

“Refineries have less capacity; we have about 1.2 million barrels a day of less capacity because of shutdowns that occurred prior to the pandemic,” says Debnil Chowdhury, vice president, head of Americas Refining, S&P Global Commodity Insights. “Also during the pandemic, we’ve had some convergence to biofuels’ facilities as well as a refinery that was hit by a hurricane and damaged to the point where it can’t really be run anymore.”

S&P Global Commodities is also watching the situation. At a time when the U.S. is typically building inventory, the opposite is occurring, which is also heightening concerns about a possible shortage.

“This is the year we’re running very low on inventory entering the summertime, and any type of impact on refining capacity is really going to increase the chance of the shortage,” says Chowdhury.

One Hurricane Away from a Diesel Shortage?

With supplies already tight, De Haan says the U.S. can’t afford to lose any refining capacity, which is a major risk considering NOAA is projecting an above-normal hurricane season.

“We’re probably one Category 3 storm away [from a shortage], and that Category 3 storm would have to take aim for an area roughly from the Mississippi River to Houston,” says De Haan. “That’s the really sensitive area. Not only could it affect refining, but it could affect offshore oil production.”

One of the reasons inventories are already tight is due to Hurricane Ida making a direct hit along the Gulf Coast. Refineries located near New Orleans went offline last fall, with some still not back online today. That major hurricane, and the devastation it caused, was one of the initial dominoes to fall for diesel prices.

“This all actually started before the war. It began in October of last year, when natural gas prices in Europe started to rise,” Chowdhury says. “The cost of natural gas increased substantially in Europe, and why that’s important to a Midwest farmer is because the cost of producing that diesel increased with it.”

Searching for Solutions

While the financial incentive is there today to pump more oil and increase refining capacity, one worker in the oil industry told U.S. Farm Report that the push to electric has investors concerned about the risk of such an investment. And considering it takes years for refining capacity to come online, that’s also not a solution today.

There’s talk of the Biden administration tapping into diesel reserves to help ease supply concerns, but De Haan says not only will that move have a minimal impact, it’s also a question of timing.

“It’s only a million barrels, so it’s not a infinite amount of supply,” he says. “The worry is that if we release those barrels of diesel now from areas in the Northeast, we’re also in the start of hurricane season. Now we do have some tropical activity. So when do you use the inventories? Do you use them now because of high prices? Or, do you wait for a bigger potential issue later this summer?”

(Farm Journal)

In order to relieve the tight diesel supply situation, Chowdhury points out the other option is for the government to wave the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, otherwise known as the Jones Act.

“The U.S. refiner now has to decide do we send product to Europe? We can send it via pipeline easily, but because of the Jones Act, which is a regulation that mandates U.S. flagged vessels from port to port, it’s not something that we could do now. And that’s something that the government could look at waving if we do face a shortage,” says Chowdhury.

The Jones Act is a federal statute that was established more than 100 years ago. It requires all vessels carrying good between two U.S. points be American-built, owned, crewed and flagged. The policy was created to help sustain American jobs, and in turn, generate economic benefits each year. Proponents claim the Jones Act has secured critical movement of goods over the years.

How Long Could the Diesel Price Pain Last?

While the industry searches for possible solutions, those who follow and track refineries don’t see a dramatic drop in diesel prices anytime soon.

“These prices are not going to go back to the levels we had at the beginning of 2021. It’s more likely that we’ll see maybe, you know, a $5 to $10 decline in crude price, and that would equate to maybe 50¢ to 60¢ on the diesel price itself. We’re not talking about a major relief,” Chowdhury says.

On the heels of diesel prices climbing higher again this week, anyone hoping for relief might have to look out beyond this year.

“It could take a couple of years. Keep in mind the longer we go down this road, and that demand eclipses supply, the more catching up we’re going to have to do,” De Haan says.

G&R Farms helps Jose Andres feed Ukrainian refugees, urges produce industry to join fight

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:27:18 GMT

In an effort to help “nourish a nation in need,” Walt Dasher, vice president of G&R Farms, is donating $2,500 to World Central Kitchen to support the Chef Jose Andres-led humanitarian organization’s feeding operations as it prepares meals for Ukrainian refugees.

WCK reports that it is currently serving meals at eight border crossings across the country and supporting local restaurants preparing meals in eight Ukrainian cities, including Odessa, Lviv and Kyiv. WCK teams are also on the ground in Romania, Moldova and Hungary.

“I have watched in disbelief the crisis unfolding in the Ukraine and I am moved by the perseverance the Ukrainian people are showing to protect their families and get them to safety, while also staying behind to defend their country,” Dasher said in an email to The Packer. “They are an example to the world, and they are the line in the sand that represents freedom.”

Dasher is calling on other produce companies to join the fight. “As a food industry, we grow nourishing foods and, together, let’s help Chef Andres nourish a nation in need. I challenge each produce company to join me and make a donation to World Central Kitchen.”

Donations can be made through the WCK website at: https://wck.org/

WCK, the brainchild of Andres and his wife, Patricia, was born in response to the 2010 devastating earthquake in Haiti. Since that time, WCK has strived to be “first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises,” according to its website.

Since 2010, WCK has donated food in the aftermath of numerous crises. In the last year alone, the organization has fed people in need following a typhoon in the Philippines, wildfires in Colorado, an apartment fire in the Bronx, N.Y., and now in the Ukraine, where Russia has launched a large-scale military operation.

“The United Nations estimates over 1.3 million Ukrainians have fled since the attack began, with that number expected to rise dramatically,” notes the WCK website. “The journey is daunting, with many Ukrainian families traveling for days without food.”

In February, Andres and his WCK team began their humanitarian relief efforts at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, where they served hot meals. Last week, in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper , Andres and his team had moved across the border and into the Ukraine to feed families in need.

"Cooking is a way to stand up. It's to say, you are not going to let my people go hungry." - @chefjoseandres speaks to Anderson Cooper on the ground in Ukraine, as his relief organization @WCKitchen is serving thousands of meals to refugees. pic.twitter.com/emz9B6h3i3
— CNN (@CNN) March 5, 2022

“Feeding is another form of fighting,” Andres told Cooper on March 4. “Cooking is a way to stand up. It’s to say, you are not going to let my people go hungry.”

Since the day after the attack from Russia began, WCK has been serving meals to thousands of families escaping the violence in Ukraine, reports the humanitarian organization’s website.

For the Glenville, Ga.-based G&R Farms, a grower of Vidalia and Peruvian onions, charitable donations are part of its ongoing efforts to feed people in communities near and far. Last year, the company tallied more than $100,000 in donations .

The Untold Farmer Stories Of Ukraine: Q&A With Howard Buffett

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 17:15:15 GMT

As a farmer and global philanthropist, Howard Buffett and his namesake, The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, work where others can’t or won’t to address food insecurity, mitigate conflict, combat human trafficking and improve public safety.

After 10 trips to the front line in Ukraine (the first of which was April of 2022), Buffett shared key insights and takeaways to the attendees at the 2024 Top Producer Summit.

As Ukrainians are living day-by-day and the country’s farmers face instability in inputs, destruction of their infrastructure and the threat of landmines scattered in their fields, Buffett encourages U.S. farmers to see the threat to global food security and view this conflict through the eyes of a farmer.

Q: How do you describe your experience in Ukraine?
A: “It’s hard to imagine the amount of destruction. Many farmers lost everything they’ve had. Think about if you were to go home today and your machinery shed is completely shelled, all your equipment is burned, and you don’t know when you’re going to be able to go back in the field because there are hundreds of landmines.”

Q: How has the timing of this war affected global food security?
A: “If we didn’t have the largest corn crop we’ve ever harvested, a five-year high carryover in corn and a four-year high carryover in soybeans, and if South America didn’t have strong yields, the impact of Ukraine would be so much greater than it has been. The timing is such that we’ve avoided a serious crisis around the world with food insecurity so far, but that doesn’t mean it will stay that way.”

Q: How have you seen the support from the U.S. government show up in Ukraine?
A: “We have spent a majority of the money for Ukraine in this country in 31 states, 71 cities and 130 some production lines. We’re emptying out warehouses of ammunition that if we went to war with, we’d be surprised or disappointed with, and we’d be in trouble. I’ve been in a howitzer site, where 40% of the 155 shells firing came from the U.S. misfire, either because the ammunition is old or the electronics are corroded. We’re also replacing very old weapons systems with higher tech weapons systems, so we as the U.S. will be better prepared to fight if we have to fight.”

