Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is deploying $100 million under the new Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program to make available nearly $1 billion in loan guarantees; these loan guarantees will back private investment in processing and food supply infrastructure that will strengthen the food supply chain for the American people.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun issuing approximately $270 million in payments to contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry who applied for Pandemic Assistance.
Read MoreLivingston-based Foster Farms, which also has a processing plant in Fresno, is considering selling the family-owned business, according to a report from Bloomberg. Asked for comment on Wednesday, officials from the poultry-producer did not deny the claims in the business news source’s reporting, but released a statement.
“Foster Farms has and will continue to evaluate strategic partnerships — with customers, suppliers and other partners,” the statement said. “We are confident in our strategic plan, and will determine if partnerships further enhance our competitive position. Foster Farms is committed to keeping our employees, customers and community informed if any significant developments occur.”
Read MoreAfter seventeen months of grassroots work and persistence, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation (LFBF) and other state Farm Bureaus can celebrate a massive victory.
Contract poultry growers who were previously ruled out of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program are now eligible to apply for aid thanks to collaboration between various state Farm Bureaus, lawmakers and USDA. Up to $1 billion will be made available through the Consolidated Appropriations Act to livestock and poultry producers who suffered financial losses from January 1, 2020, through December 27, 2020.
Read MoreFarmers who were previously ineligible for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) can now apply for aid thanks to collaboration between the American Farm Bureau, lawmakers and USDA. Up to $1 billion will be made available through the Consolidated Appropriations Act to livestock and poultry producers who suffered financial losses from January 1, 2020, through December 27, 2020. The American Farm Bureau first raised concern about farmers being left out of the aid package in May 2020 and has been engaged on this issue for more than a year.
Read MoreChicken wings are flying off the shelves.
After a year promoting takeout wings and crispy chicken sandwiches, restaurants including KFC, Wingstop Inc. and Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. say they are paying steep prices for scarce poultry. Some are running out of or limiting sales of tenders, filets and wings, cutting into some of their most reliable sales.
Independent eateries and bars have gone weeks without wings, owners say. Chicken breast prices have more than doubled since the beginning of the year, and wing prices have hit records, according to market-research firm Urner Barry.
Read MoreKurstin Laceky, a senior at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, won $3,000 as the top winner at the Moody Pitch Competition recently.
Laceky won for her business idea of Waterhem’s, a patent-pending, all-in-one portable urban chicken feeder system, in the competition put on by the Moody College of Business and the BRF’s Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program, which provides services to innovative startups and works to stimulate entrepreneurship opportunities in north Louisiana.
Read MoreThe February 2021 Price & Production Summary gives prices for cattle, poultry, hogs and dairy.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline from March 5 to April 9 for agricultural producers to apply for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program because of recent winter storms and some clarifications to program rules. This program assists producers who suffered crop quality losses due to qualifying 2018 and 2019 natural disasters.
Read MorePilgrim’s Pride Corp, one of the largest U.S. poultry producers, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay a $107.9 million fine on Tuesday to settle federal charges it conspired to fix chicken prices and passed on the costs to consumers and other purchasers.
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