COVID

The Reasons Behind the Painful Surge in Grocery Prices

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 15:45:16 GMT

The post-Covid surge in grocery prices has been a noticeable and financially painful part of the rising U.S. cost of living. Shoppers couldn’t miss the sharp price increases, such as the doubling cost of a can of tomatoes or the significant rise in beef prices.

Economist Thomas Klitgaard from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York analyzed the causes of this increase . Here are the key findings:

Food prices

(Liberty Street Economics)

Stable prices before pandemic: The consumer price index (CPI) for food-at-home was stable for the five years prior to the pandemic, indicating little change in grocery bills from 2014 to 2019.

Sharp increases during pandemic:
• 2020: Prices rose by 4%.
• 2021: Prices increased by 6%.
• 2022: Prices jumped by 12%.

Overall, the food-at-home index increased by 25% from Q4 2019 to Q1 2023.

Key components driving price increases:
• Commodity Prices: The underlying price of commodities, especially grains, saw significant increases. This rise cascaded down to other food items like beef, pork, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.
• Wages: The wage bill at supermarkets rose substantially, contributing to higher grocery prices.

Minor Impact:

• Price gouging: Klitgaard’s analysis suggests that price gouging by companies was not a significant factor in the price increases.

Wages

(Liberty Street Economics )

Bottom line:

The surge in grocery prices was driven mainly by substantial increases in commodity prices and supermarket wages, rather than price gouging. The stability of grocery prices before the pandemic underscores the dramatic impact of these factors during the early 2020s. While grain prices have slumped since 2022, the wage bill keeps going up — with average hourly earnings up 6% in May from a year before. And Klitgaard warns that may bode ill for shoppers going forward. “An open question is whether grocery inflation can stay as moderate as it has been since early 2023 with grocery worker wage inflation still elevated,” he wrote.

New Ways To Address Healthcare Issues Are Needed For Rural Americans

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 14:36:27 GMT

It’s no secret the rural U.S. healthcare system faces ongoing pressures from financial struggles and labor shortages. Rural hospitals, in particular, have been hit by the shortages, according to Carrie Cochran-MacClain, chief policy officer for the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).

“We are raising a stink out here in Washington about what we’re seeing in terms of the status of our rural hospitals,” Cochran-MacClain says. “We know that coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of hospitals really took a hit during that time. They did everything they could to provide services to the people in their communities, and now they’re struggling, and we’re continuing to see closures.”

Since 2005, 104 rural hospitals have closed. An additional 600 rural hospitals — 30% of all rural hospitals in the U.S. — are at risk of closing in the near future, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform.

In response, Cochran-MacClain says one stop-gap measure Congress has enacted now is the development of rural emergency hospitals (REH), a Medicare provider designation established through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.

New Methods Of Care

REHs are meant to reinforce access to outpatient medical services and reduce health disparities in rural areas that are unlikely to be able to sustain a traditional, full-service hospital. Today, there are about 18 such facilities across the U.S.

“It’s a great model that’s keeping a level of (medical care) access in rural settings, and that’s fantastic,” she told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk, on Monday.

“But I think our perspective is, in addition, we hate to see hospitals closing their in-patient units, because they can’t afford to keep them open and are being forced to turn to this model,” Cochran-MacClain adds. “We want to make sure those facilities that are in rural communities and want to keep their inpatient care are able to do that.”

Achieving that goal – and continuing to provide rural Americans with healthcare options – will require addressing the costs and labor issues, she told Flory.

“We have to do more to make sure that we’re training (medical) folks from rural areas, that we’re recruiting folks to rural areas, and really investing in that workforce,” she says.

Reimbursement rates to rural hospitals also need to be addressed. Many rural hospitals struggle to maintain financial viability under traditional Medicare payment models.

“When we moved to the way that we pay hospitals now, called prospective payment rates, those rates were not made for small, low-volume facilities,” Cochran-MacClain says. “So, we continue to really need some adjustments to the way we are paying for health care in rural areas. And that’s what we’re trying to do with a whole slew of proposals in Washington.”

The rural healthcare discussion between Cochhran-MacClain and Flory is available here.

More Funding Resources Needed

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced in late 2023 some of the steps underway to help rural communities keep access to local healthcare available to residents. These include:

Funding to rural providers to join value-based care initiatives. Medicare’s largest value-based care program, the Medicare Shared Savings Program, encourages providers to collaborate to provide coordinated, high-quality care to people with Medicare by forming or joining Accountable Care Organizations.

Grants to rural hospitals and communities to provide health care services. HHS has several grant opportunities to support rural communities, including $28 million to provide direct health services and expand infrastructure and $16 million to provide technical assistance to rural hospitals facing financial distress.

Developing and investing in the nursing workforce. Nurses play a critical role in primary care, mental health care and maternal health care, particularly in rural areas. HHS has announced more than $100 million in awards to address the increasing demand for registered nurses, nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and nurse faculty nationwide.

Expanding access to services provided via telehealth. During the first year of the Covid pandemic, Medicare telehealth visits increased 63-fold, especially benefiting patients in rural communities. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is extending many of the Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were provided during the Covid pandemic through December 31, 2024.

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Attorneys Challenge Court Decision Dismissing Tyson Workers' COVID-19 Lawsuits

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 03:54:52 GMT

Representing the estates of Tyson workers who succumbed to COVID-19 complications during the 2020 pandemic, attorneys are urging a reevaluation of a court decision that dismissed their legal actions, according to a local news source .

Judge John Sullivan ruled in October of this year that the lawsuits, brought by representatives of Kabeya “Axel” Mukendi and Felicie Joseph, lacked jurisdiction in civil court. This ruling emphasized that workplace injuries fall under the jurisdiction of the workers’ compensation system, not the judiciary.

Sullivan’s decision followed precedent of a January 2023 ruling in suits brought by representatives of Isidro Fernandez, Sedika Buljic, Reberiano Leno Garcia, and Jose Luis Ayala Jr. The court found these suits failed to establish claims of wanton neglect necessary for jurisdiction.

The news source notes Sullivan’s words in his ruling: “While the court recognizes the tragic circumstances that arose from the situation, the law requires that plaintiffs’ claims proceed under the Iowa Division of Workers’ Compensation pursuant to the IWCA. This Court lacks the subject matter jurisdiction to consider the plaintiffs’ claims.”

The opinion further states, “The court does not find that the plaintiffs have pled sufficient facts as to each individual defendant that rise to the level of gross negligence amounting to wanton neglect that would remove these matters from the jurisdiction of the Iowa Division of Workers’ Compensation.”

According to records, workers’ compensation claims, which provide limited opportunities for damages, have been filed.

Attorneys John Rausch, Thomas Frerichs, and Mel Orchard III, handling the Mukendi and Joseph cases, have reportedly requested the district to reconsider the ruling in papers filed earlier this month. However, the news source indicates that a previous challenge by attorneys in other suits was defeated in district court.

The lawsuits allege that Tyson officials misled employees at Tyson Fresh Meats in the spring of 2020 about the dangers of the coronavirus and the virus’s presence at the hog-processing facility.

Purdue to Develop Field Test to Detect SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Animals

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 14:15:57 GMT

Purdue University is developing a field test that can measure and predict the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in a wide range of wildlife and farm animals thanks to $2.7 million in federal funding from USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

“We’re hoping to develop one protocol and that the test works universally,” Mohit Verma, assistant professor in agricultural and biological engineering and the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, said in a release.

Verma and his colleagues plan to collect nearly 2,000 nasal and oral samples from more nearly 40 species of mammals and birds ranging from cattle, swine and wolves to chickens, ducks and turkeys.

The team’s goal is to provide a simple and affordable way for animal and public health agencies in tribal, state, federal and private lands to track transmission of the virus as it potentially spreads between different animal species and humans, the release said. The testing would be suitable for settings ranging from hunting, trapping and animal production to veterinary clinics and at home.

The project includes both hardware and software components. The hardware is the test for field use. The software is for uploading the results to a dashboard to monitor spread of the virus in different animals and locations.

APHIS and its partners previously completed studies that showed the virus spread to various animal species, wildlife included. For white-tailed deer, their research conducted in 2021 revealed that approximately 40% of the samples contained SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, suggesting that the virus was circulating in the states that were evaluated.

“There is a potential for COVID-19 to be resident in animals and then spill back to humans,” Verma said. “That’s the concern, and that can happen. That’s why we are developing better tools for surveillance in wildlife, companion animals and farm animals.”