Q: How is the way this war is being fought different?
A: “Drones are the most important thing right now in this war. Ukraine is lacking air superiority, and that’s been a huge deficit for them and has caused a lot of casualties. The U.S. would not understand how critical drones are today if it weren’t for Ukraine. And I don’t think we’re just learning from a military standpoint; if you look at the resiliency and the commitment and the courage of Ukrainians, they’re teaching us something. After two years of the fight, sometimes you forget how it all started. This is Russia, who’s one of our biggest enemies. They would destroy America tomorrow if they could; they would take away your farm tomorrow if they could; they would take away our freedom and our democracy. They are our enemy, period.”

Q: What is the effort and timing of rebuilding?
A: “I have seen hundreds of villages in rural Ukraine that are completely leveled — there’s nothing left, there’s no families, no one can live there. They’re all mined, and you can’t even go into them. I learned a lesson in Afghanistan, seeing buildings get rebuilt, roads rebuilt in the middle of war. A Navy Seal told me, if you don’t rebuild while the war is still going on, people have no hope. If people cannot see to the future, if they cannot have any faith things are going to change, and they’re going to get better, they give up, and it gets hard to go on. So, in Ukraine, we are building schools, and we’re building police stations.”

Q: What do farmers need?
A: “As part of the Victory Harvest program, we have sent 74 combines, 84 tractors, drills and auger wagons. And so now we’ve helped get 260,000 acres of crops harvested and close to 160,000 acres planted. Some of you guys have had your own experiences with fertilizer shortages, but these farmers don’t get to buy fertilizer or walk into a bank and get an operating loan.”

There are a few groups Buffett recommends to farmers wanting to help other farmers. Farmerhood was started by a Ukrainian woman whose husband was fighting on the front line. Others include Save Ukraine and Super Humans .

Q: How can agricultural equipment be used for de-mining?
A: “There are hundreds of thousands of acres to de-mine. There are still farmers dying every week because of land mines. Our new project is to take what we know about equipment and apply it to de-mining with both verification and clearance. We’ve got about 11 acres and four bulldozers and four tractors dedicated to our testing — focused on using what we have and using GPS to map where we’ve run and verified where there are mines or not. The idea right now is to take a tracked John Deere 8360R, put a LaForge three point on it and build a protection plate with two rollers in the front and a big roller behind us. We are going to bring efficiency, safety and speed to this by taking technology and applying it in a completely different way.”

Q: What about the grain successfully grown and harvested in Ukraine?
A: “Of the wheat harvested in Ukraine this year, 28% of the crop is from occupied territories, which means Russia stole it. We’re putting out fires trying to figure out how to move grain out of the country. We’ve bought thousands of Ag Bags and are buying more. And we’re working toward structuring something to make it easier for Ukrainian farmers to move grain — but it’s not simple.”

Q: What are the consequences to U.S. agriculture if Russia wins?
A: “If Russia wins, they will export all the fertilizer and the crops they can as cheaply as they can to compete with us. And then worse than that, Russia will fuel all the conflicts so they are able to maintain control of the Black Sea.”

In his latest book , Howard Buffett documents the atrocities committed against Ukrainians, as well as their suffering, resilience and courage. “Courage of a Nation” documents the first two years of war in Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and showcases a compilation of the thousands of images Buffett has captured over the 10 trips he has taken since the start of the war.

BREAKING: Report: China Asked for Russia to Delay Attack on Ukraine Until After Winter Olympics

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 21:42:49 GMT

UPDATE: 03/02 4:40-pm-EST-(Reuters) - Senior Chinese officials told senior Russian officials in early February not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing Biden administration officials and a European official. The Times said a Western intelligence report indicates senior Chinese officials had some level of knowledge about Russia’s plans or intentions to invade Ukraine before it started last week.

UPDATE: 03/02 4:23 pm-EST-There are reports a missile struck a vessel flying under the flag of Bangladesh. Reports are that the bulk carrier has been waiting to load since February and couldn’t leave due to restrictions in the area. Videos posted to Twitter appear to show a ship on fire near Olvia Port, Ukraine. Several news reports say a Bangladeshi sailor died.

KHERSON, Ukraine - (AP) A Russian official says troops have taken the Ukrainian port city of Kherson - a claim that the Ukrainian military denies. The city is under Russian soldiers’ “complete control,” Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Wednesday. He said that the city’s civilian infrastructure, essential facilities and transport are operating as usual and that there are no shortages of food or essential goods.

UPDATE: 03/02 3:43 pm -EST-GOTLAND, Sweden (AP)- Sweden says four Russian fighter jets violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Wednesday. The four aircraft - two SU-27 and two SU-24 fighters - flew briefly over Swedish airspace east of the island of Gotland, according to a statement from the Swedish Armed Forces. “In light of the current situation we are very concerned about the incident,” Swedish Air Force chief Carl-Johan Edstrom said. “This is unprofessional and irresponsible behavior from the Russian side.” Swedish fighter jets were scrambled and took photos of the Russian jets, the statement said.

KYIV, Ukraine - Ukrainian officials have reported a powerful explosion in Kyiv, between the Southern Railway station and the Ibis hotel, an area near Ukraine’s Defense Ministry.

WASHINGTON - A senior U.S. defense official says the Russian convoy still appears to be stalled outside the city center of Kyiv, and has made no real progress in the last couple days. The official on Wednesday said the convoy is still plagued with fuel and food shortages and logistical problems, as well as facing continued fierce resistance from Ukrainians.

WASHINGTON - The White House has announced additional sanctions against Russia and its ally Belarus, including extending export controls that target Russian oil refining and entities supporting the Russian and Belarusian military. Among Wednesday’s new measures are sanctions targeting 22 Russia defense entities that make combat aircraft, infantry fighting vehicles, electronic warfare systems, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles for Russia’s military.

UPDATE: 03/02 12:06pm-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - The U.N. General Assembly has voted to demand that Russia stop its offensive in Ukraine and withdraw all troops, with nations from world powers to tiny island states condemning Moscow. The vote Wednesday was 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions. It came after the 193-member assembly convened its first emergency session since 1997.

UPDATE: 03/02 12:05 pm-EST-MOSCOW (AP) - Russia’s Defense Ministry says 498 of its troops killed in Ukraine, 1,597 wounded in 1st report of military casualties.

UPDATE: 03/02 10:45 am-EST-Wheat prices reach $11. Follow the markets here .

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 03/02 10:03 am-EST-WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is “very open” to imposing sanctions on Russia’s oil and gas industry as it also weighs the potential market impact, the White House said on Wednesday as global oil prices touched eight-year highs and supply disruptions mounted.

UPDATE: 03/02 9:49 am-EST-NEW YORK (AP) - Oil prices are surging again as Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, pushing crude up to $110 a barrel.

UPDATE: 03/02 9:31 am-EST-DUBAI/LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) - OPEC+ oil producers agreed on Wednesday to stick to their plans for a modest output rise in April, ignoring the Ukraine crisis during their talks and snubbing calls from consumers for more crude even as crude prices rocketed higher.

UPDATE: 03/02 9:25 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine’s State Emergency Service says over 2,000 civilians dead in week of war; independent confirmation not possible.

UPDATE: 03/02 8:55 am EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russia renewed its assault on Ukraine’s second-largest city in a pounding that lit up the skyline with balls of fire over populated areas. That came Wednesday even as both sides said they were ready to resume talks aimed at stopping the new devastating war in Europe. The escalation of attacks on crowded cities followed an initial round of talks between outgunned Ukraine and nuclear power Russia on Monday that resulted in only a promise to meet again. It was not clear when new talks might take place - or what they would yield. Ukraine’s president earlier said Russia must stop bombing before another meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has decried Russia’s bombardment as a blatant terror campaign.

President Biden is talking about the situation in Ukraine in his State of the Union speech. It starts tonight at 9 pm EST. Watch it here .

UPDATE: 03/01 4:48 pm-EST-(Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said on Tuesday it has paused all product sales in Russia in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UPDATE: 03/01 4:41 pm-EST-(AP) WASHINGTON - The U.S. on Tuesday injected a strong note of caution into the persistent reports that Russian military progress - including by the massive convoy outside Kyiv - has slowed, plagued by food and fuel shortages and logistical problems.

One senior Defense official said that the U.S. has seen Russian military columns literally run out of gas, and in some places running out of food, and that morale is suffering as a result.

