US soya bean farmers losing battle to feed livestock

Washington

AT a time when people around the world are eating more meat, poultry and dairy products than ever before, American farmers may be losing ground to Brazil in the race to feed all those animals.

US exports of feed crops already were expected to drop this year as producers in South America and Europe expand sales. But after some bad weather in the Midwest this year, the harvest yielded soya beans with less protein, a key ingredient that helps build muscle in animals. At 34.1 per cent per bushel, the protein content tied with 2008 as the lowest since it was first measured in 1986, government data show.