Today’s quick hits, May 28, 2024

Mexican cartels target tortillas: Criminal cartels are expanding their operations to include extorting the storefront shops that make tortillas, a staple of the Mexican diet, says a trade group. (Washington Post)

Tight supplies boost beef: Beef and veal prices, which have risen faster than all other food categories in the past year due to tight supplies and strong demand, are forecast to rise by 4 percent at retail this year, said the monthly Food Price Outlook report. (USDA)

Corn Belt temperatures stable: A review of temperatures and precipitation during the crucial growing months in the Corn Belt found “very little evidence of significant upward or downward trend” since 1895. (farmdoc daily)

Lower global grain stocks: Led by declines in projected wheat and corn supplies, global grain stocks will dip to a 10-year low of 580 million metric tons at the end of the 2024/25 trade year, said the Grain Market Report. (International Grains Council.)