But the official added that it is important to be pragmatic. The Russians still have a significant amount of combat power that has not yet been tapped, and “they will regroup, they will adjust, they will change their tactics.”

UPDATE: 03/01 3:38 pm-EST-WINNIPEG, Manitoba, March 1 (Reuters) - Canada’s Nutrien Ltd (NTR.TO) , the world’s biggest fertilizer producer, said on Tuesday that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could result in prolonged disruptions to the global supply of potash and nitrogen crop nutrients.

Interim Chief Executive Ken Seitz said Nutrien will boost potash production if it sees sustained supply problems in Russia and Belarus, the world’s second-and third-largest potash-producing countries after Canada.

UPDATE: 03/01 2:00 pm-EST-(Reuters) The world’s three biggest container lines are temporarily suspending cargo shipments to and from Russia. They are Swiss-headquartered MSC, Denmark’s Maersk, and France’s CMA CGM. Maersk also added that the suspension covering all Russian ports, would not include foodstuffs, medical and humanitarian supplies.

UPDATE: 03/01 11:10 am-EST-FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - International Energy Agency says 31 member countries agree to release 60 million barrels of oil from reserves.

UPDATE: 03/01 10:57 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukrainian parliament says Russian forces have hit the TV tower in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv.

UPDATE: 03/01 10:46 am-EST-Crude oil futures continue to trade above $100.

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 03/01 10:37 am-EST- Corn, soybeans and wheat all up double digits. Follow the markets here .

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE 03/01 9:35 am-EST-From Farm Journal Washington Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer: U.S. oil jumped to a 7-year high above $101 a barrel as the Russian assault prompts supply oil shortage fears. The U.S. and other countries are discussing releasing around 70 million barrels of strategic oil reserves, but the major unknown is whether OPEC will boost production, with an important meeting on the topic tomorrow. Pressure continues on Biden and U.S. allies to include oil trade in sanctions on Russia.

UPDATE: 03/01 9:20 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russian strikes pounded the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city and other civilian targets, and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital. Ukraine’s embattled president accused Moscow on Tuesday of resorting to terror tactics to press Europe’s largest ground war in generations. With the Kremlin increasingly isolated by tough economic sanctions that have tanked the ruble currency, Russian troops advanced on Ukraine’s two biggest cities. In strategic Kharkiv, explosions tore through the region’s Soviet-era administrative building and residential areas on Day 6 of an invasion that has shaken the 21st century world order.

U’PDATE: 02/28 5:05 pm-EST-WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Americans should not be worried about nuclear war, U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday, the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert amid Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The President was asked about by a reporter it while attending a White House celebration of Black History Month.

UPDATE: 02/28 4:54 pm-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russian forces are shelling Ukraine’s second-largest city, rocking a residential neighborhood, and closing in on the capital, Kyiv, in a 17-mile convoy of hundreds of tanks and other vehicles.

UPDATE: 02/28 3:57 pm-EST-TORONTO - Canada will be supplying Ukraine with anti-tank weapons systems, upgraded ammunition and is banning all imports of crude oil from Russia.

UPDATE: 02/28 3:32 pm-EST-BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union has slapped sanctions on 26 more Russians, including oligarchs, senior officials and an energy insurance company, in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine, bringing the total of people targeted to 680.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - International Criminal Court prosecutor to open probe into possible war crimes or crimes against humanity in Ukraine.

BEREGSURANY, Hungary (AP) - The mass exodus of refugees from Ukraine to the eastern edge of the European Union has showed no signs of stopping as they flee Russia’s burgeoning war. The U.N. estimated Monday that more than 500,000 people have already escaped.

UPDATE: 02/28 3:10 pm-EST-KYIV, Ukraine - Satellite images show Russian troops are attacking Ukraine on multiple fronts and are advancing on the capital city of Kyiv. On Monday, a convoy consisting of hundreds of armored vehicles, tanks, artillery and support vehicles was just 17 miles (25 kilometers) from the center of Kyiv. The city is home to nearly 3 million residents. The images from Maxar Technologies also captured signs of fighting outside Kyiv, including destroyed vehicles and a damaged bridge.

UPDATE: 02/28 1:13 pm-EST-LONDON (AP) - Shell says it pulling out of Russia as President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine costs the country’s all-important energy industry foreign investment and expertise. Shell announced its intention Monday to exit its joint ventures with Gazprom and related entities, including its 27.5% stake in the Sakhalin-II liquefied natural gas facility, its 50% stake in the Salym Petroleum Development and the Gydan energy venture. Shell also intends to end its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.

UPDATE: 02/28 11:59 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A top adviser to Ukraine’s president says the first round of talks with Russia about ending the fighting in Ukraine has concluded, and more talks could happen soon.

UPDATE: 02/28 11:45 am-EST-KYIV, UKRAINE (AP) - Ukraine’s leader Zelenskyy applies for Ukraine to join the 27-nation European Union on the 5th day of Russian invasion.

Picture posted to Twitter:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 02/28 10:53 am-EST-NEW YORK (AP) - Markets quivered Monday amid worries about how high oil prices will go and how badly the global economy will get hit after the U.S. and allies upped the financial pressure on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Stocks fell, investors herded into gold in search of safety and the Russian ruble tumbled to a record low below a penny at one point.

UPDATE: 02/28 10:18 am-EST-(Reuters) - Energy giant BP, global bank HSBC and the world’s biggest aircraft leasing firm AerCap joined a growing list of companies looking to exit Russia on Monday, as Western sanctions tightened the screws on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s economy was already reeling on Monday. The rouble plunged as much as 30% to an all-time low, while the central bank doubled its key interest rate to 20%, kept stock markets and derivative markets closed and temporarily banned brokers from selling securities held by foreigners

UPDATE: 02/28 9:54am-EST-LVIV, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday asked the European Union to allow Ukraine to gain membership under a special procedure immediately as it defends itself from invasion by Russian forces.

“Our goal is to be with all Europeans and, most importantly, to be equal. I’m sure that’s fair. I am sure we deserve it,” he said in a video speech shared on social media.

UPDATE: 02/28 9:02 am-EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Russian and Ukrainian delegations met for talks amid high hopes but low expectations for any diplomatic breakthrough. The talks Monday come after Moscow unleashed the biggest land war in Europe since World War II but met unexpectedly stiff resistance. As outgunned but determined Ukrainian forces slowed the Russian advance and sanctions crippled the Russian economy, the military confirmed that its nuclear forces were on high alert. While that raised the unimaginable specter of nuclear conflict, it was unclear what practical effect it had. A tense calm reigned Monday in Kyiv, explosions and gunfire were heard in embattled cities in eastern Ukraine, and terrified Ukrainian families huddled overnight in shelters, basements or corridors.

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 2/27 3:56 pm-EST-Brussels (AP)-The European Union agreed Sunday to close its airspace to Russian airlines, spend hundreds of millions of euros on buying weapons for Ukraine and ban some pro-Kremlin media outlets in its latest response to Russia’s invasion.

In what he described as “a defining moment for European history,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the bloc’s 27 foreign ministers had greenlighted the unprecedented support for Ukraine and that those actions would take effect within hours.

Kyiv, Ukraine (AP)-President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear forces to be put on high alert Sunday, while Ukraine’s embattled leader agreed to talks with Moscow. Right now, Putin’s troops and tanks are driving deeper into the country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office announced that the two sides would meet Monday at an unspecified location on the Belarusian border, where a Russian delegation was waiting Sunday.

(CNN)-Ukraine has filed an application to institute proceedings against Russia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a “dispute … relating to the interpretation, application and fulfillment of the 1948 Convention and Prevention of Punishment of the Crimes of Genocide,” according to an ICJ news release on the filing.

The following was tweeted by Ukraine’s president:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 5:15 pm-EST-(Reuters) - Ukraine and Russia are discussing a place and time for talks, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s spokesman said on social media on Friday.

“Ukraine was and remains ready to talk about a ceasefire and peace,” spokesman Sergii Nykyforov added.

UPDATE: 5:12 pm-EST-RICHMOND, Va.-Criminal ransomware operators are posting messages on the dark web pledging to launch retaliatory cyberattacks if Russia is attacked.

The ransomware group Conti, which experts say has ties to Russia, said in a note on its dark web site Friday that it would “use all our possible resources to strike back at the critical infrastructures of an enemy.”