The problem disproportionally affects tribal nations, the researchers point out, as their members maintain close contact with wildlife both for subsistence and cultural reasons.

An April 2022 Congressional hearing on “Preventing Pandemics through U.S. Wildlife-borne Disease Surveillance” highlighted the need to involve tribal nations in the process. Likewise, the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey could use better surveillance tools to help guide outdoors enthusiasts nationally, the release said.

The team settled on oral-nasal swabs because they can sample what often is a shared cavity in animals. Although the focus in this study is on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the tools could apply to other viruses and emerging diseases as needed, the researchers point out. The project will build off Verma’s ongoing work in animal and human health. Verma has already developed innovative paper-based, rapid-result tests for bovine respiratory disease and COVID-19 and is in the process of commercializing these through his startup Krishi Inc.

“We’re hoping that the tools we develop will be amendable to low-resource use and can be deployed widely,” Verma said. Results availability could be reduced from one day to an hour at a cost of about $10 per test.

An important goal will be to improve the test’s sensitivity. Because it was designed to be simple and user-friendly, the test Verma developed for humans was less sensitive than laboratory-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests, the release noted. Rate of virus replication and animal size will determine the needed sensitivity level. Many animals not yet susceptible may become susceptible if the virus mutates, he said.

“A lot of this is not known. We are comparing ourselves to what we can do in the lab,” Verma said. “If you take the same sample, do all the purification and extraction in the lab, then do this qPCR test, what levels can you get?”

The project team includes Purdue’s Arezoo Ardekani, professor of mechanical engineering; Gregory Fraley, the Terry and Sandra Tucker Endowed Chair of Poultry Science; Jonathan (Alex) Pasternak, assistant professor of animal sciences; Jon Schoonmaker, associate professor of animal sciences; and Patrick Zollner, professor of quantitative ecology in forestry and natural resources.

They will work with additional collaborators at Purdue and other universities and at APHIS, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Great Lakes Indian Wildlife Commission and Wolf Park near Battle Ground, Indiana. Additional partners are the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, Indiana State Poultry Association and Midwest Poultry Consortium.

SCOTUS Declines Tyson Foods' Petition to Hear COVID-19 Death Cases

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 17:36:05 GMT

The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has declined to hear Tyson Foods’ arguments about why federal judges should oversee lawsuits tied to the deaths of workers at its plants caused by COVID-19, including its nearly 2,800-worker pork processing plant in Waterloo, the Des Moines Register reports.

The court on Tuesday denied Tyson’s petition to review the decision of lower court judges, who ruled in multiple cases that Tyson employees can sue the company in state-level courts.

Tyson argued those cases should go before federal courts instead of local judges and juries because President Donald Trump’s administration ordered food processing plants to stay open in the first months of the pandemic, the article notes.

U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals judges in previous rulings on the wrongful death cases said the administration’s statements didn’t protect the company from liability. Trump’s executive order instructed the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to take “all appropriate action” in order to keep the country’s meat and chicken processing plants open during the pandemic, but claims this did not prohibit them from temporarily closing their plants, the Des Moines Register reports.

SHIP IT Act Could Save Truck Drivers Up to $10,000 and Cover CDL Costs

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 19:32:55 GMT

Foreign ocean carriers were found to be leaving congested U.S. ports emptyhanded in 2021 and 2022, amid a massive supply chain gridlock. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act (OSRA) was established to solder the sea supply chain back together, but more needs to be done inland, according to some legislators.

Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Jim Costa (D-Ca.) on Tuesday introduced the Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking (SHIP IT) Act to expand the trucking workforce and offer flexibility in times of need.

Read more: New CDL Requirements Could Cost You Up to $8,500 and Weeks of Training

“Disruptions in our trucking supply chain continue to drive up costs and create uncertainty for American consumers and producers,” said Costa. “We need to recruit, train, and retain truck drivers to keep our supply chain moving.”

What’s in it for Ag

According to the Shippers Coalition press release , passage of the SHIP IT Act will “improve the supply chain and keep costs down for consumers” by:
1. Offering authority for certain vehicle waivers during emergencies
2. Allowing truck drivers to apply for workforce grants
3. Streamlining the CDL process
4. Assisting with truck parking difficulties

“The OSRA was needed to ease the backlog at ports and the SHIP IT Act is the natural next step to continue the important work of bolstering the nation’s supply chain,” says Sean Joyce, Shippers Coalition executive director.

Read more: Walmart Will Now Pay Starting Truck Drivers $110,000, Could It Backfire and Make the Nationwide Trucker Shortage Even Worse?

21st Century Supply Chain

Michael Dykes, DVM, president and CEO of International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) , echoed Joyce, saying the SHIP IT Act is a “commonsense” solution to ongoing burdens.

“The legislation would bring the U.S. supply chain into the 21st century to meet the needs of shippers, reduce regulatory burdens that cost shippers millions of dollars a year, create good paying jobs, and support the ambitious sustainability goals of dairy businesses,” says Dykes.

According to the bill, eligible truck drivers would be granted funds to cover CDL cost, including course materials, supplies, fees for graduation, licenses and certification. Established drivers would also be granted a $7,500 tax credit, while new truck drivers would be offered a $10,000 credit.

To read the full SHIP IT Act text, click here .

John Phipps: The COVID Hangover? Why People Are Now Drinking More

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 20:08:15 GMT

This first weekend after New Year’s Day seems an auspicious time to check into one of the overlooked consequences of the pandemic. While it seems like it is sort of over, COVID has tricked us before.

It is still hassling the people of China, who seem to have postponed more than avoided the burden.

With some superb charts by Justin Fox in Bloomberg we can examine one aspect of pandemic experts have noticed, namely consumption of more alcohol during and especially immediately after the isolations and quarantines. Even after adjustment for rampant inflation, it suggests our drink choices changed as well as spending.

(Farm Journal)

So maybe the chart of spending is skewed by relatively greater consumption of more expensive beverages. Another chart shows apparent alcohol consumption measured in gallons of ethanol, which adds another perspective on consumption. Note it only goes to 2020, so post-pandemic trends can only be extrapolated.

(Farm Journal)

It still suggests that the switch to spirits mostly from beer probably continues. In part it is driven by younger drinkers reviving the cocktail, especially premixed products. Also, we are drinking more craft beers in lower quantities, probably due to pricier brews.

The interesting aspect of this for rural America is the sharp decline of dry counties, virtually all of which were rural. These maps show dry counties in red comparing 2011 to 2018. The greatest change occurred in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas, and Tennessee.

I would guess agriculture’s embrace of microbreweries and small distilleries, many on farms, represented an income source that weighed against the remnants of Prohibition. The local tax revenue from liquor sales almost certainly helped the change as well. Note the change in Kentucky, whose farmers have embraced the Bourbon Trail. Premium liquors from such small distilleries are the fastest growing market segment as American consumers scale up their tastes.

(Farm Journal)

These trends were already in place before the pandemic, but our pandemic binge shows no sign of stopping, and the health impact will be a problem for future generations. In fact, alcohol-related deaths have increased sharply since the pandemic. My guess is we’ll be discovering more side-effects of COVID. It might even be fair to say, that the globe will suffer from a long COVID hangover.

Chinese Delegates Meet with Top U.S. Officials in New York

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 20:23:07 GMT

Beijing shut parks, malls and museums on Tuesday while more Chinese cities resumed mass testing for COVID-19. This news follows China’s move to rescind restrictions last week.

China reported 28,127 new domestically transmitted cases for Monday, nearing its daily peak from April, with infections in the southern city of Guangzhou and the southwestern municipality of Chongqing accounting for about half the total. The wave of infections is testing recent adjustments China has made to its zero-COVID-19 policy, aimed at making authorities more targeted in clampdown measures and steering them away from blanket lockdowns and testing that have strangled the economy and frustrated residents.

Some analysts are saying 20% of China’s economy is being negatively impacted by the lockdowns.

China’s Oil Front Amid Lockdowns

Analysts are cutting forecasts for China’s year-end oil demand after cases surged to near record levels, forcing authorities to reinstate mobility curbs, and delaying recovery at the world’s top crude importer.

“We cautiously lower our expectations for China demand by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 4Q ’22,” Goldman Sachs analysts said in a note. “Confidence remains high in a 2Q 23 China reopening.”

