Latest news with #Lemmon
Irish Independent
26-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Pigs can't fly: US high-end livestock breeders lose millions in China tariff fallout
Instead, many went to a local Indiana slaughterhouse for less than $200 each after the Chinese buyer cancelled the order within a week of China implementing retaliatory tariffs against the US in April. China is one of the biggest importers of American breeding pigs and other livestock genetic material such as cattle semen. These lucrative niche export markets had been growing, but dried up since US President Donald Trump started a trade war with Beijing. US farmers and exporters said the dispute has already cost them millions of dollars and jeopardized prized trade relationships that took years to develop. Though Washington and Beijing agreed to pause tariffs last week, exporters said Trump's unpredictable trade policy has caused their companies long-term damage and could encourage China and other major buyers to turn to foreign rivals like Denmark. "We've got brand damage now. There's not a week that goes by without clients asking what's happening with the US," said Tony Clayton, owner of Clayton Agri-Marketing, a Missouri-based livestock exporting company. "I don't know how we can put this back together. This is long-term damage," he said. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the administration was "working around the clock to secure billions of dollars in even more opportunities with our other trading partners." Some farmers raise pigs specifically for breeding, a niche business within the $37 billion US hog industry. Farmers pay top dollar for these specialty pigs, which have favorable genetics to produce lots of healthy piglets that can eventually be processed into tasty, high-quality pork. Lemmon, an Indiana veterinarian and farm owner, has been selling pigs worldwide for over 30 years. He said he spent more than a year working on the $2.4m sale of the pedigreed pigs to China. He noted they were carefully bred for good health, litter size and high fat content that leads to richly marbled, tender meat when cooked. "It's devastating when it happens," Lemmon said, referencing the sale he lost. ADVERTISEMENT He said he plans to stay in the breeding business, and is working to rekindle the deal with his Chinese buyer during the tariff pause. Roughly half of the world's pigs live on Chinese farms. The country has purchased large quantities of breeding pigs from the US since an outbreak of African swine fever, a virus with a near-total fatality rate, wiped out millions of the country's hogs in 2018. Shipping livestock is lucrative but time-consuming. Shippers must personally fly with the animals or hire an on-board attendant who can make the rounds to keep their pricey passengers well-hydrated and comfortable during a long flight. When not working, the attendants chat with the flight crew or sometimes lie in sleeping bags next to the animals in the chilly cargo bay, exporters and farmers said. China has also been the biggest importer of semen from US dairy cows, known for producing large amounts of protein-rich milk. But "Not one unit of semen is going to China right now," Jay Weiker, president of the National Association of Animal Breeders, said, noting China had been importing one-quarter of all US cattle semen, which they use to artificially inseminate their dairy cows. The Chinese milk industry began importing large amounts of cattle semen to improve the genetics of domestic dairy cows after a deadly scandal over contaminated milk in 2008, Weiker said. At least six children in China died and nearly 300,000 fell ill after a Chinese manufacturer added melamine, a dangerous chemical, to milk powder to make the protein levels appear higher. Brittany Scott, owner of SMART Reproduction Services, a sheep and goat genetics company, said several foreign customers had also pulled out of deals. This left many vials of semen sitting in her Arkansas facility, frozen in tanks of liquid nitrogen and waiting for buyers. "They are eager to do their jobs," Scott said of her male goats and sheep. "They understand the assignment and they do really well." However, the work of selling their product has proven harder after Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, and China retaliated. The lost sales have been "a punch in the gut," Scott said.