Ransomware gangs are mostly Russian-speaking and operate with near impunity out of Russia and allied countries.

In a follow up note, the Conti group stressed it was not an ally of any government and said: “we condemn the ongoing war.”

Major ransomware attacks in the last year, including against the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline, have underscored how gangs of extortionist hackers can disrupt the economy and put lives and livelihoods at risk. The U.S. government has been warning critical infrastructure entities to prepare for possible attacks and to make sure their defenses are up to date.

Non-state hackers have promised to be active in both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The online collective Anonymous recently pledged to conduct cyberattacks to support Ukraine.

UPDATE: 4:06 pm-EST-WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Russian assault on Ukraine was more brutal on Friday with attacks on civilian infrastructure and Kyiv, but Moscow’s forces did not advance as planned and the capital remained firmly in Ukrainian control, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy remains in Kyiv and he held a “very productive” phone call with President Joe Biden on Friday, the ambassador told reporters.

Russia has deliberately targeted some of Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and hospitals, she said, and Ukrainian officials are gathering war crimes evidence to present to the International Criminal Court.

UPDATE: 3:47 pm-EST-WASHINGTON (AP) - Biden plans move to freeze assets of Putin, Russian foreign minister, matching EU sanctions against Russian leadership.

UPDATE: 1:14 pm-EST-Tweet from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 1:06 pm-EST-BRUSSELS (AP) - NATO chief says leaders agree to send rapid response troops to protect allies near Russia and Ukraine.

UPDATE: 10:03 pm-EST-NEW YORK (AP) - Relief flowed through Wall Street on Friday, even as deadly attacks continued to rage in Ukraine. Stocks rose, oil fell and investors turned away from gold and other traditional havens they favor when fear is high.

UPDATE: 12:12 pm-EST-BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union has agreed to freeze the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to Latvia’s foreign minister. A decision to freeze Putin and Lavrov’s assets indicates that Western powers are moving toward unprecedented measures to try to stop Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine neighbor and a major war in Europe. Latvian Foreign Minister Edgards Rinkevics said in a Tweet on Friday that he and the EU’s other foreign ministers adopted a second sanctions package and “the asset freeze includes President of Russia and its Foreign Minister.”He said the EU plans to prepare another package of sanctions.

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 11:33 am-EST-CNN Business is reporting China is relaxing restrictions on imports of Russian wheat. It says the decision to allow imports of wheat from all regions of Russia was made when Russian President Putin met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the Olympics earlier this month. It says the details of the plan were only announced by China’s customs administration this week. Russia is the world’s top producer of wheat. Previously, Beijing had restricted wheat imports from Russia out of concerns about dwarf bunt fungus.

UPDATE: 11:12 am-EST-Concern is growing about exports from the region, specifically fertilizer. Arlan Suderman of StoneX tweeting this:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 11:10 am-EST-BRUSSELS (AP) - Council of Europe suspends Russia at Europe’s foremost human rights organization.

UPDATE: 10:15 am EST-John Deere Co. says its offices in Ukraine are now closed. John Deere told WQAD-TV “We are closely monitoring the developments in these countries and are actively assessing the potential impact to our people.” Deere officials report employees in Ukraine were evacuated at the start of the year.

UPDATE: 9:44 am EST-Global farm commodities trader Cargill Inc (CARG.UL) said on Thursday that an ocean vessel it chartered was “hit by a projectile” on the Black Sea, but that the ship remained seaworthy and all crew were safe and accounted for.

The incident occurred offshore from Ukraine on Thursday after Russia launched an invasion of the major grain-producing country where Cargill operates an export terminal.

UPDATE: 9:40 am EST-From Farm Journal’s Jim Wiesemeyer:

WSJ report: U.S. agriculture companies operating in Ukraine are closing offices and shuttering facilities there in response to Russia’s attack. WSJ details:

— Archer Daniels Midland Co. said Thursday that it had stopped operating its facilities in Ukraine, where, a company spokeswoman said, the crop trader and processor employs more than 630 people. ADM’s Ukraine facilities include an oilseed crushing plant in Chornomorsk, a grain terminal in the port of Odessa, six grain silos and a trading office in Kyiv.— Bunge Ltd. closed company offices as well as temporarily suspended operations at processing facilities in two cities in Ukraine, the company said Thursday. Bunge employs more than a thousand workers in Ukraine who operate two processing facilities as well as grain elevators and a grain export terminal in various parts of the country.— CHS Inc., a farm cooperative and major grain shipper and retailer of seeds and chemicals, said it has been drawing down its export activity in Ukraine for the past few weeks. It employs 46 people in the region but doesn’t own port operations in the country.

UPDATE: 8:43am EST-There were several key developments overnight: KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - The Kremlin says Russia is ready to send a delegation to Belarus for talks with Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is willing to discuss a non-aligned status for Ukraine. Moscow has demanded Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO, and adopt a neutral status. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to send the delegation in response to that offer.

Russian troops are bearing down on Ukraine’s capital, with gunfire and explosions resonating ever closer to the government quarter. The invasion of a democratic country has fueled fears of wider war in Europe and triggered worldwide efforts to make Russia stop. Amid growing casualties from the deadly warfare were increasing signs that Vladimir Putin’s Russia may be seeking to overthrow Ukraine’s government. It is his boldest effort yet to redraw the world map and revive Moscow’s Cold War-era influence. The U.S. and other global powers slapped ever-tougher sanctions on Russia as the invasion reverberated through the world’s economy and energy supplies. U.N. officials said they were preparing for millions to flee Ukraine.

Russian military says it has seized strategic airport outside Ukrainian capital; claims it cut Kyiv off from the west.

Pope Francis has made a personal, in-person visit to the Russian Embassy to “express his concern about the war,” in Ukraine. It was an extraordinary, hands-on gesture that came on the same day the Vatican announced he was canceling upcoming events because of an “acute” flareup of knee pain.Usually popes receive ambassadors and heads of state in the Vatican, and diplomatic protocol would have called for Francis, as the Vatican head of state, to summon the ambassador to him. For Francis to leave the Vatican and travel a short distance to the Russian embassy to the Holy See outside the Vatican walls was a sign of his anger at Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and his willingness to appeal personally for an end to it.Vatican officials said they knew of no such previous papal initiative.

Twenty million dollars in U.N. humanitarian funds for Ukraine. A raft of new, stronger sanctions against Russia from Japan, Australia, Taiwan and others. And a cascade of condemnation from the highest levels. As Russian bombs and troops pounded Ukraine during the invasion’s first full day, world leaders began to fine-tune a response meant to punish the Russian economy and its leaders, including President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. While there’s an acute awareness that a military intervention isn’t currently feasible, the strength, unity and speed of the financial sanctions - with the striking exception of China, a strong Russian supporter - signal a growing global determination to make Moscow reconsider its attack.

UPDATE: 5:22 pm EST-MOSCOW, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone to French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday and gave him an “exhaustive” explanation of the reasons for Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin said the call took place at Macron’s initiative, and he and Putin agreed to stay in contact.

Macron undertook strenuous diplomacy in recent weeks to try to avert a Russian invasion of Ukraine, including holding talks with Putin in the Kremlin.

UPDATE: 5:18 pm EST-President Biden has sent out the following tweet, saying that sanctions imposed on Russia are already having an effect.

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 5:11 pm EST- WARSAW (AP)- Some of the first refugees from Ukraine have arrived in European Union member Poland by road and rail.

A scheduled train from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine arrived Thursday afternoon in the Polish town of Przemysl, near Ukraine’s western border, carrying a few hundred passengers.

The passengers of various ages, arriving with bags and backpacks, told The Associated Press they were fleeing war. Some live in Poland and were returning urgently from visits to their homeland.

The chief of Poland’s border guards, Gen. Tomasz Praga, said there was a visible increase in the number of people wanting to cross into Poland.

Officials said Poland has prepared at least eight centers with food, medical care and places to rest.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that “innocent people are being killed” in Ukraine and appealed to the Poles to extend every possible assistance to the Ukrainians who have found themselves in need of help.

UPDATE: 4:31 pm EST-NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. markets stabilized and ended higher Thursday after an early swoon brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Technology stocks, in particular, rebounded strongly, erasing an early drop of 3.4% in the Nasdaq and leaving the tech-focused index up 3.3%. The S&P 500 also came back from an early loss and ended up 1.5%. Oil prices had surged earlier but ended with moderate gains.