Sun Jianan, an analyst with consultancy Energy Aspects, also revised down China’s oil demand forecasts, by 200,000 bpd for November and December, and 190,000 bpd for the fourth quarter to 14.45 million bpd.

Big Trouble in Little China

The Wall Street Journal reports that a few days before Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s summit last week with President Biden, Beijing dispatched a delegation of senior policy advisers and business executives to New York to meet with a U.S. counterpart group set up by insurance executive Maurice “Hank” Greenberg. Such a high-level group hasn’t come to the U.S. since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and in that time, U.S.-China relations plunged.

Distrust between the two countries is still high, but Xi’s approval of the delegation’s visit signals his intention to prevent the relations from going off the rails and to find a way to communicate.

Chinese officials begin meeting with counterparts from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, for the first time in months.

More on China :

China Looks to Move Away from Strict COVID-19 Restrictions as Imports, Exports Slow
U.S. Relations with China to “Elevate” Following Biden, Jingping’s First Face-to-Face Meeting on Monday
China Cites U.S. Ag for Why It’s Chosen Not to Invade Taiwan

U.S., China Container Shipping Rates Plummet 50%, Backlog of Unfilled Orders Grows

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:05:17 GMT

As backlogs at U.S. ports and climbing shipping rates plague the supply chain, new data shows shipping rates between the U.S and China are dropping by more than 50% in just a month.

Data provided by digital freight forwarding company Shifl shows China/U.S. spot freight rates, for shipping a 40-foot container from China to Los Angeles, dropped by $9,000. That’s a 51-percent drop between September and October.

Experts say China is slowing production due to a power crisis and the off-season coming into view, but issues remain due to a growing backlog of unfulfilled orders.

Earlier this week, AgDay reported that Port officials say strong American consumer demand has continued unabated for more than a year, as the Port of Los Angeles has seen a 30% increase in cargo volume so far this year. That’s as exports from the Port of Los Angeles dropped 23% in August.

It’s impacting agriculture in the U.S. because of record-high shipping rates. That’s coupled with the fact that some shipping lines are working to get empty containers back to factories in Asia as quick as possible.

What Should You Do if Your Farm Employees Test Positive for COVID-19?

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:57:07 GMT

It doesn’t matter if your employees present clinical signs or if they feel “fine,” if they test positive for COVID-19, they should be asked to leave the farm and self-isolate, says Heather Fowler, director of producer and public health at the National Pork Board.

Once your employee is home and in self-isolation, the National Pork Board recommends these steps to prevent further transmission in the workplace.

1. Wait approximately 24 hours before cleaning and disinfecting.
Begin cleaning and disinfecting all areas used by the sick person, as well as common areas and high hand contact areas regularly. A simple bleach solution or other disinfectants may be used according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

2. Pay special note when cleaning your operation to these areas:
a. Bathrooms
b. Breakrooms
c. Showers
d. Shared workspaces and equipment
e. Door handles, light switches, refrigerators, microwaves/ovens, coffeemakers, etc.

3. Launder the positive employees’ clothing separate from other employees and consider leaving clothing for a least a day before having others use them.

4. Implement additional practices to further prevent transmission such as social distancing and use of face coverings when social distancing is not possible.

For more information and resources, visit cdc.gov and pork.org/covid19 .

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Medical Doctors and Swine Veterinarians Team Up to Fight COVID-19

COVID-19 Tests Reveal Surprising Results

COVID-19 Impact: Packing Plant Closures and Market Disruptions

7 Things to Help You Respond to a Positive Case of COVID on the Farm

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:57:07 GMT

As COVID-19 continues to run its course around the country, farms need to not only work on implementing prevention practices, but also prepare for how to respond if one or multiple employees were to test positive for COVID-19.

“While COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment planning is underway, it will be a while until an effective vaccine is available to the general public,” says Heather Fowler, director of producer and public health at the National Pork Board.

She recommends these seven tips to help your farm be prepared to deal with COVID-19.

1. Create a plan for how your farm will handle significant absenteeism.
Not only does this mean covering essential duties in caring for animals, but it also means cross-training employees to be able to cover for each other in the case of illness and/or quarantines.

2. Review CDC guidelines for agriculture settings to help reduce the risk for disease spread.
Urge workers to practice safe habits at home, including following social distancing recommendations outside of the farm. Encourage sick workers to stay home. If they are diagnosed with influenza, don’t allow them to enter the swine facilities until fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. If diagnosed with or in close contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19, refer to the CDC’s strategy for quarantine and/or isolation and returning to work.

3. Review federal guidelines regularly.
Stay up to date on federal guidelines as it relates to work safety and health, worker protections and protecting health data as outlined by CDC, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

4. Develop protocols for cleaning and disinfecting.
Pay special attention to increase cleaning and disinfecting practices in shared spaces and high contact surfaces.

5. Conduct a risk assessment of your workplace.
Implement practices to help reduce the potential transmission of the virus, including social distancing policies and face coverings.

6. Screen employees.
Consider screening your employees, recognizing that some individuals may not show symptoms.

7. Plan for community and media response if you have positive COVID-19 cases on your farm.
If you need help crafting a response, check out these tools at pork.org/covid19 .

Don’t forget to communicate this plan with your employees so they can see what you are doing to help protect them in the workplace.

“As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, and as peak influenza season approaches, communicating with employees and others around the health and safety practices on your farm is critical,” Fowler says.

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

3 Ways to Support Your Immunity During a Crisis

It’s Anyone’s Game: How Will the U.S. Pork Industry Diversify Pork Exports?

How Do We Build a More Resilient Supply Chain?

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:57:07 GMT

Do you remember what it felt like to see news footage of empty grocery shelves last spring? For the majority of U.S. consumers, this was both a haunting and humbling experience.

The food supply chain adapted to that disruption relatively quickly. However, the pandemic revealed a bit of complacency in the chain, said Steve Nicholson, vice president and senior analyst for grains and oilseeds at Rabo AgriFinance, during the Rabobank Food and Agribusiness Summit Markets Forum.

Now the country is abuzz with adjectives such as renovated, flexible, digital, diversified, resilient, nimble, efficient and transparent to describe what our food supply chain needs to become, Nicholson said.

“Somewhere along the way, we seem to have forgotten change is the norm, not the exception. We cannot forget to keep investing and look forward as to what could be around that next corner,” he added.

No one denies the COVID-19 pandemic has ramped up changes that needed to be made in the food supply chain. Will past hesitations be set aside as the industry seeks to find ways to be more resilient in an effort to avoid a repeat of the spring of 2020?

A way to ensure continuity
Without a doubt, technology will play an important role in this transformation, said Christine McCracken, executive director, protein analyst for Rabobank. This year’s market disruption is a reminder of the global complexity of our food systems. What happens in one geography now affects everyone.

“While we can have a view about which of these challenges are temporary, and which are more structural, what is obvious is technology will be part of the solution,” McCracken said.

Agriculture has done a great job of improving efficiencies and limiting resource use through technology. But she stressed there are still vulnerabilities in the supply chain to address.

“We may need to refocus our attention and expand our innovation efforts,” she added. “Whether that’s in our packing plants or in our fields, what was once deemed efficient, is now seen as a weakness. We need to consider integrating planning tools which anticipate disruption and provide alternate sourcing and distribution options, while at the same time delivering on the growing calls for transparency from the general public.”

Technology may add cost, but it also ensures continuity of business and helps mitigate risk.

The limitation of labor
Labor challenges aren’t going away in agriculture. Whether it’s the availability of workers or the safety of our workers, McCracken said it will continue to be an ongoing issue for the industry.

“This became a focal point during the pandemic. But it’s one area where technology should have the greatest impact whether it’s robotic fruit harvesting and sorting equipment in Germany, automation of our U.S. dairy farms or the use of big data in the Southern Hemisphere, we are moving into a new era of technology adoption in agriculture, one that was pulled forward by the pandemic, but was already well underway,” she said.

The choice to automate is a relatively easy one in theory, she added.

“Machines don’t call in sick and they always work nights and weekends,” McCracken said. “But in practice, it isn’t always that straightforward. The technologies aren’t always competitive, or the trade-offs are too high. It is clear automation – both on our farms and in our plants – must be a priority. And the investments need to be made today.”

Automation obstacles
A myriad of obstacles from aging packing and processing plants to technological capabilities abound. However, McCracken said one of the biggest obstacles is a relatively fixed mindset in an industry that’s somewhat slow to change.