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Well, nobody's perfect! A tribute to Jack Lemmon
After Isaac watched a few other films, he asked me: 'Does Jack Lemmon play the same kind of character in all of his movies?' 'Well, yes and no,' I began. I was about to support my answer, but we were interrupted. I never finished my explanation, so this critic's notebook is my full response to Isaac. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Jack Lemmon pictured in 2000 with his award for outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie for "Tuesdays with Maury" at the 52nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Kevin Winter/ImageDirect via Getty Images Advertisement It's perfect timing, as Jack Lemmon's centennial is this year. To celebrate, here are some movies that showcase his unmatched skill at both comedy and drama. While he definitely had a familiar onscreen persona, he was willing to step away from it when necessary. Let's start with Isaac's fave: 'The Apartment' (1960) 'The Apartment' won the best picture Oscar back in 1961 and, based on an impromptu Bluesky poll I conducted, it's a favorite among Lemmon fans. The role of C.C. Baxter cemented the fussy, nebbishy Lemmon persona that Isaac saw in the movies he watched. Baxter rents out his apartment to higher-ups for their adulterous trysts. In exchange, he works his way up the corporate ladder. Advertisement Unfortunately, Baxter falls for his office's elevator operator, Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine, in her greatest performance). She's been to his apartment more than once when he wasn't home; she's the mistress of Baxter's evil boss, Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray). 'When you're in love with a married man, you shouldn't wear mascara,' advises Kubelik in one of many memorable lines scripted by Wilder and his screenwriting partner, I.A.L. Diamond. Speaking of great lines, the one that ends this movie is the second greatest last line in cinema history. Stay tuned for the only one that bests it. (Available on Tubi, Kanopy) 'Days of Wine and Roses' (1962) Playing against type, Lemmon earned an Oscar nomination for this often harrowing drama — it's his version of 'The Lost Weekend.' Lemmon and fellow Oscar nominee Lee Remick play a couple whose brutal descent into alcoholism is depicted with minimal melodrama. Director Blake Edwards made the two best films of his career in 1962, this and the gorgeous widescreen black and white neo-noir, 'Experiment in Terror.' (Available on Tubi) Jack Lemmon (right) with James Cagney in "Mr. Roberts." Getty Images 'Mister Roberts' (1955) A staple on NYC's Channel 5 when I was a kid, this fun CinemaScope comedy was my introduction to Lemmon. Jimmy Cagney costars with William Powell and Jason Voorhees's killer Mom herself, Betsy Palmer. Leading the cast is Henry Fonda who, back in 1948, played the titular character on Broadway for over 1,000 performances. Fonda got a best actor Tony for his troubles. As Ensign Pulver, the movie's version of the play's comedy relief character, Jack Lemmon also got an award for his troubles: the best supporting actor Oscar. (Available on AppleTV) Advertisement 'The China Syndrome' (1979) Lemmon won best actor at Cannes for teaming up here with Michael Douglas, and Fonda's daughter Jane. The title refers to a nuclear meltdown. It became an unlikely hit when, 12 days after its release, Three Mile Island's nuclear accident happened. Full disclosure: My parents took me to the drive-in to see this — and I fell asleep. I put it on here so you can guilt me into watching it. (Available on Prime) Jack Lemmon with Tony Curtis in "Some Like It Hot." Getty Images 'Some Like It Hot' (1959) I revisited this hilarious classic last week as part of the Lemmon retrospective at NYC's Film Forum, and it played like gangbusters. Lemmon's son, Chris, and several of his family members were on hand to tell stories about their beloved relative. Director Billy Wilder and his co-writer, I.A.L. Diamond, made Lemmon a star by putting him in drag alongside a similarly clad Tony Curtis. After witnessing the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, this disguised duo go on the run from gangster George Raft (who hilariously mocks his trademark coin-flipping here). Marilyn Monroe sings, shimmies, and falls in love with Curtis in her second pairing with Wilder. And lest I forget, this film has the greatest last line in cinema history. (Available on Tubi, Kanopy) 'Save the Tiger' (1973) The sleaziest film on this list won Lemmon a best actor Oscar over Al Pacino ('Serpico'), Jack Nicholson ('The Last Detail'), and Marlon Brando ('Last Tango in Paris'). Lemmon plays Harry Stoner, a WWII vet suffering from PTSD and contemplating whether to torch his failing apparel factory for the insurance money. It's the actor's most nakedly desperate portrayal of a loser until his turn as Shelly 'The Machine' Levene in the equally sleazy ' ('Tiger' available on Kanopy, AppleTV; 'Ross' on Prime) Advertisement 'Missing' (1982) This horrifying true story mystery, about a man who goes missing during the 1973 coup d'état in Chile, was my introduction to the films of director Costa-Gavras ('Z,' 'Music