UPDATE: 3:44 pm EST-KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine’s health minister: 57 Ukrainians killed as a result of the Russian invasion, 169 more wounded.

UPDATE: 3:00 pm EST-Farm Journal Live-analysis of what has transpired today in Ukraine. AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths hosts a panel discussion with Standard Grain’s Joe Vaclavik and Dan Basse of AgResource Company. See what they had to say about the market moves today and what to watch going forward. Click here .

UPDATE: 2:36 pm EST-Key points from President Biden’s speech:

-President announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russian banks, oligarchs, and high-tech sectors

-Says Putin “chose this war” and that his country will bear the consequences of his actions

-U.S. will be deploying additional forces to Germany to help NATO

-President Biden held off on cutting Russia out of the SWIFT payment system. It allows the transfers of money from bank to bank around the world

-No sanctions were announced on Russia’s energy sector

UPDATE: 2:25 pm EST-WASHINGTON (AP) - US sanctions Belarusian banks, defense industry, security officials over support for Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UPDATE: 2:01 pm EST-WASHINGTON (AP) - Biden says US deploying additional forces to Germany to bolster NATO in face of Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UPDATE: 1:50 pm EST-WASHINGTON (AP) - Biden: ‘Putin chose this war’ in Ukraine, and he and Russia ‘will bear the consequences’ of new sanctions.

UPDATE 1:22 pm EST-President Biden expected to address the nation at any moment. Watch it here .

UPDATE: 12:55 pm EST -KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - A presidential adviser says Ukraine has lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear site after a fierce battle.

UPDATE: 12:33 pm EST - (Reuters) - Global agricultural commodities trader Bunge Ltd. (BG.N) said Thursday it has shuttered company offices in Ukraine and temporarily suspended operations at two oilseed crushing facilities in Nikolaev and Dnipro following a Russian military invasion.

Bunge employs more than 1,000 people in the country and also owns and operates grain elevators and an export terminal in Ukraine, the company said. It also operates a corn milling plant via a joint venture.

UPDATE: 12:30 pm EST - MOSCOW (AP) - Russia gave its first confirmation that its ground forces have moved into Ukraine, saying troops entered from Crimea.

UPDATE: 11:35 am EST -UNITED NATIONS (AP) - US official: UN Security Council to vote on resolution condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine despite expected veto.

UPDATE 11:18 am EST - From The Associated Press: A senior U.S. defense official says Thursday’s attack by Russia appears to be the first phase in what will likely be a multi-phased, large-scale invasion.

The official said it began around 9:30 p.m. U.S. EST, with land- and sea-based missile launches. The official said that roughly more than 100 missiles, primarily short-range ballistic missiles, but also medium-range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and sea-launched missiles, were launched in the first few hours of the attack.

The official said the Russians are moving on three axes: From Crimea to Kherson, from Belarus toward Kyiv, and from the northeast to Kharkiv.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it’s not clear how many Russian troops are in Ukraine now, and the main targets of the air assault have been barracks, ammunition warehouses and 10 airfields. The official said Russian ground forces began to move into Ukraine from Belarus around 5 a.m. EST.

UPDATE 11:11 am EST - White House tweets photo of President Biden meeting with the National Security Council in the White House Situation Room:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 10:36 am EST- AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths just spoke with Farm Journal Washington Analyst Jim Wiesemeyer about what’s happening in Ukraine, and what to watch for next.

UPDATE 10:26 am EST-Tweet from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE 10:22 am EST-Ukraine’s deputy interior minister Anton Gerashchenko just made the following post on Facebook:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 10:08 am EST- President Biden will address Russia’s attack on Ukraine at 12:30 pm EST. You can watch it live here .

UPDATE: 10:03 am EST- The U.S. government is now on high alert for possible Russian cyberattacks. A senior FBI cyber official is warning businesses and local government they should be vigilant against potential ransomware attacks. In fact, some of the biggest cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure in the past two years have been linked to suspected Russian hackers.

UPDATE: 9:49 am EST- The S&P 500 sank 2% on opening. It’s now down almost 14% from the record high it set in early January. Here’s a look at the big commodity moves happening right now:

March corn:

(Farm Journal)

March soybeans:

(Farm Journal)

March wheat:

(Farm Journal)

UPDATE: 9:38 am EST- A White House official says that President Biden met with the National Security Council this morning in the Situation Room to discuss the situation going on in Ukraine. The President is expected to address the nation this afternoon, during which he is expected to announce “further consequences” the U.S. and its allies will impose on Russia. Click here to read the latest statement from the White House. Markets continue to move. Follow them here .

UPDATE: 9:33 am EST- Dow sinks nearly 800 points following the attack on Ukraine.

UPDATE: 9:21 am EST- Ukraine’s military has now suspended operations at its ports because of the invasion by the Russian military, furthering concerns about the flow of supplies out of the area. Reuters reports that Russia had earlier suspended movement of commercial vessels in the Azov sea until further notice but kept Russian ports in the Black Sea open for navigation.

“The market is still struggling to get a clear picture about the actual military situation on the ground. The ports in the Azov and the Black Sea so far seem not to have been damaged according to the initial shipping agency reports,” one European grain trader told Reuters.

Russia produced 76 million tonnes of wheat last year and is expected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to export 35 million tonnes in the July-June season, 17% of the global total.

UPDATE: 9:11 am EST- The financial and commodity markets reacted strongly to word that Russian President Vladimir Putin had launched military action in Ukraine. Global markets tumbled overnight and U.S. markets pointed toward a sharply lower open. Oil prices jumped by more than $7 per barrel, climbing above $100 a barrel, and futures for Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were off by more than 2.5%.

Market benchmarks in Europe and Asia fell as much as 5%.

Meanwhile, commodities such as corn, soybeans and wheat soared. Soybean prices rose above $17. Wheat prices surged past a nine-year high and are now up 20% since the start of the year.

Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter and, together with Ukraine, supplies more than a quarter of the world’s wheat exports. There’s concern about supplies from both countries being disrupted because of military action.

Experts say that, with wheat being a staple element for human and livestock diets, any disruption can have an impact on prices.

Besides reaction from the financial markets to the situation, world reaction has been swift.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Russia has launched a war on Ukraine and shattered peace on the European continent. Stoltenberg is now calling for a summit of NATO alliance leaders for Friday.

The European Union says it is planning the “strongest, the harshest, package” of sanctions it has ever considered.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “the target is the stability in Europe and the whole of the international peace order, and we will hold President (Vladimir) Putin accountable for that.”

An adviser to Ukraine’s president says about 40 people have been killed so far in the Russian attack on the country. There are reports of airstrikes or shelling on cities and bases in the country, with people in Ukraine attempting to flee by piling into trains and cars.

This is a developing story. Keep watching for updates.

Russia-Ukraine Crisis Shakes U.S. Markets, Gas and Oil Prices Surge

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 02:56:19 GMT

A war of words between Russia and the Ukraine is now actual war and has significant ramifications on the rest of the world, including the U.S.

There are major implications for U.S. markets, Jim Wiesemeyer, Washington policy analyst for Farm Journal, told AgriTalk guest host Clinton Griffiths Thursday morning.

“As we speak, the Dow’s down 730 points,” Wiesemeyer says. “You saw crude, energy prices in Europe this morning went up a little over 40% in one day. Energy prices from an agriculture perspective across the board are up because of the significance of Russia and Ukraine in the corn and wheat export arena, and over 75% of sunflower oil trade is from that region. So, yes, we have major implications.”

Along with the Dow, the S&P 500 dropped 2.5% on Thursday morning, bringing it deeper into a market correction. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite sank about 1.5%.

According to a Moneywatch report, oil prices jumped 7.5% on Thursday morning, topping more than $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014, on concerns that the crisis in Eastern Europe could disrupt Russian supplies of crude.

Russia accounts for about 12% of the world’s oil supply and provides about 40% of gas to the European Union. Most of that fuel is delivered through pipelines, including in Ukraine, according to Eurasia Group.

Wiesemeyer says the U.S. and its allies need to watch for whether Russian President Vladimir Putin shuts Ukraine’s ports.

“That looks like that’s what he wants to do, which will throttle Ukraine commercially but will boost agriculture markets,” he says.

Wiesemeyer says he is watching China closely to see its decision during an upcoming vote in the United Nations National Security Council. “If they vote in favor of Russia, that’s one thing. Most people expect that. But if China abstains from voting, that tells you that they’re a little more cautious on this development than most people think right now,” he says.