“The industry may not be working quite hard enough today to attract the outside-the-box thinkers we need to take the industry to the next level,” she said.

Technology will yield big dividends, not only in building trust with consumers today, but also in providing a safe and sustainable food supply for tomorrow, McCracken continued. It’s time to invest in systems and people to keep agriculture competitive on a global scale.

“The good news is we’re seeing all kinds of technologies coming through that address a lot of these vulnerabilities in the food supply chain, but what I think is most exciting is a lot of these developments are coming from people within the industry,” McCracken said.

She emphasized the importance of providing tools to the industry that will help it continue to innovate. This means more training to help people adapt to new technologies as they come available.

“It also goes back to our land-grant universities, technical schools and our high schools. We need to make sure that the next generation of agricultural leaders have the skill set that they need to be able to use and adapt to these new technologies,” McCracken said.

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Is Technology the Ticket to Improve Livestock Production?

It’s Anyone’s Game: How Will the U.S. Pork Industry Diversify Pork Exports?

COVID-19 Tests Reveal Surprising Results

Employers Qualify for Tax Credit to Offset COVID-19 Paid Time Off

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:57:07 GMT

At this point in the pandemic, most employers have received a phone call that goes something like this. “Hi Boss, I was exposed to COVID-19. Do you want me to come in?” And in that moment, you run through 14,000 questions in your mind. Can we cover his or her schedule? Who had this person worked with before they knew they had been exposed? Can we afford to pay them for time spent at home? While those thoughts are going through your mind, your employee is worried about getting paid for required time off.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) signed into law on March 18, 2020 provides that eligible employees are entitled to paid sick time because of COVID-19, and employers are eligible for a tax credit to offset the expense.

Who qualifies as an eligible employee, how much time do they get and at what rate? Under the FFCRA, employees are entitled to:

a. Up to 80 hours of paid sick leave at the employee’s regular rate of pay (up to a maximum of $511 per day) where the employee is unable to work because the employee is quarantined pursuant to government order, is advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and seeking a medical diagnosis; or

b. Up to 80 hours of paid sick leave at two-thirds the employee’s regular rate of pay (up to a maximum of $200 per day) because the employee must care for an individual subject to quarantine (pursuant to government order or advice of a health care provider), or to care for a child (under 18 years of age) whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.

What is the tax credit for employers? The FFCRA provides eligible employers with payroll tax credits to cover 100% of the qualified sick leave wages and qualified family leave wages paid from April 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020.

The FFCRA payroll tax credit includes:

1) Qualified sick leave wages;

2) Qualified family wages;

3) Qualified health plan expenses; and

4) Medicare tax credit.

According to an advisory from tax accountancy CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), qualified sick leave wages are wages an eligible employer is required to pay under FFCRA for paid sick leave. Qualified family leave wages are wages an eligible employer is required to pay under FFCRA for expanded family and medical leave.

The tax credits can be claimed three ways:

1. On the Form 941, Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return;

2. Offsetting Federal employment tax deposits for the quarter (the employer must account for the reduction in deposits on the Form 941 for the quarter); or

3. Filing Form 7200, Advance Payment of Employer Credits Due to COVID-19.

CLA shares this example of how the claims process works.

Employer pays $15,000 in qualified sick leave wages and qualified family leave wages during the 3rd quarter of 2020. The employer is required to deposit $18,000 in Federal employment taxes (including taxes withheld from its employees) for the 3rd quarter of 2020. The employer may keep up to $15,000 of the $18,000 of taxes the employer was going to deposit but is required to deposit the remaining $3,000 on its required deposit date. The employer will account for the $15,000 when it files its Form 941 for the 3rd quarter of 2020.

For more information, including extended family and medical leave details included in the FFCRA contact your accountant.

CDC Prioritizes Frontline Meat Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:57:00 GMT

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) agrees that frontline meat and poultry workers should be some of the first vaccinated after health care workers and those in long-term care facilities.

Federal guidance was approved on Sunday by CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Priority (ACIP).

“Priority access to vaccines is a critical step for the long-term safety of the selfless frontline meat and poultry workers who have kept America’s refrigerators full and our farm economy working,” said North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) President and CEO Julie Anna Potts in a statement. She applauded ACIP’s guidance and urged state governments to follow CDC’s decision.

$1.5 billion in COVID-19 preventions and supports implemented since the earliest days of the pandemic have reversed COVID-19’s impact on meat and poultry workers, the release said. Meat Institute members have distributed tens of millions of pieces of personal protective equipment, implemented health and temperature screening, radically modified facilities, conducted testing, preemptively paid leave for high-risk and quarantined employees, enhanced air sanitation and ventilation, and much more.

Because of these efforts, COVID-19 infection rates in meat and poultry workers are now more than 8 times lower than in the general population, the Meat Institute reported.

“Meat Institute members stand ready to support vaccination for our diverse workforce, which will also deliver wide-ranging health benefits in rural and high-risk communities. Meat and poultry leaders may also be able to aid vaccination for all Americans, for example by offering state-of-the-art cold storage for these precious vaccines,” Potts said.

Prioritizing vaccination for frontline meat and poultry workers is not only supported by leaders across industry, unions and civil rights organizations, but it has also been a key consideration in multiple other countries’ vaccine distribution planning, the Meat Institute reported.

On Oct. 1, Smithfield Foods urged government leaders to prioritize COVID-19 vaccine distribution to food and agriculture workers alongside the nation’s healthcare workers and other first responders.

“Food and agriculture workers are heroes. They have been on the frontlines of the pandemic, ensuring Americans have access to safe, nutritious and affordable food, and they should be at the front of the line for a COVID-19 vaccine as well,” Smithfield wrote to government leaders.

Read more from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Smithfield Urges Prioritization of COVID-19 Vaccine to Ag Workers

Meatpacking Industry Responds to U.S. Congress Investigation

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:56:41 GMT

A U.S. Congress panel is investigating COVID-19 outbreaks at meatpacking plants nationwide, according to a statement issued on Feb. 1.

The House of Representatives Coronavirus Subcommittee approached JBS USA, Tyson Foods and Smithfield Foods to provide records of inspections, complaints and other internal documents as part of its investigation into coronavirus infections and deaths in meatpacking plants.

The Subcommittee has also asked the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to provide records of its efforts to enforce worker safety rules.

James Clyburn, committee chairman, said public reports indicate that meatpacking companies have refused to take precautions to protect their workers.

But Keira Lombardo, Chief Administrative Officer at Smithfield Foods, points out there are inaccuracies and misinformation in the media on this issue. She said the company looks forward to providing the Subcommittee with correct information.

“As a critical food producer, we have taken seriously our responsibility to protect the health and safety of employees while continuing to provide food for our nation. From early in the pandemic, we have taken extraordinary measures to protect our team members from the virus and we have met or exceeded the prevailing federal, state and local health and safety guidance, including with personal protective equipment,” Lombardo said in a statement.

Public health guidance has varied widely around the world and across the U.S. throughout the pandemic, but more than $1.5 billion in comprehensive protections instituted since the spring successfully cut average case rates for meat and poultry workers five times lower in December 2020 than they were in May, while infections rocketed up by nine times for the general population in the same period, Sarah Little, Vice President of Communications for the Meat Institute, said in a statement.

“The meat and poultry industry is focused on continuing these effective protections, reaffirmed by the Biden Administration, and ensuring frontline meat and poultry workers are vaccinated as soon as possible, as employers, unions, civil rights leaders, and governments around the world agree these workers should be among the first vaccinated after healthcare workers,” Little said.

For example, Smithfield Foods alone has invested more than $700 million in critical measures to protect employees, including on-site COVID-19 pre-screening and testing facilities; air purification systems; extensive physical barriers at work stations; employee protective equipment; significant facility modifications and expansion to ensure distancing in key areas; thousands of sanitation stations and prominent banners and signage that outline and encourage safe practices in multiple languages; and the addition of new employees whose sole job is to ensure distancing and sanitation practices are implemented correctly.

They have also implemented generous leave programs and established policies and protocols to ensure that Smithfield employees are free of a COVID-19 diagnosis and must not have any symptoms of COVID-19 to report to work.

A JBS USA spokesperson said their company welcomes the opportunity to provide members of the Subcommittee information regarding its response to the global pandemic and its efforts to protect its workforce.