Box'). It's my pick for Lemmon's best dramatic performance. Cannes thought so, too; they gave Lemmon his second Cannes best actor award and the film the Palme D'Or. Lemmon lost the best actor Oscar, though. Sissy Spacek is also excellent as his daughter-in-law. (Available on WatchTCM) Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in "Grumpier Old Men." Liaison Agency via Getty Images 'The Odd Couple' (1968) Wilder paired Lemmon with Walter Matthau in 1966's 'The Fortune Cookie,' the first of 10 movies they did together. This is their most beloved (though lovers of 'Grumpier Old Men' may protest this statement). In one of the few tolerable (Available on Apple TV+) 'The Front Page' (1974) This Matthau-Lemmon-Wilder collaboration was a hit despite being a lousy take on the famous 1928 play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. It's the first movie adaptation to use the play's 'son of a bitch stole my watch,' which the censors of old Hollywood wouldn't allow. That old-timey censorship makes me mad, but not as mad as I am at this movie. You see, 'The Front Page' convinced me that a job at the newspaper would be full of booze and brawls, typewriters, cigarettes, and shouted demands to 'Stop the presses!' We don't have any of that stuff here! I was livid when I found this out. In fact, I'm still livid. (Unavailable for streaming as of now) Advertisement Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pigs can't fly: US high-end livestock breeders lose millions in China tariff fallout
By Heather Schlitz CHICAGO (Reuters) - Dr. Mike Lemmon's pigs, each valued between $2,500 and $5,000, were supposed to be on a plane bound for Hangzhou, China, from St. Louis in April, where'd they spend the flight snoring, play fighting and snacking on oats and husked corn before taking up residence at Chinese hog farms. Instead, many went to a local Indiana slaughterhouse for less than $200 each after the Chinese buyer canceled the order within a week of China implementing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in April. China is one of the biggest importers of American breeding pigs and other livestock genetic material such as cattle semen. These lucrative niche export markets had been growing, but dried up since U.S. President Donald Trump started a trade war with Beijing. U.S. farmers and exporters said the dispute has already cost them millions of dollars and jeopardized prized trade relationships that took years to develop. Though Washington and Beijing agreed to pause tariffs last week, exporters said Trump's unpredictable trade policy has caused their companies long-term damage and could encourage China and other major buyers to turn to foreign rivals like Denmark. "We've got brand damage now. There's not a week that goes by without clients asking what's happening with the U.S.," said Tony Clayton, owner of Clayton Agri-Marketing, a Missouri-based livestock exporting company. "I don't know how we can put this back together. This is long-term damage," he said. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the administration was "working around the clock to secure billions of dollars in even more opportunities with our other trading partners." Some farmers raise pigs specifically for breeding, a niche business within the $37 billion U.S. hog industry. Farmers pay top dollar for these specialty pigs, which have favorable genetics to produce lots of healthy piglets that can eventually be processed into tasty, high-quality pork. Lemmon, an Indiana veterinarian and farm owner, has been selling pigs worldwide for over 30 years. He said he spent more than a year working on the $2.4 million sale of the pedigreed pigs to China. He noted they were carefully bred for good health, litter size and high fat content that leads to richly marbled, tender meat when cooked. "It's devastating when it happens," Lemmon said, referencing the sale he lost. He said he plans to stay in the breeding business, and is working to rekindle the deal with his Chinese buyer during the tariff pause. Roughly half of the world's pigs live on Chinese farms. The country has purchased large quantities of breeding pigs from the U.S. since an outbreak of African swine fever, a virus with a near-total fatality rate, wiped out millions of the country's hogs in 2018. Shipping livestock is lucrative but time-consuming. Shippers must personally fly with the animals or hire an on-board attendant who can make the rounds to keep their pricey passengers well-hydrated and comfortable during a long flight. When not working, the attendants chat with the flight crew or sometimes lie in sleeping bags next to the animals in the chilly cargo bay, exporters and farmers said. China has also been the biggest importer of semen from U.S. dairy cows, known for producing large amounts of protein-rich milk. But 'Not one unit of semen is going to China right now,' Jay Weiker, president of the National Association of Animal Breeders, said, noting China had been importing one-quarter of all U.S. cattle semen, which they use to artificially inseminate their dairy cows. The Chinese milk industry began importing large amounts of cattle semen to improve the genetics of domestic dairy cows after a deadly scandal over contaminated milk in 2008, Weiker said. At least six children in China died and nearly 300,000 fell ill after a Chinese manufacturer added melamine, a dangerous chemical, to milk powder to make the protein levels appear higher. Brittany Scott, owner of SMART Reproduction Services, a sheep and goat genetics company, said several foreign customers had also pulled out of deals. This left many vials of semen sitting in her Arkansas facility, frozen in tanks of liquid nitrogen and waiting for buyers. 