Latest News From JoAnn Alumbaugh

Consumer attitudes seem to be changing, despite the rhetoric of anti-animal agriculture groups. Perhaps humans are ready to take more of the responsibility for antibiotic resistance.

What people are saying about pork production on social media can impact your business. Here's how you can get started in being part of the solution.

After some years in the background, the (allegedly) harmful impact of the nitrite used in curing processed meats is back on the front burner — this time as the supposed cause of mania.

What people are saying about pork production on social media can impact your business. Here's how you can get started in being part of the solution.

A right-wing politician in Austria has proposed perhaps the worst, most inappropriate leveraging of whatever public sentiment exists for advancing animal welfare — for all the wrong reasons.

At the 2018 Iowa State Fair, Iowa pork producers will be serving a sweet and savory treat made from a quarter-pound of honey-cured pork belly that has been rubbed in brown sugar and cooked to perfection.

Just how far apart are Republicans and Democrats when it comes to views on climate change? Not nearly as far as most assume, according to new University of Colorado Boulder research survey.

A California company that brokers shared office space announced that all company events — and all expense-account meals — will no longer serve or allow meat, only fish. Really?

States boost renewable energy and economic development when utilities adopt renewable standards, experts say.

A grant-writing session has been added to the Aug. 14-15 agenda of the Child Agricultural Injury Prevention Workshop in Marshfield, Wis.

Given today’s potential for pathogens to quickly spread across borders, curbing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) must be an international effort.

Everywhere people congregate, they’re on their phones, tablets or laptops. They’re checking their social media for status updates or photos. Do you know what they're saying? It's time to connect.

Looking at hog sales in January 2019 using February 2019 futures, the weaner breakeven was $9.09, down $2.17 for the week. Feed costs were up $1.95 per head.

PIC introduces a new Duroc line, the PIC800.

Meat is killing people and the planet.’ You’re conditioned to such rhetoric from diehard activists. But repeating a bunch of talking points is not what’s expected from a trained scientist.

Retail pork is a bargain right now. The industry hopes more people will want to eat pork on a regular basis as a result, but consumers have a lot of choices with other protein sources, too.

Humble, yet accomplished, Allan Benton, owner of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams near Madisonville, Tenn., feels he’s the luckiest man on earth. He plans to continue to grow the business.

PIC introduces a new Duroc line, the PIC800.

So-called hot Dog Water was being sold in Canada for US$28.85 a bottle, and people were buying it. Although it professed health benefits, it didn’t. It was actually a study in human behavior.

So-called hot Dog Water was being sold in Canada for US$28.85 a bottle, and people were buying it. Although it professed health benefits, it didn’t. It was actually a study in human behavior.

Allan Benton, owner of Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams, says, “When you’re doing business with great chefs, you must be doing something right.” Here are a few of the celebrated chefs who love his products.

Uncompromising quality and loyalty to his roots are keystones for Allan Benton. He is the ham and bacon master at Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams near Madisonville, Tenn.

As is their wont, PETA is spinning the trade war currently threatening agriculture into another ‘Go Vegan’ PR stunt. But are their plans for billboards real, or as phony as their positioning?

A new report from the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) offers a primer on the science of genome editing, along with potential applications and challenges.

Linton Hopkins views ham “as a metaphor for the way all quality food should be treated in the U.S.” He reveres artisans like Allan Benton, who sells up to 20,000 hams and more than 30,000 lb. of bacon every year.

The president has pardoned the two ranchers whose conviction on charges of setting a wildfire on BLM land triggered the Bundy Clan’s armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge.

Each year, the Animal Agriculture Alliance releases reports from major animal rights conferences. It's critical to understanding what strategies and tactics will be used against next against animal agriculture.

Want to thank your landlords, showcase a new building, or share pork production practices with your neighbors or consumers? If so, consider hosting an event on your farm to build relationships and positive impressions.

A professor at Virginia Tech University says the U.S. should try to get the best trade deal with China that it can, but it should be wary of the potential consequences.

Want to know most ranchers’ opinions about wolves? They’re predators that kill livestock and must be controlled, if not eradicated. Eco-activists argue the opposite. But both sides are dead wrong.

The National Pork Producers Council is focused on the issue of "lab-grown" or "cultured" meat, and is determined to protect the integrity of traditionally produced, real pork products, writes Dan Kovich with NPPC.

The lack of regulatory oversight on fake meat does an injustice to consumers and creates an unfair advantage over conventional production. Also, gene-editing technology should be under USDA instead of FDA.

Cash weaner pig prices were $15.32, compared to the weaned pig breakeven of $11.25 for last week, reports Casey Westphalen with NutriQuest.

Dave Pyburn, DVM, senior vice president of science and technology for the National Pork Board, says it’s not “if” a foreign animal disease enters the U.S., it’s “when,” and the industry must be prepared.

A study funded by the National Pork Board provides perspectives on the re-infection rate and performance impact of PEDV.

A research project performed by T.G. Nagaraja and funded by the National Pork Board will show how probiotics can aid gut health and growth, but some may cause resistance.

Here are examples of how reporters in the general media will try to get you to say something that they can take out of context, and some tips to make sure you don’t give them that opportunity.

The education and training that took place before the veterinary feed directives began in January 2017 have paid off for the pork industry.

Most people consider GMO foods to be a dangerous, toxic plague on American consumers. But what about biotech when applied to treat a deadly disease often triggered by our food choices?

"Jumping genes" occur in a process called horizontal transfer, differing from the normal parent-offspring transfer, and it’s had an enormous impact on mammalian evolution, say researchers.

Sustainability includes managing the whole-farm water system to keep pigs healthy and growing, especially during hot summer weather.

In January, it looked like 2018 could be a banner year for pig farmers. Exports were at an all-time high in 2017, but tariffs and huge supplies have created rough seas for the pork industry.

It’s paramount that farms — especially smaller operations — stay in production, lest population growth and development swallow up arable acreage. But without any animals? Let’s hope not.

The Swine Health Information Center confirmed its mission statement and will examine the future needs of the pork industry in terms of animal health.

The Sow Pelvic Organ Prolapse project is the first study in the multi-discipline search for pig survivability answers. The research is funded by Checkoff’s animal science and welfare committees.

The 2018 Farm Bill will be hammered out in a House-Senate conference committee, where lawmakers must reconcile differences between the two chambers.

Too many people think eating a salad will help them lose weight, but many salads are loaded with calories. Maybe they should opt for lean pork instead.

Romanian officials have confirmed that African Swine Fever was detected in a large commercial farm. Previously, the disease had only been detected among backyard herds and wild boars.

To maintain consumer confidence, the pork industry needs to train employees on how to properly give shots so no needles are ever broken.

If people in urban areas in California, of all places, can learn to recognize the ‘added benefits’ of raising cattle, there’s hope for the beef producers’ long-term future.