“Since the onset of the pandemic, JBS USA has invested more than $200 million in health and safety interventions, more than $160 million in bonuses and permanent increased pay, and donated more than $50 million to support our local communities,” a company spokesperson said.

Similarly, JBS USA has implemented hundreds of safety measures. The company provides immediate testing to all symptomatic team members and close contacts, and has conducted more than 45,000 surveillance tests of asymptomatic team members to date.

“In addition to the hundreds of safety measures implemented in our facilities, we have voluntarily removed vulnerable population groups with full pay and benefits, covered 100% of all COVID-19 related health expenses for our team members and family members enrolled in our health plan, and offered a $100 incentive bonus for any U.S. team member willing to get vaccinated,” a JBS USA spokesperson said.

The U.S. has now seen more than 26 million positive cases of the novel coronavirus, with more than 441,000 deaths.

“The virus has reached – and hurt – every part of our society. We are an integral part of communities where we operate, from coast to coast, and our measures have been successful for a sustained period of time,” Smithfield’s Lombardo said.

Farm Journal’s PORK reached out to Tyson and will update when they respond.

Read more:

U.S. Congress Panel Investigating COVID-19 Worker Safety at Meatpacking Firms

Worker Absenteeism in Packing Plants is No Surprise

COVID-19 Case Rates in Packing Plants Decline as General Population Rate Soars

Smithfield CEO: Processing Plants Must Keep Running

Community Gathers to Cheer Employees at Smithfield Pork Plant

Smithfield Foods Addresses COVID-19 Response

At a Crossroads: Where Does the Pork Industry Go Next?

Future of the Food Supply Chain: What Trends Are Sticking Around?

CDC Prioritizes Frontline Meat Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination

UFCW, Meat Institute Ask Governors to Prioritize Vaccinations

APHIS Deploys Employees to Support COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:56:29 GMT

President Joe Biden recently announced his goal of distributing 100 million COVID-19 vaccines to Americans in the first 100 days of his Administration. On Wednesday, USDA shared its plan to deploy 119 qualified personnel across several states to assist in the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The U.S. pork industry takes its role as an essential economic sector seriously and has made considerable investments to ensure the safety of its workers while maintaining its commitment to the nation’s food security. Of course, vaccination is the best defense against COVID-19 and we are grateful to the USDA for making personnel available to accelerate this national priority,” National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Howard “A.V.” Roth, a pork producer from Wauzeka, Wis., said in a statement on Thursday.

The majority of APHIS’ deployed employees were assigned to Nevada and Oklahoma where they are helping to vaccinate people at a variety of rapid points of distribution including mobile teams and pop-up clinics, explained Mike Watson, acting administrator. In addition, eight employees were deployed to Texas to provide resource management support for a vaccination site; six employees have virtually deployed to assist Washington State in planning vaccination efforts; four employees have virtually deployed to assist Oregon; and nine employees have virtually deployed to support FEMA.

At this time, USDA said the majority of its employees are deploying from its Animal Care and Veterinary Services programs, but some employees are deploying from Biotechnology Regulatory Services, Emergency, Regulatory and Compliance Services, International Services, Marketing and Regulatory Programs Business Services, and Plant Protection and Quarantine programs.

“Please know we will make every effort to minimize service disruptions, and we ask for your patience when delays occur. We want to be upfront about this likelihood and make you aware we are taking steps to prioritize activities customers depend on, including endorsing health certificates, issuing permits and conducting inspections for new license applications,” Watson said in an APHIS announcement.

Most deployments are lasting 30 days, but USDA expects several rounds of deployments may be needed to help achieve President Biden’s goal. Watson said they will also be reaching out to USDA’s accredited veterinarians to seek additional volunteers who have the skills to help with this nationwide effort.

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have committed to meeting the needs of our customers while navigating the challenges of the pandemic and ensuring the safety of our employees. Nearly one year later, this continues to be our goal, and we hope that our efforts to vaccinate the public will help us all return to business as usual that much sooner,” Watson said in the announcement.

On Wednesday, NPPC launched a campaign, “You’re Essential, So It’s Essential.”

“U.S. pork producers, veterinarians, livestock haulers, harvest facility employees and other essential workers across the pork supply chain play a vital role in our nation’s food security and rural economies. Their safety is our number one priority and we know that getting vaccinated is the best defense against COVID-19,“ says Jim Monroe, NPPC assistant vice president, communications.

Read more here.

5 Hard Lessons Learned from a Year of Virtual FFA

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:56:24 GMT

As I shut the door behind me and gave her one last smile, I felt the nerves set in. I wandered around aimlessly for a while, watching the minutes pass by. Virtual FFA contests are a little weird, especially if you are a parent. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to “get lost” this past year during my daughter’s FFA activities. Instead of helping quell her nerves about in-person judging and how to “enter the room,” we’re trying to help her figure out lighting, country internet and chairs that don’t squeak or swivel to prepare for another Zoom chat.

At times I get bummed out for her – nearly her entire FFA experience has been virtual due to the pandemic. As a former FFA member, I believe some of the best parts of FFA were getting to know my fellow FFA members on long van trips to a judging contest or meeting up with other chapters in our section for contests and leadership clinics.

FFA centers around community – whether it’s meeting some of your best friends, building young people to be future leaders in agriculture or participating in competitions and being exposed to a wide network of industry leaders.

A virtual FFA community can only fill the gap so far. While I am extremely grateful FFA has worked hard to find alternative solutions and create opportunities for its members during the pandemic, I believe the very things FFA members have missed out on this year drive home the biggest reasons why FFA is so important.

1. FFA is for everyone.
As a young child, Emily Webel decided she would not be in FFA because the jackets weren’t pink. Even though her dad was an ag teacher and she grew up in an FFA family, she didn’t want to pursue a career in agriculture so she says she didn’t see the need to be in FFA. But then she met her husband Joe, an “FFA lifer” as she affectionately calls him. Since then, she’s watched how FFA has impacted her older children and she says she gets it now.

“This is a place for lots of kids – lots of kids who may not have had a place otherwise. This organization is a place where you can turn your hobby or passion or skill or just something new into a tangible path for career development. We all may not play in the NBA, but we all need to learn how to speak in public and run a meeting properly. We need welders, someone to care for animals and, you know, feed us. Those are skills that are important,” says Emily, who’s raising her family on a farm near Farmington, Ill.

2. FFA opens doors to mentors.
There is something completely hard and completely wonderful about trusting people to mentor your children. When our daughter joined FFA, we vowed we would take a step back and let her experience what it’s like to have someone besides your parents invest in your life. Why? It’s so important for kids to begin expanding their network while they are at home. As parents we play a pivotal role in bringing up our kids. Still, when someone from the outside decides to pour into you, it gives you a confidence that you just can’t get from your parents.

FFA creates many ways for mentors to interact with our young people through competitions, tours, workshops and interviews. Their advice, insight and suggestions for improvement help FFA members learn one of the most valuable lessons in life – successful people are always learning and growing.

Can you experience mentorship over Zoom? Sure. Wherever two people gather – even if it’s virtual – creates a space for growth. But as Emily points out, you just can’t replicate that same experience in a virtual space.

“Just going through pictures of our girls meeting officers at state convention is one knife to the heart that is twisting...we need people. FFA, and the ag community as a whole for that matter, is about relationships and legacies being built. We are missing that portion big time,” Emily adds.

3. FFA builds perseverance.
Eudora FFA president Cody Loganbill of Eudora, Kan., admits his FFA experience online has been a struggle at times.

“I would love to say my FFA experience has been close to perfect after being online for the past year. However, that is simply not the case. Similar to the other organizations I am involved in, communication and the desire to do new things has decreased substantially while going virtual,” Loganbill says. “Every online contest and convention has changed from an amazing opportunity to meet new people, to a chore that fewer and fewer members are willing to participate in.”

Although he is a huge supporter of FFA, he says it’s a completely different experience on a computer screen. Still, he has learned many lessons this past year.

“Virtual FFA has taught me to persevere through hard times. I believe that when our organization gets back to normal, FFA members will be more thankful for the hands-on experiences and members will be more active than ever before in contests and conventions,” Loganbill adds.

4. FFA invites collaboration.
Moving a 600-student ag department from an in-person to virtual environment was not an easy task, says Doug Simms, animal/vet science instructor at Manor ASD in the Austin, Texas area. Because Austin was considered a “hotspot,” they’ve had very little in-person learning opportunities since the pandemic struck.