To counter Putin, Wiesemeyer says President Joe Biden and U.S. allies will have to go after the financial system in Russia, called SWIFT, as they develop more sanctions against Moscow for its action in Ukraine.

SWIFT is a Belgium-based messaging network widely used by banks to send and receive money transfer orders or information. The organization is overseen by central banks in the United States, Japan and Europe.

“Germany is not in favor of (going after SWIFT) at this particular time, so NATO is not in agreement,” Wiesemeyer says. “Plus, you have to go after Putin’s own money around the world along with his key oligarch officials.”

A Reuters article says data from the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) shows that European lenders hold the lion’s share of the nearly $30 billion in foreign banks’ exposure to Russia.

Wiesemeyer says to keep an eye on the price of international crude oil, sometimes referred to as Brent Crude, because that has implications globally.

“If it goes close to $120 a ton, history shows that will lead into a world recession,” he says. “We don’t need that… it will increase inflation even higher.”

Wiesemeyer adds that while the U.S. government says the country has inflation of 7.5%, that’s “laughable.”

“In agriculture, it’s in the double-digit arena already,” he says.

BREAKING: Russian Invasion of Ukraine Sends Grain Markets Soaring

Jerry Gulke: 10 Thoughts on the Paradigm Shift in Global Agriculture

AgWeb Live: Analysis and Market Reaction to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Russian Invasion of Ukraine Overtakes Other Washington Issues as Congress Returns this Week

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 16:41:09 GMT

The House and Senate both return Monday, but to a very different situation due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which is expected to be one of the key issues President Joe Biden talks about during his March 1 State of the Union (SOTU) address. President Vladimir Putin on Sunday ordered Russian nuclear deterrent forces put on high alert Sunday in response to what he called “aggressive statements” by leading NATO powers. Late-breaking news Sunday morning broke that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to negotiate with the Russians, but fighting continues across Ukraine.

Besides Russia and Ukraine, Biden’s SOTU address could take the opportunity to adjust his Covid policy along the lines of the United Kingdom, which last week lifted all remaining COVID-19 restrictions, including a legal requirement that those infected with the virus self-isolate, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks to fully reopen the British economy and society two years after the pandemic hit. Johnson said that with the virus on the wane, government-mandated rules are no longer necessary to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Biden will address a nation that largely sees the economy worsening under his watch, disapproves of his leadership on key issues and currently prefers that Republicans control Congress after the November elections, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. The poll finds Biden’s presidential approval rating at a new low, with 37% saying they approve of the job he is doing and 55% saying they disapprove. Link for details. Asked whether they would prefer the next Congress to be in the hands of Republicans acting as a check against the president or in Democratic hands to support Biden’s priorities, 50% say they would rather have Republicans in charge on Capitol Hill while 40% prefer the Democrats. On the question of how they would vote in House races if the election were held today, 49% of registered voters say they would support the Republican candidate while 42% say they would vote for the Democratic candidate. The WaPo notes that for comparison, just ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, which saw Democrats score big gains and capture control of the House, it was Democrats who enjoyed a seven-point advantage on this same question.

Biden will also focus on his push for carbon mitigation programs and will likely say agriculture will play a big role in that effort. Congress wants to fund climate change language by around $400 bil. in a revised--and likely newly named--Build Back Better measure. Vilsack has said carbon mitigation could be agriculture’s next revenue stream. But farmers know payouts under any such program must be higher than initial signals.

Biden will attempt to soothe a worried nation faced with geopolitical concerns (Russia, China, Iran, etc.) inflation and rising interest rates once the Fed starts hiking them in March while also beginning to reduce the Fed stimulus, upping fears of a potential downturn in the U.S.... and perhaps world... economy later this year.

Crisis in Ukraine

Key updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since Saturday’s special report ( link ): Street fighting broke out in the center of Kharkiv as Russian troops entered Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised statement on Sunday that he was ordering Russia’s nuclear deterrent forces on alert, as he continues his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Speaking alongside his defense minister and military chief of staff, Putin said recent sanctions and “aggressive statements” from NATO countries had led him to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a “special regime of combat duty.” This is the second time Putin has alluded to Russia’s nuclear arsenal while effectively warning the West to back off. In a statement at the onset of the invasion, Putin said anyone who tried to “hinder us” would face “such consequences that you have never encountered in your history.”
Israel offers to mediate, broker ceasefire between Russia & Ukraine. Israeli Prime Minister NaftalIsraeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call Sunday he would offer an attempt to mediate and broker a ceasefire between Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Kremlin said. Israel has attempted to take a moderate tone on the Russian/Ukrainian crisis. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has condemned Russia, but Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been careful to speak only of his support for the Ukrainian people.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to negotiations with Russia “without preconditions” even as Russian troops bore down on Kyiv and continued their thrust around a number of cities across the country. A statement issued to Zelensky’s official channel on the Telegram messaging app said the Ukrainian government would dispatch a delegation to meet with its Russian counterparts on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border, near the Pripyat River. Link to details via the L.A. Times.
If Russia succeeds in taking Kyiv, it will face a protracted, deadly insurgency backed by countries friendly to Ukraine, Douglas London predicts at Foreign Affairs ( link ). “Putin has badly miscalculated by invading Ukraine,” Melinda Haring writes for the same magazine. “He may find it easy to pull off a swift invasion, but then comes the hard part. The Ukrainian people will never allow Moscow to chart their course or pick their president. The desire for freedom is ineffable, and Ukrainians have proved that they are willing to die for it.” As for Russians, the Economist writes ( link ) that Russians do not seem at all enthusiastic: “The somber, shamed mood in Moscow could hardly be more different from the euphoria that gripped it in 2014 when Putin seized and annexed Crimea,” the magazine observes.
EU, U.K., Canada, U.S. plan to cut some Russian banks from Swift. The European Union, U.K., the U.S. and Canada announced powerful new sanctions plans, including taking some Russian banks off the Swift financial network and taking measures to paralyze the activities of Russia’s central bank over the Kremlin’s attack on Ukraine. “Russia’s war represents an assault on fundamental international rules and norms that have prevailed since the Second World War, which we are committed to defending. We will hold Russia to account and collectively ensure that this war is a strategic failure for Putin,” the leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries wrote in a joint statement that outlined the new measures. Additionally, the leaders committed “to imposing restrictive measures that will prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its international reserves in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions.”

Background: The Belgium-based system is run by its member banks and handles millions of daily payment instructions across more than 200 countries and territories and 11,000 financial institutions. Iran and North Korea are cut off from it. Link to WSJ backgrounder on SWIFT.
G7 countries, all democracies, also vowed to limit the ability of Russian oligarchs with ties to Putin’s government to buy citizenship in other countries and to access their financial systems. They also announced the creation of a task force to oversee the implementation of the new sanctions.
Germany is going to send thousands of weapons to Ukraine, marking a complete reversal in Berlin’s restrictive arms export policy, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledging a jump in military spending and a revamp of the armed forces.

Ukrainian Farmer Pleads: Will You Stand With Us In Our Moment of Need?

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 02:56:19 GMT

Kornelis “Kees” Huizinga has farmed in Mankivka Rayon, Cherkasy Oblast in central Ukraine for 20 years. The operation grows onions, carrots, wheat, barley, canola, sugar beets, corn, sunflowers and navy beans and has a modern dairy farm. He is a member of the Global Farmer Network .

When I became a farmer, I knew that I’d have to wage a figurative war on the traditional foes of food production: pests, weeds, and disease. I didn’t expect to find myself in an actual war zone with a lethal enemy.

Yet that’s what happened when Russia invaded Ukraine, the place where I grow crops and raise livestock.

My family and I live and farm close to the center of the country, a bit north of the city of Uman — a specific target of Russian assaults because of its ammunition depots. As the bombs dropped on Thursday, the windows and doors of my house rattled. We saw smoke rise in the distance. We heard the roar of rockets overhead.

My wife and kids have fled our farm, seeking safety near the border with Romania. I’ve stayed behind on the farm. They already made it into Romania and are staying at a friend’s place.

As I write, things are quiet. I don’t expect them to remain that way. The violence could erupt again at any moment. At the moment of this correction there are some explosions in Uman.

This is my plea, from a humble farmer in Ukraine to the people of the world: Please ask your governments to stop this reckless war, launched by that cruel and power-hungry authoritarian, Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine Did Nothing to Deserve This Fate

Since the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union, we have strived to live in peace and harmony with the wider community of nations. We have sought to develop a civilized democracy. Although we have a long way to go, we have made big progress.

