Global news round-up - January 15

• USA

Net farm income is forecast to be $57 billion (£35 bn) in 2009, down $30bn (£18.6bn) ,or 34.5 per cent from 2008, says to USDA. The 2009 forecast is $6.5bn (£4bn) below the average of $63.6 bn (£39.4bn) in net farm income in the previous 10 years.

• USA

US farm sector debt was forecast to fall to $234 billion (£145bn) at the end of 2009 from around $240bn (£149bn) at the end of 2008.

• AUSTRALIA

Parts of inland New South Wales have had six months worth of rain since just before Christmas.

• USA

A new agreement between the Department of Agriculture and dairy farmers will help lower greenhouse gas emissions 25 per cent before 2020 by accelerating the development of anaerobic digesters.

• AUSTRALIA

The price of fertiliser is going up. After a year-and-a-half of record highs and lows, analysts say the fertiliser market will correct itself. In the last six months, prices have dropped up to 60 per cent from record highs of $1,200 (£686) a tonne.

• INDIA

The largest milk producing country in the world has seen its estimated milk output increase by around 5 per cent in 2008-9, says DairyCo. This takes its annual production to an estimated 110 million tonnes for 2008-9 - including buffalo milk which represents more than half of this volume.

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