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McDonald's Corp. says it will require its U.S. pork suppliers to provide plans by May to phase out the use of stalls that confine pregnant sows.
McDonald's spokesman Dan Gorsky said suppliers including Smithfield Foods and Cargill have made progress in adopting alternatives to so-called gestation crates, and the company will discuss the next steps with all of its suppliers after receiving their plans.
— AP
Chinese company claims the iPad name
Authorities have seized Apple iPads from retailers in a city in northern China due to a dispute with a domestic company that says it owns the iPad name, an official said Monday. The Chinese company said it is asking for similar action in more than 20 other cities.
The dispute with Shenzhen Proview Technology threatens to complicate Apple's efforts to sell its popular tablet computer in China, its fastest-growing market.
Also Monday, Apple said that an independent group, the Fair Labor Association, has started inspecting working conditions in the Chinese factories where its iPads and iPhones are assembled.
— AP
Farm income may fall 6.5%
U.S. farmer net income probably will fall 6.5 percent in 2012 from last year's record as the biggest crop acreage in a generation and slowing exports trim commodity prices and profits, the Department of Agriculture said.
Profit will total $91.7 billion, down from a revised $98.1 billion in 2011, the USDA said Monday.
"We've seen commodity prices soften" starting in the second half of 2011, Don Hutchens, the executive director of the Nebraska Corn Board in Lincoln, said. "As those prices soften and the inputs stayed the same and rents have gone up, it narrows the potential margin."
— Bloomberg News
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