I’ve tried to do my part. As a farmer, of course, I’m far removed from the halls of power. I don’t practice statesmanship or conduct diplomacy.

In an agricultural nation like Ukraine, however, my job is to feed my country and the world.

On our farm, we milk 2,000 dairy cows every day. In our fields we grow wheat, barley, canola and more. It may be winter, but the fertilizing season has started, as we apply nitrogen to our fields. Planting usually begins by the end of March or the beginning of April.

I don’t know if any of this will be possible this year. I don’t know what the next hour holds for us, let alone tomorrow or next week or next month.

I’m already wondering how we’ll feed our cows. We have food on hand, but we may have to weaken our feed ratio so that our supplies last longer. This will lower our output.

The future may be uncertain, but I know this much: If Ukrainian farmers like me can’t get to work, our crisis will become unbearably worse.

We’re resilient, and we know how to get through hard times, such as droughts and other weather challenges. Like the rest of the world, we’re now emerging from a pandemic that disrupted labor markets and supply chains.

War Poses a Unique Threat

Reports about casualties are pouring in. The deaths could soar as Russians drive their tanks into our cities. The military conflict will shatter the lives of ordinary citizens. The messages I get from other farmers in the east and south are that the Russians drive around the bigger cities or encircle them.

We’re likely to face a humanitarian crisis as people flee the destruction. Refugees will need shelter and food. There’s no guarantee they’ll get it. First primitive refugee camps on the western borders are being set up at the moment of writing.

History warns us about one horrible possibility. In the 1930s, Ukraine suffered from the Holodomor, which in the Ukrainian language means “death by hunger.” Back then, Soviet ruler Joseph Stalin tried to crush an independence movement by inflicting a manmade famine on Ukraine. Millions died in what today many people regard as act of genocide.

Nobody in Ukraine ever should starve. We are an agricultural breadbasket. We have more arable land than any other European country. We are the world’s top exporter of sunflower and sunflower oil. We are the world’s second largest producer of barley, its third largest producer of corn, and a global leader as a producer of potatoes.

Ukraine can meet the food needs of 600 million people, according to one estimate. That’s pretty good for a nation of 44 million people and about 35,000 farms.

If we drop out of the global market, food prices will rise everywhere. Price inflation is already hurting ordinary consumers around the world, but now it will worsen.

This means that Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine is not only Ukraine’s problem. It’s a threat to everyone on the planet. Russia has attacked us all.

Will you stand with Ukraine in our moment of need?

Diesel Prices Just Hit a New Record High, Here's Why a Diesel Shortage May Be Next

Tue, 10 May 2022 21:18:45 GMT

Farmers are already faced with a shortage of equipment parts, tires and some crop inputs. Now, due to increased demand and a drop in production, a diesel shortage may be next as the largest diesel distribution hub in the U.S. is sitting on supplies at a 30-year low.

Record gap between gasoline and diesel, but the gap will start to shrink very soon- not by leaps and bounds, but slowly. https://t.co/oFGj8piR3h
— Patrick De Haan ⛽️📊 (@GasBuddyGuy) May 9, 2022

Diesel prices hit a record again this week. The national average price of diesel is now $5.54 per gallon, which is an increase of 22 cents from last week, which was when the most recent record was set. Data shows there’s no state that’s currently seeing diesel prices below $5.12 per gallon.

So, what’s causing the historic run-up in prices?

It’s a combination of things, but Russia, supply chain trying to play catch-up and lower production along the East Coast are all adding to the dire supply situation.

“Diesel supply is short all over the world due to sanctions against Russian oil and much higher post-pandemic demand as supply restocking takes place,” says Peter Meyer with S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Meyer adds the “just in time” supply chain model only exacerbates the problem as the supply chain works through issues that date back to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some farmers are now even reporting farm diesel prices are higher than on-road diesel, which is typically not the case.

Record prices are one thing, but getting your hands on enough diesel may be the next issue for farmers.

“Certain areas of the country have seen shortages already and we expect that to continue. Supplies at New York Harbor–a hub for diesel distribution–are at a 30-year low,” says Meyer. “As such, the East Coast of the U.S. has been hit especially hard, resulting in diesel prices above $6.00 per gallon in that area, well over the equivalent of $250 per barrel. Exports of U.S. gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel to Latin America is also very high, adding to the tightness.”

(Farm Journal)

The bottlenecks in the diesel supplies are not a shortage of oil that the U.S. is dealing with, even with the sanctions against Russia. Instead, Meyer says it’s a shortage of refining capacity on the East Coast.

The problem on the East Coast is refining capacity, not so much the supply of oil,” he says. “East Coast capacity has been cut in half from 1.6 million barrels per day to 800,000 barrels per day over the past 10 years as half of the refineries in the east have shuttered. Lower production capacities and higher post pandemic demand has caused this squeeze in the eastern U.S.”

Meyer says making price forecasts is proving to be extremely difficult considering, but margins are enticing refiners to produce as much diesel as possible.

“When the profit margin on producing diesel is over $70 per barrel, every refining company in the US will be doing all they can to produce as much as they can,” says Meyer. One bright spot may be that after a cold spring, heating oil demand will obviously diminish quickly in the summer months.”

Meyer also says renewable diesel production may actually benefit from the historic spike in diesel prices, but he points out soy oil, which is still the predominate feedstock, continues to take its lead from the oil product markets and is overpriced for many.

Diesel Export Ban Looming?

There’s a higher demand around the globe for products like diesel, heating oil and jet fuel, which are known as “middle distillates” since they are made from the middle of the boiling range when oil is turned into products. The U.S. currently exports more than 1-million barrels of distillates every day to countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Chile.

So could an export ban be coming for diesel fuel?

AgriTalk host Chip Flory put that question to Farm Journal Washington analyst Jim Wiesemeyer during this week’s “Signal to Noise.” Wiesemeyer says while it’s not known to be on the table at this point, anything his possible. You can listen to that discussion here.

Ukrainian Farmers Dodge Landmines and Rockets as World's Farmers Offer Help

Fri, 13 May 2022 17:25:13 GMT

Destruction and devastation litter the Ukrainian countryside. Farms have turned into battlegrounds as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stretches into another month.

“I was supposed to be flying out from Kiev’s Boryspil Airport on the day of the attack at 9 a.m. with a group of Ukrainian farmers to Costa Rica,” recounts Roman Grynyshyn.

Grynyshyn had a career giving agricultural tours in Ukraine and around the world. That changed in an instant. After getting family, including his own children to safety, he’s now focused on raising awareness and support for his farmer friends back home.

(Watch the full story including photos and video from Ukraine as seen on AgDay TV)

“The first farmer who ever traveled with me is in Kherson Oblast, and I knew he was captured by Russian military about a week ago, and I didn’t hear anything from him,” Grynyshyn says. “He [finally] answered me, saying ‘Roman, I cannot talk long, and you understand why. I am safe. We are trying to work.’”

Doing the work of farming has been difficult in places. Grynyshyn says agriculture infrastructure, equipment and even fields have been targeted.

“The territories that were under occupation but got freed up have a huge risk of landmines,” Grynyshyn says.

(Farm Journal)

Landmines and munitions (military weapons, ammunition and equipment) now litter fields. Farmers working those fields are wearing flak jackets and helmets.

“The farmer goes into the field wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet in the tractor knowing there might be a mine, but he’s still going and planting. Why? Because he knows he needs to pay the landholders,” Grynyshyn says. “He has to pay this money for the rental of the land because they will also depend upon him.”

Support for these farmers is coming from all over the world. Canadian-based Ag Growth International (AGI) does business in Ukraine.

“I think there’s this thing about the ag community looking out for the ag community,” says David Postill, senior vice president of marketing and customer experience at AGI. “When we started in western Canada, the first international market we started to sell to was Ukraine.”

The global agricultural bin and infrastructure company still has employees in the region.

“They came to us and they said: ‘Hey, we’ve got an idea with some of our customers and our employees. We can provide last-mile logistics, but we can’t really buy medical goods. Can you guys at the head office help us with that?’” Postill explains.

Leadership agreed, and the company partnered with Mohawk Medbuy Corporation, a not-for-profit procurement expert that supports government health care purchasing, and St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation, a registered charity, to receive and process donations. The trio has since been raising money and sending medical supplies to Ukraine. They say it’s just what agriculture does in times of need.

