Latest News From Industry

Your land has value beyond crop and livestock production.
5 Ways to Reap More Revenue from Your Land

Explore options such as wildlife habitat, wetlands, solar or wind production, mineral development and conservation easement to diversify land use and generate additional revenue.

Does the farm income picture look like the 1980s?
USDA’s Updated Net Farm Income Projection Could Look Like the 1980s

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) most recent net farm income projection from February pegs income to fall to a 12-year low at $59.5 billion.

Dan Murphy: Veggies at Risk
Dan Murphy: Veggies at Risk

Most vegetarians are totally convinced that they’re healthier than the rest of us, thanks to a plants-only diet. But a new study provides a sobering insight into why that might be all wrong.

How to Meet World Food Demands in the Next Decade
How to Meet World Food Demands in the Next Decade

National Academy of Animal Science releases a report on food and agricultural research to meet world food demands in the next decade.

Farmland “Brings Home the Bacon” to National FFA Organization

Farmland, part of Smithfield Foods, has partnered with the National FFA Organization to help support local farming.

Pork leaders are taking a “data-heavy, assumption-light” approach to combating alternative protein marketing.
Will Fake Meat Take Pork’s Spot In The Meat Case?

Pork leaders are taking a “data-heavy, assumption-light” approach to combating alternative protein marketing.

A robot that slices the bun, cooks the meat and completely assembles a burger was showcased recently in San Francisco.
Dan Murphy: This? This is Our Future?

A rite of passage for millions of teenagers, past and present, is their first paying job handling baskets of french fries or stocking shelves at some store in the mall. But is that all going away?

Farmland “Brings Home the Bacon” to National FFA Organization
Farmland “Brings Home the Bacon” to National FFA Organization

Farmland, part of Smithfield Foods, has partnered with the National FFA Organization to help support local farming.

<p>Cattle in a feedlot waiting on the feed truck.</p>
Beef Packer Margins Total $182 Million Last Week

Packer margins improved $55 per head last week as Choice beef cutout values gained nearly $4 per cwt and cash cattle prices declined $1 per cwt.

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Missouri's 2018 Drought Differs from 2012 in Varied Impact

Scattered rains brought slight improvements this past week in a drought affecting most of Missouri.

 Dan Murphy: Labeling Lunacy
Dan Murphy: Labeling Lunacy

Activists from Great Britain come up with yet another idea about demonizing animal agriculture — and as always, it’s couched in the mantra of ‘consumers need to know.’

An outbreak of African swine fever in China could jump the border to neighboring countries in Southeast Asia or the Korean Peninsula, the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization warned Tuesday.
UN: China's African Swine Fever Could Cross Borders

Outbreaks of the highly contagious African Swine Fever that affects pigs and wild boar have been reported in four different Chinese provinces over the past month. The U.N. is worried it could jump the border.

Crowdsourcing Model Speeds Up Data Analysis in Corn Plants
Crowdsourcing Model Speeds Up Data Analysis in Corn Plants

Participants in the study were shown images of corn plants and instructed to draw squares around the tassels. The images were used to create a computer algorithm capable of identifying tassels automatically.

Which 10 States Have the Highest Cash Rent?
Which 10 States Have the Highest Cash Rent?

For 2018, the national average for cash rents on cropland is $138 per acre, which is 1.5% higher than 2017.

Hope and History for Small Farming Town
Hope and History for Small Farming Town

A spirited group of farmers is drawing a line in the dirt for town, county and history, and preparing a path toward economic revival.

The appeal of a vending machine is that it delivers food you can eat on the spot, like peanut M&M’s, potato chips, cookies, or soda. But one meat company thinks strip steaks and pork chops should be offered.
Your Next Ribeye Could Be Delivered by a Vending Machine

Most people don’t consider raw steak to be ready-to-eat, unless they’re following an extreme cave man diet. It's that consumer - the serious meat-eater - that Applestone Meat Co. is pursuing.

Canada’s largest packaged meat company is now stocking shelves with plant-based imitators like vegan bacon and veggie hot dogs.
Canadian Meat Giant Pursues Plant-based Protein

“There’s the hardcore vegans, the hardcore vegetarians, but we’re seeing more and more flexitarians or reducetarians looking for plant-based options," Maple Leaf Foods President Dan Curtin commented.

Hamming It Up: Champion Ham Brings $2.8 Million

The Associated Press reports that a ham produced by Broadbent B&B Foods sold at a Kentucky Farm Bureau auction for $2.8 million. It was the champion ham at this year’s Kentucky State Fair.