Although everyone can’t wait to return to “normal,” Simms says this experience has helped him become comfortable with Zoom and has allowed him a new way to connect students with industry leaders. Google Classroom has also been a highly effective way for students to have interactive coursework.

“I really believe that the virtual component will continue to help further FFA by connecting programs large and small to one another and will further empower our young people to be the future leaders of agriculture,” Simms says.

The virtual learning environment helped FFA members become more self- sufficient and discover new ways to collaborate, says Joe Webel, lead grain originator, nutrition services at The Maschhoffs and a member of the Illinois FFA Foundation Board of Directors.

“The state and national FFA organizations have done as good of a job as possible to find ways to provide online positives for their memberships. However, it’s a real shame for those young people elected to serve as state and national officers that they are not getting the normal experience either,” Joe says.

5. FFA is a bridge to more.
Sadly, the time FFA members lost during the pandemic won’t be returned. But that said, Joe believes the strongest leaders and top students with committed teachers have found a way to overcome the challenges of the pandemic and have continued to do so.

“Some students have spent the time individually to prepare and compete in the altered environment and have been able to get a positive experience from that. The top 10% of kids that would thrive in the previous normal environment have found a way to be involved and continue to build their skills, even in this ‘altered’ environment,” Joe says.

He is concerned this virtual environment has not been able to serve the giant “middle of the pack” with positive experiences they would have had during a normal year. For example, he describes the kids that go along for the ride one time to fill out a team and realize they like the experience they received. This discovery can start a chain reaction of greater service and engagement.

“These kids represent a big chunk of our schools, and during the COVID shutdown, they didn’t get anything. No matter how much coaxing and urging the instructors on the other side the camera pleaded that ‘We’re all in this together,’ they didn’t answer the call,” Joe says. “Maybe they lack the support and push at home to be a self-starter, or just need that daily in-person contact with a teacher to remember they are cared for, but those souls are the ones that have been left behind during this year.”

Of course, this is not just an FFA issue, he adds. It will be interesting to see what happens when more activities can be held in person and a sense of normalcy returns.

I don’t know when or if normal will return. But if you believe in the life-changing power of FFA, find someone in the middle of the pack (or on the fringe) you can encourage to get more involved. Take time to check in on them and link them to other kids in FFA, ask questions about their supervised agricultural experience, encourage them to try a career development event or simply share your FFA story and how the things you learned through FFA have made a difference in your life today. Sometimes the best thing we can do is reach out and invite others to experience more.

Read more from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Ag Teachers: When Someone Believes in You

5 Lessons FFA Taught Your Mother

Unpopular County Fair Opinion

More Than a Jacket: Karlene Krueger’s FFA Journey

It Takes All of Us

A Little Peace in the Struggle

Veterinarians Authorized To Administer COVID-19 Vaccine In Some States

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:56:13 GMT

Veterinarians routinely administer vaccinations to their animal patients. Now, in some parts of the U.S., practitioners – along with other health-care providers – are being authorized to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to humans.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told AgDay Host Clinton Griffiths on Monday that President Joe Biden is looking to expand both the number of vaccines available as well as qualified individuals available to administer them.

“Veterinarians are currently working in states that allow them to administer shots to be able to expand the core number of people necessary to get as many of us vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Vilsack said.

“The reality is that unfortunately, and tragically, a lot of people in rural America still have concerns or hesitation about the vaccination or may not be able to access it or a vaccination site,” he added.

In early December, the Connecticut Department of Public Health issued an order authorizing veterinarians along with podiatrists, dentists, dental hygienists, emergency medical technicians and paramedics who have received proper training to administer the COVID-19 vaccine.

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) reports that on January 7, Colorado followed suit when Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order—an amendment to executive order D 2020 038 issued April 15, 2020—approving temporary emergency authorization for veterinarians to administer the vaccine. The authorization was to stay in place only until February 6. On January 14, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak issued a directive authorizing veterinarians—and dentists, dental hygienists, and podiatrists—to give the vaccine. The complete article by the AAHA is available at https://bit.ly/3ckVA1O

In addition to some U.S. states, veterinarians in parts of Canada, namely in the province of Manitoba, have also been administering the COVID vaccine to residents.

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Tyson Pilots Program to Open Health Centers for Employees

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:55 GMT

As part of efforts to boost the overall health and wellness of its workforce, Tyson Foods, Inc. is partnering with Marathon Health to pilot seven “Bright Blue” health centers near company production facilities, according to a Tyson release . The health centers will give Tyson team members and their families easier access to high-quality healthcare and, in most cases, at no cost.*

The health centers, operated by Marathon Health, provide primary and preventive care, including health screenings, lifestyle coaching and health education, as well as behavioral health counseling. They also coordinate with plant community health providers, including primary care physicians and specialists, to make sure appropriate care is delivered.

Tyson reports that naming the health centers, “Bright Blue,” is intended to convey the outlook of a bright future thanks to easily accessible healthcare and the company’s familiar heritage color, blue.

The first health center opened April 28 in Dyersburg, Tenn., near the company’s facility in Newbern. Additional pilot locations will be opening in Green Forest, Ark.; Lexington, Neb.; Wilkesboro, N.C.; Center, Texas; Storm Lake, Iowa; and Garden City, Kan. These seven locations will serve nearly 38,000 Tyson team members and their families.

“We’re piloting these health centers to promote a culture of health and wellness in our company that results in a healthier workforce,” said Dr. Claudia Coplein, chief medical officer for Tyson Foods. “Some of our frontline team members aren’t using their health plan benefits, and others don’t seek care until there’s a crisis. We want to change that by providing access to care that can help detect health conditions early and promote healthy habits.”

The clinics will work in conjunction with plant community health providers, including primary care physicians and specialists, to ensure appropriate care is delivered, the release said.

The pilot health center project is an expansion of Tyson’s current workplace safety and is an addition to existing health services staff, which includes on-site occupational health nurses at most plant locations.

The health clinics are the latest in a series of measures Tyson has taken to invest in the health and wellness of its employees. Since spring 2020, the company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to transform its U.S. facilities with protective measures, the release said.

To date, more than 40,000 Tyson Foods employees have been vaccinated at more than 100 events held onsite at Tyson facilities or in nearby community facilities. In preparation for vaccinations, Tyson said the company has been providing expert resources and education about the vaccine to team members.

*Team members enrolled in a high deductible health (HDHP) plan will pay a fee for visits until deductible is met. This applies to less than 2% of eligible team members.

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

New Program Assesses Tyson Foods’ COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Efforts

Tyson Bans Ractopamine

FAQs on COVID-19 Vaccination with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:55 GMT

To answer common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, U.S. Surgeon General vice admiral Dr. Vivek Murthy joined AgriTalk on May 4. This was the same day President Joe Biden shared the goal for 70% of adults in America to have had at least one shot of the vaccine by July 4.

“The progress report is good,” Murthy says. “We have made tremendous progress in vaccinating the country to date. If you look at people above the age of 65, we’ve gotten at least one dose of the vaccine into more than 80%, which is pretty extraordinary. And we have about 70% of our seniors who are now fully vaccinated.”

But even with those 150 million people who have had at least one shot, Murthy says the country needs to have another 100 million shots administered in the next 60 days to reach the president’s next goal by July 4.

You can listen to the full interview with Murthy here:

On the segment, Murthy answered several commonly asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine:

Do we have enough supply?

“Here in America, we have done a good job of bolstering our supply. So we do have more and more vaccine available for those who want it. And we also, very importantly, have more places where you can get a vaccine.”

What is being done to increase access to the vaccine?

“There are over 40,000 pharmacies in the country that now have vaccine to offer. We have community vaccination sites, we have community health centers where we’ve actually directly delivered vaccine from the federal government and we’ve got more primary care doctors who are getting vaccine direct-ly in their offices so they can give it to patients. The President and the administration will be providing more direct funding and support to rural health clinics to support outreach as well as direct allocation of vaccine to rural health clinics so they can directly vaccinate their own patients.”

How is access being improved specifically to rural America?

