5@5: Largest US dairy co-op raises antitrust concerns | Record-breaking floods force farmers to relocate

America's dairy farmers are hurting. A giant merger could make things worse

Dairy Farmers of America may soon acquire Dean Foods, a milk processing company that sought bankruptcy protection last month. This is problematic for America's dairy farmers because milk processors generally aim to keep the price of milk low, while farmers earn the most when the price of milk is high. Thus, the investment would mark a significant conflict of interest for the co-op, and the situation has prompted many dairy farmers to call out DFA for its prior anticompetitive behavior. Read more at The New York Times... 

After a year of record-breaking floods, America's farmers face an impossible decision: stay or move?

2019 was the wettest year in the history of the U.S., forcing some Midwest farmers to have to decide between prohibitively expensive insurance premiums or leaving their land altogether. Insurers, farmers and the government are all weighing in on which regions are at the highest risk as even greater climate change-driven disasters loom on the horizon. Read more at New Food Economy...

America will import more sugar this year than it has in four decades

The domestic demand for sugar coupled with a poor beet sugar growing season in the U.S. has led to a need for roughly 3.86 million tons of imported sugar, the highest amount since 1981. Most of the imported sugar will be of Mexican origin and will be derived from sugar cane, which will likely push U.S. sugar refineries to their limits in the coming year. Read more at NPR...

Walgreens and Kroger get closer in group purchasing deal

The partnership between Kroger and Walgreens has expanded to include a new group purchasing organization, which the retailers have stated will deliver "purchasing efficiencies, lower costs combined resources to help drive further innovation." Experts suspect that Walgreens may go private via leveraged buyout in the near future. Read more at Forbes...

Why shares of UNFI are dropping today

UNFI shares fell over 20% this morning after its quarterly earnings fell short of investors' expectations. The likely cause? SUPERVALU's less profitable inventory, the acquistion of which UNFI is still struggling to integrate. Read more at The Motley Fool...