News

In the Chinese lunar calendar, 2019 is the year of the pig. For many Chinese, pigs are a symbol of good fortune and wealth. China produces (and consumes) more pork than the United States and Europe combined—it is one of their staple proteins. Late in 2018, African swine fever began running rampant on Chinese pig farms. Since then, millions of animals have succumbed to this disease. Officials predict China could lose over 200 million animals (about a third of the total) before the disease is fully contained.

Spring of 2019 brought a “bomb cyclone” in March that flooded a significant portion of the American Midwest (AccuWeather.com, April 11, 2019). Since that devastating event, storms have continued to inundate the region with rains and flooding. While many farmers stored record amounts of corn and soy beans in an effort to wait out low prices, the recent flooding caused much of that stored crop to be lost—U.S.

Tensions have been steadily rising between the United States and Iran, especially with the recent U.S. decision to try, through sanctions, to reduce Iranian oil exports to zero (Reuters, May 14, 2019). In recent weeks, four oil tankers—including two from Saudi Arabia—were attacked near the United Arab Emirates, and two Saudi oil pumping stations were attacked with armed drones.