“We know rural areas are different from urban areas, people are more spread out, it’s not always as easy to travel to one location that’s close to everyone to get a vaccine. So we’ve got to work through some of those logistical barriers, which is why the funding for the rural health clinics and for these mobile units is so important. But we also know everyone looked gets information from different sources. We’re a big country. Not everyone listens to the same news station, radio station and that means we’ve got to do more work in getting information out, and particularly through people’s doctors, which is the reason behind one of the projects we launched. From my office and other offices in the government it’s something called COVID-19 Community Core, where we bring together doctors, nurses, faith leaders, local business leaders and others to get the accurate information they know they and their communities want and to be able to share that with them.

In addition to people trusting the doctors and nurses who take care of them, we know about 50% of people say they would take the advice of a family member or friend when it comes to making a decision on the vaccine. What that means is even if you don’t have a medical degree or a nursing degree, you can still be a vital force in helping people understand the vaccines we have for COVID-19 are a way to protect them against COVID and a way, ultimately, for us to help turn this pandemic around.”

Why are people hesitant to get the vaccine?

“We’ve seen a lot of news stories about people being hesitant to get the vaccine. But what we’re finding actually is people who haven’t gotten vaccinated yet it’s a combination of a few things. Some people have questions, which are important to answer. We want people to get answers from reliable sources, like their doctors or their nurses who take care of them. But we also know some people are wondering if it’s really that important for them to get vaccinated. Maybe they’re young and healthy, and they think, ‘Hey, I’m not at high risk of a bad outcome, do I really need to get this vaccine?’, or maybe they’re working two or three jobs and don’t have transportation to get to a vaccine center.

We’re trying to work on all three fronts to make sure we’re working closely with doctors and nurses around the country, as well as pastors and other faith leaders, to help get information to their com-munities. But we’re also trying to improve the number of access points so it’s easier and easier hope-fully over the weeks ahead for people to get vaccines in their pharmacy, in their doctor’s office or in their neighborhoods.”

Should people who have had COVID-19 get vaccinated?

“The answer is yes. And here’s why. It turns out the immunity you get from a natural infection is actually not as robust. It’s not as strong as the protection you get from the vaccine. So you’re more likely to be at risk for reinfection. That’s why we’re asking everyone to get vaccinated regardless of their prior infection.”

What if people still have questions?

“I always say our health is personal to us. And if you have questions, you absolutely have a right to get those questions answered because ultimately, it’s your health. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind about the vaccine.

Recognize 90% of doctors in this country have either gotten the vaccine or are planning to get it as soon as possible. That tells you about the faith the medical profession has in the vaccine.
Keep in mind these vaccines, even though it seems like they were developed on a quick timeframe, the technology behind them has been in development for decades.
We are lucky enough to see the culmination of that research, and these vaccines have been studied rigorously in clinical trials and what we’ve seen with nearly 150 million people having received at least one dose of the vaccine is this side effect profile remains really strong in terms of safety. The effectiveness remains extraordinarily strong and high as well. That’s what you want to see — high effectiveness and very low risk in any vaccine you take.
I know many people are worried about the side effects of the vaccine. But first of all, the vast majority of people don’t have side effects from this vaccine. Those who do tend to experience one to two days of flu-like symptoms, meaning fatigue, maybe a low-grade fever and a body ache, but that lasts for about a day or two. Then it goes away, and they feel pretty good. Afterward what you’re left with is protection from the vaccine.

“It’s certainly a blessing to be able to serve the country, especially at a time like this during this pandemic crisis. I’m eager to do everything I can to help,” Murthy says.

Tyson Foods Partners with LULAC to Encourage Vaccination

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:50 GMT

More than 44,000 Tyson Foods employees have been vaccinated to date. The company recently hosted League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) CEO Sindy Benavides to an on-site COVID-19 vaccination event for nearly 200 Tyson employees in Houston.

Benavides met with Tyson workers to encourage vaccine participation and promote LULAC’s mission, the company said in a release . LULAC is the oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization in the U.S. The organization is diligently working to support essential workers in the food industry and ensure they have access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

“According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 525,000 workers in 3,500 meat processing facilities nationwide, 44% or 231,000 are Latino,” Benavides said in the release. “We applaud Tyson Foods for being at the forefront of on-site vaccination programs which are proving to be the most successful. We all share the same goal of promoting the health and safety of America’s essential workers as they help nourish our nation.”

Tyson reports that 28% of its employees identify as Hispanic or Latino.

Tyson is offering free, on-site vaccination events that include family members of employees as well as others living in their homes. Although vaccinations for team members are voluntary, the release said they are highly encouraged.

To prepare team members for vaccinations, Tyson has been providing resources and education about the vaccine. This information is available in multiple languages and team members also have access to a hotline to ask questions. The company is also compensating workers for up to four hours of regular pay if they are vaccinated outside of their normal shift or through an external source.

Read More:

Tyson Pilots Program to Open Health Centers for Employees

Lawmakers Reject Mandated Virus Protections for Nebraska Meatpacking Workers

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:50 GMT

A Nebraska bill (LB241) has been delayed that would have extended COVID-19 protections for meatpacking workers for another year.

Lawmakers voted 25-18 on May 18 to delay the bill through the end of the year, according to a report from WOWT-TV in Omaha, Neb. Gov. Pete Ricketts expressed concerns about the bill’s mandates. Opponents argued packing plants have taken precautions and the pandemic is nearly over. Supporters claim it’s critical to keep plant employees safe.

According to Sen. Julie Slama of Peru, the bill establishes an unnecessary set of requirements for meatpacking plants and will hinder the industry, WOWT-TV reports.

Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston, whose district includes the Tyson plant in Dakota City, told The Lincoln Journal Star that it was in the companies’ interests to keep workers healthy and safe. She shared a letter from Tyson outlining the steps the company had taken to protect employees from the spread of the virus.

The bill’s author, Sen. Tony Vargas of South Omaha, said he’s concerned that this high-risk population could face COVID variants, claiming all it would do is put up guardrails. He said he doesn’t understand the opposition, since colleagues have been putting guardrails into place on issues with less data than the risk facing meatpacking workers, WOWT-TV reports.

The legislation would have mandated a reconfiguration of lunchrooms, break rooms and locker rooms to allow six feet of social distancing wherever possible. Processors would also have been required to provide face masks, sanitation stations and testing.

Read more:

Tyson Foods Partners with LULAC to Encourage Vaccination

Smithfield Foods Prepares for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution to U.S. Employees

Smithfield Urges Prioritization of COVID-19 Vaccine to Ag Workers

Tyson Foods Mandating COVID-19 Vaccinations for U.S. Employees

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:28 GMT

Tyson Foods announced Tuesday that it is requiring its team members in the U.S. to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 1, 2021, and all other team members are required to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1, 2021, subject to continued discussions with locations represented by unions, a company release says.

“Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the single most effective thing we can do to protect our team members, their families and their communities,” said Dr. Claudia Coplein, chief medical officer, Tyson Foods, in the release. “With rapidly rising COVID-19 case counts of contagious, dangerous variants leading to increasing rates of severe illness and hospitalization among the U.S. unvaccinated population, this is the right time to take the next step to ensure a fully vaccinated workforce.”

This requirement makes the company the largest U.S. food company to require vaccinations against the coronavirus for its entire workforce. It says that almost 50% of its U.S. workforce has been vaccinated and infection rates among its team members remain low.

The company has hosted more than 100 vaccination events for its workers since February and more than 56,000 U.S. team members have been vaccinated so far, the release says. Additional onsite vaccination events will be scheduled, and the company will continue to collaborate with local health departments and healthcare providers to make the vaccine more accessible.

Tyson Foods also notes in the release that it will provide $200 to its frontline team members, subject to ongoing discussions with locations represented by unions, which it says is an expansion of Tyson Foods’ existing policy to compensate workers for up to four hours of regular pay if they are vaccinated outside of their normal shift or through an external source.

Exceptions to the mandate will be available for workers who seek medical or religious accommodation, it says.

Union Pushback

The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), which is the union for 250,000 meatpacking and food processing workers and includes 24,000 Tyson meatpacking workers across the country, says it has “serious concerns” about the vaccination mandate.

“UFCW is proud to say that we have high vaccination rates among our unionized food workers across the country, and as a result, we have helped reduce COVID-19 infection rates in many of our industries, including meatpacking. While we support and encourage workers getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, and have actively encouraged our members to do so, it is concerning that Tyson is implementing this mandate before the FDA has fully approved the vaccine,” says UFCW international president Marc Perrone.

