Latest News From Industry

We're in the Middle of a Food Crisis

The growing distance between food production and the consuming public is creating an abyss in knowledge and understanding of where food comes from, or what to do with it after it after it’s purchased.

A raccoon in the wild.
FFA Instructor Suspended Over Raccoon Euthanasia

A Florida agri-science teacher and the advisor of the school’s FFA club, was placed on administrative leave after school officials were told that he had students help him drown wild raccoons during class.

Lamb chops and asparagus
Murphy: Learning to Love Lamb

Of all the healthy, flavorful, downright delicious menu items at today’s chic restaurants, lamb is arguably one of the finest, yet least appreciated choices. But that may be about to change.

AgriTalk After the Bell
AgriTalk After The Bell: Stay Flexible!

Stay Flexible! That’s the advice from Advance Trading Economist, Brian Basting on AgriTalk After the Bell with Chip Flory

How Brazil’s Real Could Mean More Soybean Acres In 2018
How Brazil’s Real Could Mean More Soybean Acres In 2018

Naomi Blohm of Stewart-Peterson discusses soybeans on AgDay with Tyne Morgan.

JBS Sees Higher Grain Prices, Cuts Other Costs to Offset
JBS Sees Higher Grain Prices, Cuts Other Costs to Offset

Brazil’s JBS SA, the world’s largest meatpacking company, said on Tuesday that rising prices for grain, the key raw material for feed, don’t show any hint of cooling off, forcing it to cut other costs.

A worker carries a piece of beef meat inside a butchery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 27, 2017.
China to Inspect 84 Brazil Meatpacking Plants for Export Clearance

China will dispatch teams to inspect 84 meatpacking plants in Brazil to evaluate them for exports to China, Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

New Members Appointed to Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection
New Members Appointed to Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announces the appointment of 5 new members and 12 returning members to the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection.

<p>Feeder steers standing in a feedlot pen.&nbsp;</p>
Profit Tracker: Packer Profits Exceed $200

Packer margins advanced on softer cash cattle prices and gain in the beef cutout prices.

U.S. Farm Report commentator John Phipps.
Customer Support: Pros, Cons Of Reporting to USDA

Each time a report comes out of the USDA, the question is raised on whether farmers should show their hand or if they should keep their cards hidden.

Nothing that doesn’t afflict much of rural America: depopulation, lack of economic development and a ‘brain drain’ of educated young people leaving town. But there are solutions to be pursued.
Murphy: What’s Wrong with Kansas?

Nothing that doesn’t afflict much of rural America: depopulation, lack of economic development and a ‘brain drain’ of educated young people leaving town. But there are solutions to be pursued.

Sharing pictures from the farm via Snapchat and Instagram are easy steps to improving your social outreach.
4 Tips for Effective Social Media

Iowa pork producer Erin Brenneman, public relations and social media manager for Brenneman Pork, offers these four tips to encourage farmers to put social media to work for the entire agricultural community. 

You Lose Money With Every Employee Turnover

Great onboarding protocols can minimize employee turnover on your farm.

Great onboarding protocols can minimize turnover. 
You Lose Money With Every Employee Turnover

Great onboarding protocols can minimize employee turnover on your farm.

Erin Brenneman says she shares images from her family's farm with hopes that others see the passion she, her sons and other farmers have.
Paving the Way For the Next Generation

Erin Brenneman says she shares images from her family's farm with hopes that others see the passion she, her sons and other farmers have.

"The sniff test" is used by most people, even if there's a "best if used by" label.
Murphy: The New ‘Sniff Test’

With the cost of food waste approaching $165 billion a year, determining if perishable items are still edible is a priority. But are the recently developed ‘mechanical sniffers’ really the answer?

Answer for a Chance to Win Passes to Expo! Week 2

Working with people in and outside of the family can have challenges. Keeping employees engaged and motivated is also challenging. How do you show appreciation to your hog farm employees?

Comedy Video Pokes Fun at Misleading Non-GMO, Natural Food Labels
Comedy Video Pokes Fun at Misleading Non-GMO, Natural Food Labels

A new video on Funny Or Die will have you laughing about the absurd food labels that are found at the grocery store.