'They are eager to do their jobs,' Scott said of her male goats and sheep. 'They understand the assignment and they do really well.' However, the work of selling their product has proven harder after Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, and China retaliated. The lost sales have been "a punch in the gut,' Scott said.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pigs can't fly: US high-end livestock breeders lose millions in China tariff fallout
By Heather Schlitz CHICAGO (Reuters) - Dr. Mike Lemmon's pigs, each valued between $2,500 and $5,000, were supposed to be on a plane bound for Hangzhou, China, from St. Louis in April, where'd they spend the flight snoring, play fighting and snacking on oats and husked corn before taking up residence at Chinese hog farms. Instead, many went to a local Indiana slaughterhouse for less than $200 each after the Chinese buyer canceled the order within a week of China implementing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in April. China is one of the biggest importers of American breeding pigs and other livestock genetic material such as cattle semen. These lucrative niche export markets had been growing, but dried up since U.S. President Donald Trump started a trade war with Beijing. U.S. farmers and exporters said the dispute has already cost them millions of dollars and jeopardized prized trade relationships that took years to develop. Though Washington and Beijing agreed to pause tariffs last week, exporters said Trump's unpredictable trade policy has caused their companies long-term damage and could encourage China and other major buyers to turn to foreign rivals like Denmark. "We've got brand damage now. There's not a week that goes by without clients asking what's happening with the U.S.," said Tony Clayton, owner of Clayton Agri-Marketing, a Missouri-based livestock exporting company. "I don't know how we can put this back together. This is long-term damage," he said. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the administration was "working around the clock to secure billions of dollars in even more opportunities with our other trading partners." Some farmers raise pigs specifically for breeding, a niche business within the $37 billion U.S. hog industry. Farmers pay top dollar for these specialty pigs, which have favorable genetics to produce lots of healthy piglets that can eventually be processed into tasty, high-quality pork. Lemmon, an Indiana veterinarian and farm owner, has been selling pigs worldwide for over 30 years. He said he spent more than a year working on the $2.4 million sale of the pedigreed pigs to China. He noted they were carefully bred for good health, litter size and high fat content that leads to richly marbled, tender meat when cooked. "It's devastating when it happens," Lemmon said, referencing the sale he lost. He said he plans to stay in the breeding business, and is working to rekindle the deal with his Chinese buyer during the tariff pause. Roughly half of the world's pigs live on Chinese farms. The country has purchased large quantities of breeding pigs from the U.S. since an outbreak of African swine fever, a virus with a near-total fatality rate, wiped out millions of the country's hogs in 2018. Shipping livestock is lucrative but time-consuming. Shippers must personally fly with the animals or hire an on-board attendant who can make the rounds to keep their pricey passengers well-hydrated and comfortable during a long flight. When not working, the attendants chat with the flight crew or sometimes lie in sleeping bags next to the animals in the chilly cargo bay, exporters and farmers said. China has also been the biggest importer of semen from U.S. dairy cows, known for producing large amounts of protein-rich milk. But 'Not one unit of semen is going to China right now,' Jay Weiker, president of the National Association of Animal Breeders, said, noting China had been importing one-quarter of all U.S. cattle semen, which they use to artificially inseminate their dairy cows. The Chinese milk industry began importing large amounts of cattle semen to improve the genetics of domestic dairy cows after a deadly scandal over contaminated milk in 2008, Weiker said. At least six children in China died and nearly 300,000 fell ill after a Chinese manufacturer added melamine, a dangerous chemical, to milk powder to make the protein levels appear higher. Brittany Scott, owner of SMART Reproduction Services, a sheep and goat genetics company, said several foreign customers had also pulled out of deals. This left many vials of semen sitting in her Arkansas facility, frozen in tanks of liquid nitrogen and waiting for buyers. 'They are eager to do their jobs,' Scott said of her male goats and sheep. 'They understand the assignment and they do really well.' However, the work of selling their product has proven harder after Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, and China retaliated. The lost sales have been "a punch in the gut,' Scott said. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Pigs can't fly: US high-end livestock breeders lose millions in China tariff fallout