“As the union for Tyson meatpacking workers, UFCW has made clear that this vaccine mandate must be negotiated so that these workers have a voice in the new policy. UFCW will be meeting with Tyson in the coming weeks to discuss this vaccine mandate and to ensure that the rights of these workers are protected, and this policy is fairly implemented. We believe the FDA must provide full approval of the vaccines and help address some of the questions and concerns that workers have. Additionally, employers should provide paid time off so that their essential workers can receive the vaccine without having to sacrifice their pay and can rest as needed while their body adjusts to the vaccine and strengthens their immune system to fight off the virus,” Perrone’s statement continues.

A memo from Tyson Foods president and CEO Donnie King to team members can be read here .

To date, Tyson Foods says it has spent more than $700 million related to COVID-19 mitigation, including buying personal protective equipment and temperature scanners, installing protective barriers and providing onsite testing and vaccinations. It also partnered with an independent medical provider to bring medical services onsite, hired an additional 200 nurses and its first chief medical officer, the release says. It has also spent time educating team members, in many languages, about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccination.

House Subcommittee: Coronavirus Infections at U.S. Meat Plants Far Higher Than Previous Estimates

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:54:57 GMT

By Leah Douglas

Cases and deaths from COVID-19 among workers at the leading U.S. meatpacking plants were three times as high as previously estimated, according to a report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis seen by Reuters.

The subcommittee surveyed major meatpackers Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill, National Beef, and Smithfield Foods, which together control over 80% of the beef market and 60% of the pork market in the United States.

At those companies’ plants, worker cases of COVID-19 totaled 59,147 and deaths totaled 269, based on counts through January of this year, according to the report, which was expected to be released later on Wednesday.

That is far higher than a previous estimate by the Food and Environment Reporting Network (FERN), which had been used by government agencies and media throughout the pandemic, according to the report. FERN had counted 22,694 cases and 88 deaths among workers at the five companies as of Sept. 8, primarily drawing on data from news reports and public health agencies.

The meatpacking industry was especially hard hit by COVID-19 in part because its workers tend to be in close proximity for long hours in often messy conditions.

The new data comes from company calculations of worker cases primarily based on testing done within company facilities, meaning some infections identified through other health providers could have been excluded.

Cases were especially high at certain plants, including JBS’s Hyrum, Utah, beef plant and Tyson’s Amarillo, Texas, beef plant, where around 50% of workers contracted the virus, according to the report.

The report also included new details of lax safety protocols at some of the plants.

In May 2020 at Tyson’s Amarillo plant, for instance, workers wore masks “saturated” with sweat, were not socially distanced and were separated by “plastic bags on frames” instead of CDC-compliant barriers, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) memo obtained by the Subcommittee.

Both Tyson and JBS said in statements on Wednesday they have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on COVID-19 health and safety efforts.

Cargill said in a statement it was “saddened by the tragic impacts of this virus on our colleagues and the communities in which we operate.”

Officials from National Beef and Smithfield were not immediately available for comment.

The subcommittee report also suggested the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had not done enough to protect workers in the meat industry from the virus.

OSHA staff told the subcommittee that under Trump, the agency’s leadership made a political decision not to issue an emergency temporary standard (ETS) that would have required meatpackers to take certain safety precautions, the report said.

“Without being held to any specific standard, meatpacking companies were left with largely unchecked discretion to determine how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, to the detriment of meatpacking workers,” the report said.

(Additional reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago; Editing by Howard Goller)

Viral Fragments of Foot and Mouth Disease Detected in Australian Meat Imported from Indonesia and China

Wed, 20 Jul 2022 18:20:15 GMT

Australia on Wednesday said it has stepped up protection against foot and mouth disease at its international airports following an outbreak of the disease in Indonesia.

Travellers arriving in Australia from Indonesia will now be asked to walk across sanitation foot mats at airports, the latest measure to ramp up Australia’s biosecurity measures, the government said.

The mats will contain a citric acid solution designed to dislodge any dirt from the sole of the shoe and cover it in the acid.

The move comes after foot and mouth viral fragments were detected in meat goods that came into Australia recently from Indonesia and China, Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said at a news conference.

“We have detected foot and mouth disease and African swine fever viral fragments in a small number of pork products for sale in the Melbourne CBD that were imported from China,” Watt said, adding that these were detected during routine checks.

“In addition to this a passenger travelling from Indonesia has in recent days been intercepted with a beef product that they didn’t declare which tested positive for foot and mouth disease viral fragments,” he added.

These viral fragments are not live and cannot be transmitted, he said.

Watt also said despite these findings Australia remains foot and mouth disease free.

Foot and mouth disease is a highly contagious animal disease that affects cattle, sheep, goats and pigs but does not pose a threat to humans. Government modelling projects a widespread foot and mouth outbreak in Australia would have an estimated direct economic impact of around A$80 billion ($55.3 billion).

More than 317,000 animals have been infected in 21 Indonesian provinces, largely on the most populated islands of Java and Sumatra, with more than 3,400 animals culled, according to government data.

($1 = 1.4465 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)

John Phipps: Why a Startling New Trend with Chicken Wings is Worth Watching

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 17:24:11 GMT

The decades-long story of U.S. meat consumption can be summed up in the question “How many nuggets can kids eat anyway?” Propelled by deep-fried cooking speed and an entire menu of sauces, chicken’s inoffensive taste made it a perfect fit for picky kids or eating on the run. Of course, the fact that in the past chicken was consistently priced well below red meat has something to do with it too.

This is what pork and beef producers have been staring at - and poultry producers celebrating - for my entire life. On top of this trend, wings happened, and chicken consumption dove into a brave new sauce. I’m not dismissing the remarkable feats of the chicken industry, but I never really understood the appeal of wings.

For example, they rank with ribs for messy eating. They have a low ratio of nutrition obtained to work involved – right up there with blue crabs. I didn’t even know where the “buffalo” name came from until I read about a bar in Buffalo, where they were supposedly invented in 1964. Then the pandemic triggered an explosion in deliverable foods. Wings could travel well so to speak. They became linked to major ball games since they could wait patiently in a warming pan while a 60 minute game is crammed into a four-hour television marathon. They became the priciest part of the chicken after languishing below breast prices for years. At one time they were simply ground into animal feed. But maybe all the hot sauce has caught up to us because wings are coming back to earth.

This is a tiny light in a long dark tunnel for other protein producers, but maybe we’re exhausting the ways to flavor up chicken to compete with red meat.

Read More:

Will Chicken Wing Shortage Open Doors for More Pig Wing Sales?

Report Distorts Truth About Worker Safety During Pandemic, Meat Institute Says

Thu, 12 May 2022 19:37:58 GMT

At the height of the pandemic, the meat processing industry worked closely with political appointees in the Trump administration to “stave off health restrictions and keep slaughterhouses open even as COVID-19 spread rapidly among workers,” a House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis’ partisan report said Thursday.

The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) says this report distorts the truth about the meat and poultry industry’s work to protect employees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Meat Institute and its member companies voluntarily provided hundreds of thousands of pages to the Committee. The report ignores the rigorous and comprehensive measures companies enacted to protect employees and support their critical infrastructure workers,” says Julie Anna Potts, president and CEO of the Meat Institute.

Like many industries, the meat and poultry industry was challenged by the pandemic in the spring of 2020, Potts explains.

“As more became known about the spread of the virus, the meat industry spent billions of dollars to reverse the pandemic’s trajectory, protecting meat and poultry workers while keeping food on Americans’ tables and our farm economy working,” Potts says in a news release.

But the report said meat companies pushed to keep their plants open even though they knew workers were at high risk of catching the virus, the Associated Press (AP) reports. The lobbying led to health and labor officials watering down their recommendations for the industry and culminated in an executive order President Donald Trump issued in the spring of 2020 designating meat plants as critical infrastructure needing to remain open.

“The House Select Committee has done the nation a disservice,” Potts says. “The Committee could have tried to learn what the industry did to stop the spread of COVID among meat and poultry workers, reducing positive cases associated with the industry while cases were surging across the country. Instead, the Committee uses 20/20 hindsight and cherry picks data to support a narrative that is completely unrepresentative of the early days of an unprecedented national emergency.”

Read More:

Worker Absenteeism in Packing Plants is No Surprise

Beef, Pork and Lamb See Strong Export Totals in Q1

Maintaining the Food Supply Chain While Protecting Worker Safety Measures