
World food commodity prices rose in March for the second month in a row, due largely to higher energy prices linked to the conflict escalation in the Near East, according to the latest benchmark measure released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the U.S.-based Fertilizer Institute (TFI) announced a partnership to secure fertilizer supply across the Americas, amid logistical disruptions and price volatility worsened by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the war between the United States, Israel and Iran.

The European Commission and fact-checking experts have identified a growing wave of disinformation targeting rural areas and the agri-food sector across the continent, with campaigns exploiting the controversy surrounding the EU-Mercosur trade deal, climate skepticism and anti-immigration sentiment.

Congratulations have been pouring on the Falkland Islands Team at the recent 2026 World Shearing and Wool-handling Championships, Golden Shears, at Masterton, New Zealand, following the outstanding results obtained at the competition by Adam, Evan, Talia, Pilar and Richard.

The Uruguayan wool market has become particularly dynamic during this 2025/26 season, reflecting events in Australia where prices for clean fine wool have soared above US$ 12 per kilo, for the first time in six and a half years, very close to the maximums from 2019.

Uruguay’s Conexión Ganadera investigation — a criminal case stemming from the collapse of a livestock-linked investment operation that led to fraud charges and, in some instances, money-laundering allegations — has moved forward after the Central Bank of Uruguay (BCU) sent prosecutors a report detailing bank transfers made by Marcela Carrasco, the daughter of Pablo Carrasco, a founder of the firm who is currently in pre-trial detention and charged with money laundering.

Thousands of farmers and ranchers, alongside hundreds of tractors, rallied in central Madrid on Wednesday to protest expected cuts in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and to denounce the European Union’s trade agreement with Mercosur, according to organisers and authorities.

Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, exported 2.78 million 60-kg bags in January, down 30.8% from the same month in 2025, according to the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé), EFE reported on Tuesday.

World food commodity prices declined in January 2026 for the fifth consecutive month, led by lower international quotations for dairy, sugar and meat products, according to the benchmark report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

Uruguay’s Rural Association (ARU) is warning that the slide in the U.S. dollar is pushing the farm sector into a “critical situation,” arguing that while a stronger peso may feel beneficial for people paid in local currency, the broader impact can be job losses in export-oriented activities.