Pork Checkoff to be Featured at World Meat Congress
Pork Checkoff to be Featured at World Meat Congress

The biennial Global Meat Congress will be held in Dallas May 30-June 1, and the U.S. pork industry will be represented. The event hasn't been held in the U.S. for more than 20 years.

"We need to stand out, not only as elite caretakers of our animals, but also as ordinary people when we step outside the pig buildings," says Erin Brenneman, Iowa pork producer.
Post the Positive: Erin Brenneman On How to Increase Social Reach

Erin Brenneman uses her high energy, approachable personality, and keen photographic eye to share farm life with her followers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms.

Meeting Erin Brenneman

While her photography caught my eye about four and half years ago, Erin Brenneman has led a revolution of social advocacy for the pork industry.

The USAHA Executive Committee includes: Front row, from left: Boyd Parr, DVM SC, Past President; Barb Determan, IA, President, Kristin Haas, DVM, VT, President Elect. Back row, from left: Charlie Hatcher, DVM, TN, Third Vice President; Marty Zaluski, DVM, MT, First Vice President; Paul McGraw, DVM, WI, Second Vice President; Annette Jones, DVM, CA, Treasurer.
USAHA in 2018

The United States Animal Health Association (USAHA) continues its diligence in addressing animal health issues in the US, now in its 122nd year.

Agreement Ensures Building of First U.S. Public Vet School in 40 Years
Agreement Ensures Building of First U.S. Public Vet School in 40 Years

The Amarillo City Council approved an amendment to a 2016 agreement between the Texas Tech University System and the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation to fund up to $69 million to ensure the construction.

A population of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons in an allogenic, previously injured spinal cord of a pig at 3-and-a-half months.
Neurons Survive Long-Term in Pigs with Spinal Cord Injuries

An international team led by scientists describe successfully grafting stem cell (iPSC)-derived neural precursor cells back into the spinal cords of genetically identical adult pigs with no immunosuppression efforts.

Job Prospects in Ag Are High For College Grads
Job Prospects in Ag Are High For College Grads

If you're graduating from college and looking for a job in agriculture, your job outlook appears to be good!

Analysts say interest rates will likely increase a total of three times this year, but could increase four times.
What’s Going On With Interest Rates?

Analysts say interest rates will likely increase a total of three times this year, but could increase four times.

<p>A feedlot at near capacity with feed trucks moving in the background.</p>
Profit Tracker: Surging Cutout Lifts Packer Profits

Beef cutout prices jumped $7.22 per cwt. last week, boosting packer profits $40 per head.

Company News
Company News: Topigs Norsvin, The Maschhoffs, and Verdesian

Topigs Norsvin implements PRRS resistance in breeding value estimations, The Maschhoffs adds to its leadership team, and Verdesian launches a renewed focus on grower nutrient use efficiency and a new mission statement. 

Tyson Foods Shares Rebound; Drop Earlier on Higher Freight Costs
Tyson Foods Shares Rebound; Drop Earlier on Higher Freight Costs

Tyson Foods Inc. shares turned higher on Monday on last-half profit optimism after its quarterly profits missed Wall Street estimates.

Arby's Bourbon BBQ Triple Stack
Behold: The Triple Threat

You don’t cruise into a fast-food drive-thru in search of a low-cal, lite ’n lean lunch. So why not pile on the protein? Which is exactly what Arby’s is offering with its three killer sandwiches.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is willing to pay farmers $1,000 per acre to leave corn rows standing near highways in an effort to control blowing snow in the winter.
Minnesota Pays Farmers to Leave Standing Corn for "Living Snow Fence"

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is willing to pay farmers $1,000 per acre to leave corn rows standing near highways in an effort to control blowing snow in the winter.

Sausages
Smoked Sausage Products Recalled Due to Possible Contamination

Eddy Packing Co., Inc.  in Yoakum, Texas, is recalling approximately 49,558 lbs. of smoked sausage products due to possible foreign matter contamination, specifically hard plastic.

Michigan Tech is one of eight teams competing in the AutoDrive Challenge, a collegiate design competition sponsored by SAE International and GM.
Take Me Home, Country Roads: Alternative Vehicles in Rural America

Autonomous vehicles hold a lot of promise. But what about in rural communities? Undergraduate students look into the environmental, social and economic impacts of advanced vehicle technology.