“You’re Vegetarian Now”

WeWork’s enforced vegetarianism is a warning to livestock producers.

This ham was the champion at the 2018 Kentucky State Fair. It's held by Miss Kentucky, Katie Bouchard and was auctioned off at the Kentucky Farm Bureau Annual Breakfast.
Hamming It Up: Champion Ham Brings $2.8 Million

The Associated Press reports that a ham produced by Broadbent B&B Foods sold at a Kentucky Farm Bureau auction for $2.8 million. It was the champion ham at this year’s Kentucky State Fair.

AgriTalk
AgriTalk: NAFTA Sunset Clause With Mexico

There has been other news going on this week aside from the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour, which has dominated the conversation this week on AgriTalk.

“You’re Vegetarian Now”

WeWork’s enforced vegetarianism is a warning to livestock producers.

Dan Murphy: Mike Espy Comes Out From the Shadows
Dan Murphy: Mike Espy Comes Out From the Shadows

An ex-USDA secretary, ousted from the Cabinet in disgrace decades ago, returns to politics as a candidate for the U.S. Senate from Mississippi — and a win would bode well for agriculture.

Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour Podcast
Crop Tour Podcast: Surprises in Iowa and Minnesota

Iowa and Minnnesota were full of surprises as the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour wrapped up in Rochester, Minnesota.  Listen to the podcast to get all of the final tour results.

Giving the classic children’s song a twist, Land O’Lakes changes the lyrics of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” for Women’s Equality Day.
Land O’Lakes Gives Old MacDonald a Makeover: “She-I-O”

Look out Old MacDonald, the girls are running the farm.

A photo illustration of lab grown meat.
Joint Letter Sent to President Trump on Lab-grown Meat Regulations

Memphis Meats, Inc. and the North American Meat Institute have sent a joint letter to the White House regarding whether FDA or USDA should regulate lab-grown meat.

As companies try to cater to Americans' interest in lighter eating, the term "plant-based" is replacing "vegan" and "vegetarian" on some foods. The worry is that the v-words might have unappetizing or polarizing associations.
Don't Use the "V" Word

It's not vegan, it's "plant-based." So will carnivores bite?

Pork, Beef, and Other Proteins May Reduce Fatty Liver Disease

New research shows that higher levels of protein after weight loss my reduce fatty liver disease. Increased protein during weight maintenance also reduces risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers say.

Owens Meats offers a vending machine: "The Candy Store for the Carnivore."
Dan Murphy: The Meat Machine

No, not the boisterous brother in-law who wolfs down four or five hot dogs at a backyard barbecue. We’re talking a vending machine — that delivers not junk, but real meat snacks.

China on Thursday reported another outbreak of African swine fever that threatens the country's crucial pork industry, but officials say they have the situation under control.
Lethal Pig Virus in Fourth China Province Raises Disease Threat

African swine fever was confirmed in a fourth Chinese province, indicating further spread of the lethal disease that threatens to disrupt the world’s largest pig industry.

Scout: SW Iowa Crop Looks ‘Better Than From The Road’
Scout: SW Iowa Crop Looks ‘Better Than From The Road’

Scouts along the Western Leg of the Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour are ‘on the homestretch’ as they make their way to Rochester, Minnesota. However, Southwest Iowa answered some one question for scouts on tour.

Pork Scallopini
Pork, Beef, and Other Proteins May Reduce Fatty Liver Disease

New research shows that higher levels of protein after weight loss my reduce fatty liver disease. Increased protein during weight maintenance also reduces risk of type 2 diabetes, researchers say.

A judge has ordered a man charged in the kidnapping and murder of an Iowa college student to be jailed on a $5 million cash-only bond.
Meanwhile the farmer who employed Cristhian Bahena Rivera says he's received death threats.
Iowa Farmer Threatened in Tibbetts Case

The farmer who employed murder suspect Cristhian Bahena Rivera says he's received death threats. Rivera was charged with the murder of missing Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts. Rivera worked at the dairy farm.

John Maday, Editor, Bovine Veterinarian
Turning Over Rocks

In many cases, veterinarians know exactly how sickness appears in a group of cattle. In other cases the source remains a mystery, and management, by necessity, focuses on treatment.

Feeder cattle ends sharply higher and lean hog contracts settle lower.
Cattle Lose $30, Hogs Lose $40 Per Head

Cattle and hog margins are headed south as supplies build and packers run near capacity.