(Farm Journal)

“Your fields are flooded and you’re about to lose your barn or your house, somebody comes and helps,” Postill says. “There’s just no fuss about that and it’s very true to what’s happening on this project.”

While the fighting in Ukraine may be isolated, the impacts are global.

“The next phase of this problem in Ukraine, if you ask me, affects the whole world,” Postill says. “Farmers and some of our commercial customers had their silos bombed and wheat spilled everywhere. The whole food supply chain is being destroyed.”

In a typical year, Ukraine is estimated to help feed 400 million people around the world. While it may be a major exporter, today its future rests in the hands of those still at home.

“At least 56% of the Ukrainians own farmland [ranging in size] from one hectare to more,” Grynyshyn says.

The smallholder farms remain a vital part of the ag industry. For instance, he says those farms ranging from two to 500 acres produce at least 30% of the crops and up to half of all the livestock-related products.

(Farm Journal)

Small farmers grow 90% of the potatoes, 60% of the milk and nearly half of the small grains. Grynyshyn says the smallholder farmers will be the ones who provide the food when villagers return to rebuild. Knowing they’ll be the least likely to get loans or support is also why he’s trying to raise money and awareness in other countries.

“They are actually the second battlefield, the farmers,” he says. “First is the military, and these people are the second. They will be the ones to whom we will come next month and ask to give us something to eat.”

Food: Essential to sustaining life and ultimately the key to rebuilding Ukraine’s future.

To learn more about what these organizations are doing, visit:

World to Rebuild Rural Ukraine: https://wrru.org

(Farm Journal)

AGI’s #StepUp4Ukraine: https://aggrowth.com/stepup4ukraine

(Farm Journal)

Battle for Ukraine: The untold farming, people, infrastructure stories from the front lines

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 19:30:23 GMT

Dressed in protective gear, Illinois farmer Howard G. Buffett bounced his way across frozen back roads, driving in well-worn tracks along the path to Bakhmut, near the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Even in an armored vehicle, the threats of landmines and munitions were ever present.

“In the first 30 minutes or so, as we were driving in, I started to count ambulances that were coming out,” Buffett recalls. “I lost count at 50.”

As a global philanthropist, Buffett is no stranger to war zones and political conflict. His namesake, The Howard G. Buffett (HGB) Foundation , works across the world in places others can’t or won’t to address food insecurity, mitigate conflict, combat human trafficking and improve public safety.

“If people cannot feed themselves, and they cannot feed their family and a government cannot feed people, it breeds conflict,” Buffett explains. “When Ukraine fails, in terms of their ability to produce agricultural products, the world becomes less safe.”

PRODUCTION PROBLEMS

Prior to the invasion, Ukraine was the world’s biggest exporter of sunflower oil and sunflower meal, the fourth-largest exporter of corn and the fifth-largest exporter of wheat, according to USDA. All told, Ukrainian farmers were growing about 100 million metric tons of commodities.

“Ukraine, no matter what happens with the war, will probably see corn and sunflower production 40% to 50% be-low normal,” says Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company.

Ukraine is also a major wheat producer and global exporter. USDA estimates for 2022/23 wheat production will be down about 40% from a year ago. In the eastern areas where most of the conflict is happening, output will be even lower.

Nick Gordiichuk, a farmer near Kyiv, says winter wheat acres will decrease.

“We’re not sure about the functioning of [the grain export] corridor, and weather conditions weren’t good,” he says. “Many farmers are looking at crops that are easy to plant and do not require much fertilizer.”

WAR ON AGRICULTURE

In the past year, Ukrainian farmers have learned it’s increasingly more difficult to grow, harvest and ship products abroad. From limited and high-priced inputs to a lack of labor, production problems appear to be a reality for the foreseeable future.

“A lot of farmers are fighting on the front line and die on the front line, which has a huge impact on how you continue to function in your agricultural sector,” Buffett explains. “This isn’t just a war on civilians, this is a war on agriculture.”

In 2022, the World Food Program (WFP) calculated nearly 350 million people across 80 countries were acutely food insecure. The war in Ukraine is a significant contributor to the surge in hunger and conflict.

“There’s more conflict in Africa today because there are more hungry people; the war in Ukraine has been a big contributing factor,” says Buffett, who has spent considerable time and resources in Africa.

Traditionally, Ukraine has been a major supplier of grain for WFP and many smaller, less stable countries across Africa and the Middle East. That ability has been severely impacted since the outbreak of war.

For U.S. farmers, it is hard to fathom what has happened to their counterparts in Ukraine, Buffett says.

“There are landmines on hundreds of thousands of acres,” he says. “More than $4 billion worth of commodities have been stolen; there’s infrastructure damaged and 84,000 pieces of farm equipment has been destroyed, and it’s not stopping.”

During USDA’s recent Agricultural Outlook Forum, Mykola Solskyi, Ukraine’s minister of agrarian policy and food said the country’s cultivated areas have decreased by about 25%.

“Farmers sacrifice their lives doing their job,” he says. “There are areas farmers cannot cultivate as a result of the war. A considerable amount of land is polluted with explosives.”

COMBINES IN COMBAT

Nearly every day, Buffett receives a photo of farm equipment destroyed by mortars or landmines.

“They just sent me one of a Komatsu D61 bulldozer that hit a landmine,” he says. “It blew the entire track off and blew out half the undercarriage. Thankfully the farmer was okay.”

That isn’t always the case, which is why his foundation is helping to provide detection hardware and expertise to begin the slow process of demining.

“We spent about $30 million on demining in 2022, and it’s going to go on for years,” Buffett says.

As equipment gets destroyed or stolen, sustaining agricultural production becomes nearly impossible without outside support.

“We were able to get 50 combines into Ukraine in about 30 days,” Buffett says. “The fun part of the story is that al-most all of them were originally destined for Russia.”

Roughly 8 million Ukrainians are now living as refugees in Europe and another 6 million are displaced within their own country, per WFP. At last count, 18 million Ukrainians need humanitarian help with one in three facing food insecurity.

In 2022, the HGB Foundation spent $148 million buying equipment, helping feed people, financing food boxes and providing seeds for gardens.

NEVER AGAIN

Buffett’s foundation is also providing rapid DNA testing equipment and investigative teams to do the hard work of cataloging and recording the lives lost. From bodies buried in rubble to the discovery of mass grave sites like the one found near Kharkiv, the job is endless.

“It’s a solemn experience to walk through a forest with 451 hand-dug graves,” Buffett says. “At one site the team said 70% to 80% of the bodies showed some kinds of torture, many with broken fingers or broken limbs.”

After hearing stories of elderly parents shot by snipers, Buffett knows the consequences and horrors of this war will eventually be uncovered.

“We are not learning from history,” he says. “The Holocaust was never again, and Rwanda was never again yet we are watching never again unfold in front of us.”

2023 AND BEYOND

As the conflict stretches into its second year, Ukrainian farmers are caught in the crossfire. For those who can plant, finding a buyer or processor is still a massive challenge.

A protected shipping corridor is set for renewal in mid-March but has seen a significant slowdown. Meanwhile, pushing crops east to Europe via rail comes with its own difficulties, including different track widths.

It’s why in 2023, the HGB Foundation plans to front $5 million to build new export hubs.

“They want to try to start moving grain in containers because the rail system can move lots of containers, and you can transfer them easily onto European trains,” Buffett says.

This year, Buffett says his goal is to spend $300 million in support of Ukrainian agriculture. That includes finding ways to provide lower interest rates for loans and moving equipment and inputs to areas in need.

COMPASSION VERSUS COMPETITION

In five trips to Ukraine, Buffett says the experience of seeing the people, the land and the impact of war, has cast the situation in a different light.

“I know some farmers think they’re a competitor,” Buffett says. “That’s natural. If you want to think that way, that means your neighbor is also your competitor. Yet, we don’t treat our neighbor like they’re our competitor; we treat neighbors like neighbors.”

With a global lens, Buffett has witnessed how important Ukraine is to world stability. For him, it outweighs potentially lower prices when he hauls corn to the elevator in Decatur, Ill.

“It really isn’t a head-to-head competition,” he says. “Helping Ukraine is helping the world.”

Farm Journal Editor Clinton Griffiths is a TV newsman turned magazine editor with a passion for good stories. He believes the best life lessons can be found down a dirt road.