As your team’s leader, you must not let the pressures of planting cause additional stress and fatigue on your team.
3 Leadership Priorities for Planting Season

As your team’s leader, you must not let the pressures of planting cause additional stress and fatigue on your team.

Farm Sense: Livestock and Health
Farm Sense: Livestock and Health

Fridays on AgDay means Farm Sense with Clinton Griffiths.

Your Social License Can Be Revoked
Your Social License Can Be Revoked

The jury verdict against a hog farm last week sent reverberations throughout the pork industry. It was the first of several pending lawsuits in North Carolina, and it set a dangerous and uncomfortable precedent.

U.N. FAO: World Food Price Index Little Changed in April Versus March
U.N. FAO: World Food Price Index Little Changed in April Versus March

World food prices edged marginally higher in April from March, with the prices of most cereals and dairy products continuing to rise while sugar fell further, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday.

Today’s the Day! Get $1 Scoops at Culver’s on Scoops of Thanks Day
Today’s the Day! Get $1 Scoops at Culver’s on Scoops of Thanks Day

The nation-wide fundraiser supports local agricultural education programs: The proceeds from all $1 single scoops of ice cream on Thursday, May 3, will go to FFA and other local ag groups.

Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder of Alltech, will be honored at the ONE Conference later this month.
Alltech to Honor Late Founder Dr. Pearse Lyons

Alltech will honor its founder, Dr. Pearse Lyons with awards of highest distinction during ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference on May 21.

Yaakov Nahmias, founder and chief scientist of Future Meat Technologies, holds laboratory-grown fat samples in his lab in Jerusalem May 2, 2018.
Tyson Foods Backs Israeli Startup to Grow Meat in the Lab

Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. meat processor, has invested in an Israeli biotech company developing a way to grow affordable meat in a laboratory that takes live animals out of the equation.

Iowa Watershed Efforts Receive Continued Funding
Iowa Watershed Efforts Receive Continued Funding

Iowa's North Raccoon Farm to River Partnership is one of three watersheds that were recently recognized.

What Happens If We Don’t See A Weather Scare?
What Happens If We Don’t See A Weather Scare?

Mike North of Commodity Risk Management Group and Chip Nellinger of Blue Reef Agri-Marketing are on the U.S. Farm Report marketing roundtable with Tyne Morgan.

Mike Opperman
Does Smithfield Scare You?

Just because an odor lawsuit happened in the pork industry, don't think it can't happen in other animal ag industries.

Brazil's JBS Approves 2017 Financial Statements, $36 Million Dividend
Brazil's JBS Approves 2017 Financial Statements, $36 Million Dividend

Shareholders of Brazilian meat processor JBS SA approved the company’s 2017 financial statements along with dividend payments at a meeting on Monday, according to a securities filing.

John Maday, Editor, Bovine Veterinarian
Allow VFD Rules to Work

The FDA’s veterinary feed directive (VFD) rules, in effect since January 2017, have caused some confusion and left some producers frustrated with fewer options in some aspects of their herd-health programs.

The total return from farmland owned by pension funds rose during the first quarter of 2018.
Strong Income and Appreciation Boost Farmland Returns

The total return from farmland owned by pension funds rose during the first quarter of 2018.

It’s Too Soon To Take Weather Off The Table
It’s Too Soon To Take Weather Off The Table

Chip Nellinger of Blue Reef Agri-Marketing and Mike North of Commodity Risk Management Group are talking about the week ahead on AgDay with Clinton Griffiths.

Mexican red meat customers with the U.S. are more optimistic about trade relationships between the two countries.
USMEF: Customers are More Optimistic About the Future of NAFTA

Mexican red meat customers with the U.S. are more optimistic about trade relationships between the two countries.

Soulful blues and country singer Josh Hoyer will kick off MusicFest at the 2018 World Pork Expo on Thursday, June 7. The accomplished musician from Lincoln, Nebraska was a contestant on Season 12 of NBC's The Voice competition in 2017.
Music Acts Slated to Perform During 30th Annual World Pork Expo

Visitors will enjoy free music, grilled pork and networking opportunities during MusicFest on Thursday evening at the 2018 World Pork Expo.

Hoffman’s Summer Weather Outlook
Hoffman’s Summer Weather Outlook

Mike Hoffman shares his 90-day outlook.