* Breeding pigs are a small but profitable niche for US exporters * US farmers worry China could now buy breeding pigs from Denmark * China also has halted imports of US cattle semen for dairy cows * White House seeks new customers, farmers see lasting damage CHICAGO, - Dr. Mike Lemmon's pigs, each valued between $2,500 and $5,000, were supposed to be on a plane bound for Hangzhou, China, from St. Louis in April, where'd they spend the flight snoring, play fighting and snacking on oats and husked corn before taking up residence at Chinese hog farms. Instead, many went to a local Indiana slaughterhouse for less than $200 each after the Chinese buyer canceled the order within a week of China implementing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. in April. China is one of the biggest importers of American breeding pigs and other livestock genetic material such as cattle semen. These lucrative niche export markets had been growing, but dried up since U.S. President Donald Trump started a trade war with Beijing. U.S. farmers and exporters said the dispute has already cost them millions of dollars and jeopardized prized trade relationships that took years to develop. Though Washington and Beijing agreed to pause tariffs last week, exporters said Trump's unpredictable trade policy has caused their companies long-term damage and could encourage China and other major buyers to turn to foreign rivals like Denmark. "We've got brand damage now. There's not a week that goes by without clients asking what's happening with the U.S.," said Tony Clayton, owner of Clayton Agri-Marketing, a Missouri-based livestock exporting company. "I don't know how we can put this back together. This is long-term damage," he said. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said the administration was "working around the clock to secure billions of dollars in even more opportunities with our other trading partners." Some farmers raise pigs specifically for breeding, a niche business within the $37 billion U.S. hog industry. Farmers pay top dollar for these specialty pigs, which have favorable genetics to produce lots of healthy piglets that can eventually be processed into tasty, high-quality pork. Lemmon, an Indiana veterinarian and farm owner, has been selling pigs worldwide for over 30 years. He said he spent more than a year working on the $2.4 million sale of the pedigreed pigs to China. He noted they were carefully bred for good health, litter size and high fat content that leads to richly marbled, tender meat when cooked. "It's devastating when it happens," Lemmon said, referencing the sale he lost. He said he plans to stay in the breeding business, and is working to rekindle the deal with his Chinese buyer during the tariff pause. Roughly half of the world's pigs live on Chinese farms. The country has purchased large quantities of breeding pigs from the U.S. since an outbreak of African swine fever, a virus with a near-total fatality rate, wiped out millions of the country's hogs in 2018. Shipping livestock is lucrative but time-consuming. Shippers must personally fly with the animals or hire an on-board attendant who can make the rounds to keep their pricey passengers well-hydrated and comfortable during a long flight. When not working, the attendants chat with the flight crew or sometimes lie in sleeping bags next to the animals in the chilly cargo bay, exporters and farmers said. China has also been the biggest importer of semen from U.S. dairy cows, known for producing large amounts of protein-rich milk. But 'Not one unit of semen is going to China right now,' Jay Weiker, president of the National Association of Animal Breeders, said, noting China had been importing one-quarter of all U.S. cattle semen, which they use to artificially inseminate their dairy cows. The Chinese milk industry began importing large amounts of cattle semen to improve the genetics of domestic dairy cows after a deadly scandal over contaminated milk in 2008, Weiker said. At least six children in China died and nearly 300,000 fell ill after a Chinese manufacturer added melamine, a dangerous chemical, to milk powder to make the protein levels appear higher. Brittany Scott, owner of SMART Reproduction Services, a sheep and goat genetics company, said several foreign customers had also pulled out of deals. This left many vials of semen sitting in her Arkansas facility, frozen in tanks of liquid nitrogen and waiting for buyers. 'They are eager to do their jobs,' Scott said of her male goats and sheep. 'They understand the assignment and they do really well.' However, the work of selling their product has proven harder after Trump announced sweeping tariffs in April, and China retaliated. The lost sales have been "a punch in the gut,' Scott said.