Day Two Crop Tour Photos Shows Hail and Drought Damage
Day Two Crop Tour Photos Shows Hail and Drought Damage

While analysts are seeing many fields with high yield estimates across the country, they are also noticing some areas affected by summer drought and storms.

In Uncertain Trade Climate, USMEF Solidifies Relationships in Mexico

While the U.S. captures a dominant share of Mexico's imported pork and beef market, the U.S. industry cannot take this position for granted.

WH Group Ltd, the world’s top pork producer, was ordered by Chinese officials to close a pork slaughterhouse on Aug. 16 for six weeks to help control the disease spread.
China Closes WH Group Slaughterhouse, Restricts Transport Due to ASF

WH Group Ltd, the world’s top pork producer, was ordered by Chinese officials to close a pork slaughterhouse on Aug. 16 for six weeks to help control the disease spread.

Scientologist members were selling meat out of the back of a truck in low-income neighborhoods in California.
Dan Murphy: A Scam Within a Scam

Of all the bizarre stories involving shady sales and production practices in the meat business, this particular tale might qualify for a place near the top of the list.

Despite Sound Science, Americans Still Distrust GMOs
Despite Sound Science, Americans Still Distrust GMOs

According to a recent research study, nearly half of U.S. consumers avoid GMO food, primarily due to its “human health impact," even when they don't know what GMOs are. It's a concerning disconnect.

Boots in the Field Report with Ken Ferrie
Boots in the Field Report: The Good in Ohio and Ugly in Michigan

“There’s a lot of good-looking corn in northwest Ohio that’s just finishing up pollination,” notes Farm Journal Agronomist Ken Ferrie in this week’s edition of Boots In The Field.

Crop Tour Shows Dominating Yields in Ohio, South Dakota
Crop Tour Shows Dominating Yields in Ohio, South Dakota

Projected yields in Ohio and South Dakota from day one of the Pro Farmer Crop Tour topple recent history.

Test tube meat
Dan Murphy: Alt-Meat’s Catch 22

The alt-meat makers are awash in investment capital and media coverage. But as they ramp up production, they might not realize economies of scale, due to a potential scarcity of ingredients.

Hormel Sells Neb. Pork Plant: Who is WholeStone Farms?

WholeStone Farms chairman Luke Minion says the purchase aligns with the company’s goal to create and capture value in the pork supply chain for their 220 independent producer-owners.

WholeStone Farms chairman Luke Minion says the purchase aligns with the company’s goal to create and capture value in the pork supply chain for their 220 independent producer-owners.
Hormel Sells Neb. Pork Plant: Who is WholeStone Farms?

WholeStone Farms chairman Luke Minion says the purchase aligns with the company’s goal to create and capture value in the pork supply chain for their 220 independent producer-owners.

Nail Your 2019 Land Lease Agreement
Nail Your 2019 Land Lease Agreement

As you line up land opportunities for the 2019 season, consider different lease options to find the one that best fits your needs.

Tyson Foods Inc agreed to buy chicken-nugget maker Keystone Foods LLC from Brazil’s Marfrig Global Foods SA for about $2.5 billion, Bloomberg News is reporting.
Tyson Agrees to Buy Chicken-Nugget Maker Keystone for $2.5 Billion

The largest US meat producer, Tyson Foods, continues to expand as it reportedly agrees to buy chicken-nugget maker Keystone Foods LLC for about $2.5 billion.

These two user fee programs enhance the FDA’s ability to maintain a predictable and timely animal drug review process,
ADUFA Act Allows Timely Review of Animal Drug Applications

On August 14, 2018, the Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2018 was signed into law to reauthorize the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) and the Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act (AGDUFA) programs.

Employees horizontal
People in the News at Kerns and Associates, Osborne and Diamond V

Casey Westphalen moves from NutriQuest to Kerns and Associates; Vicki Corbett celebrates 40 years at Osborne Industries; and Ilya Frumkin will serve as Diamond V's director of companion animal business development.

Pro Farmer Editor Brian Grete is seen here counting soybean pods during the 2017 Pro Farmer Midwest Crop Tour. Grete, in his 8th year as tour director, says USDA's August crop production forecast is "lofty".
"Lofty" Projections for the 2018 Season? Crop Tour to Find Out

USDA says the U.S. has record or near record crops in the nation's corn and soybean fields. What will the 2018 Pro Farmer Midwest Crop tour find next week?