The fast-paced nature of the modern U.S. beef industry can make it easy to forget just how far it has come over the course of our nation’s history. Today, for the most part, the system runs like a well-oiled machine. Science, genetics, and technology have allowed producers to home in on productivity and create a consistent end product. Some breeds have risen in popularity, and each has a national association guiding its organization and development.
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U.S. red meat exports closed the first half of the year on a strong note, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Although volume and value eased from the enormous totals posted in April and May, export value was still the highest on record for the month of June and first-half shipments established a record pace for both beef and pork exports.
"USMEF had expected a continued strong performance in June for both beef and pork exports, despite significant headwinds," said USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom
The Executive Committee of CPL consisting of 3 active members, takes a 4–5-day trip every Summer to visit various cattle operations, back grounders, feedlots, packing plants and agriculture universities. This year Mike Kovac, Dave Sanson and myself headed to the Southeast (Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia) to visit a Polled Hereford Ranch, Line One Horned Hereford Ranch, Brangus-Ultrablack Ranch, a feedlot and a bio-diversity ranch.
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China is taking hog biosecurity to new levels -- 13 stories in fact.
That’s the height of a building in southern China where more than 10,000 pigs are kept in a condominium-style complex, complete with restricted access, security cameras, in-house veterinary services and carefully prepared meals.
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After California voters overwhelmingly approved Farm Animal Confinement Proposition (Prop 12), which becomes effective next year, it’s likely that without intervention, Californians will no longer be able to buy pork products.
Currently, Californians consume 15% of all pork produced in the U.S. California restaurants and groceries use roughly 255 million pounds of pork a month, Rabobank, a global food and agriculture financial services company, estimates.
The new law mandates space requirements for producers to follow for egg-laying chickens, calves for veal, and hogs. It also bans the sale of eggs, pork and veal in the state if the product confinement standards do not comply with the new space requirements.
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirmed the constitutionality of the beef checkoff program in a challenge brought by the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund.
In 2020, a federal court ruled that the qualified state beef checkoff programs operating under a Memorandum of Understanding with the UDSA do not violate the First Amendment and dismissed the lawsuit brought by R-CALF. In the suit, R-CALF USA alleged the use of industry assessments collected by state beef councils for advertising and promotional materials violated the First Amendment rights of beef producers.
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Click below for the latest Market Report from the Red River Livestock Auction.
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Click below for the latest Market Report from the Dominique’s Livestock Auctions in Opelousas and Baton Rouge.
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The Justice Department’s inquiry into poultry sector price fixing has resulted in new indictments against Illinois-based Koch Foods and four Pilgrim’s Pride executives.
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Commodity field days are a normal summertime occurrence for LSU AgCenter agriculture agents and specialists, but a field day without growers is just different.
During “normal” years, the AgCenter brings together other state and federal agriculture agencies to discuss the condition of crops and livestock in the region.
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Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., is reminding all Louisiana hog farmers to practice rigorous biosecurity protocols following the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement issued late Wednesday confirming cases of African swine fever (ASF) in the Dominican Republic (DR).
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