conagra

Chicken Company Turning to Body Cameras

Dan Industry News Release, Poultry

Elite Farm Services of British Columbia, Canada, is turning to body cameras to make sure its workers are following the required best management practices regarding animal handling. Elite came under fire this week after a Mercy for Animals undercover video showed workers hitting, throwing, and kicking chickens. Six workers have been fired and investigation into the matter is continuing. A …

china

U.S. and China Reach Agreement to Boost Dairy Trade

Dan Dairy, Industry News Release, Trade

The U.S. Dairy Export Council says the agreement reached this week between the U.S. and China will make it possible to significantly expand American dairy exports. An Agri-Pulse report says 80 U.S. processors are now officially cleared to immediately begin exporting to China, thanks to the Memorandum of Understanding between the countries. The agreement will also make it possible for …

trade agreement

Trump’s Cuba Policy a Lost Opportunity for Agriculture

Dan Exports/Imports, Industry News Release, Trade

President Donald Trump’s Friday announcement on reinstating limits on travel to and business with Cuba may result in lost economic opportunities for corporations, small businesses, and farmers. The new policy will keep U.S. companies from doing direct financial transactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says the opportunity for American agriculture to export more products …

china

Pork Industry Expanding in Response to Strong Demand

Dan Industry News Release, Pork

A new report out from CoBank says rising global demand for pork and stronger profitability will create a strong incentive for American pork processors to expand their capacity. Increased competition among processors may lead to a tightening of packer margins and give producers much more favorable prices in the months ahead. CoBank economist Trevor Amen says, “U.S. pork processing capacity …

dow dupont merger

Dow / DuPont Merger Gets Conditional Approval

Dan Industry News Release

DuPont and Dow Chemical announced on Thursday that their proposed merger has been approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. Dow Chair and CEO Andrew Liveris says he’s very pleased the DOJ approved the transaction. “With today’s DOJ clearance, we’ve taken a significant step forward in bringing together these two iconic enterprises,” he says. Ed Breen, Chair and CEO of …

reorganization

USDA Reorganization Takes Shape

Dan Industry News Release

Perdue Names Leadership in Acting Roles Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue named three individuals who will take on leadership roles as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues the reorganization announced on May 11, 2017.  In accordance with a directive in the 2014 Farm Bill, USDA created a new Under Secretary of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs as part of …

trade mission

American Farm Bureau Cautions on Cuba

Dan Exports/Imports, Industry News Release, Trade

The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “We urge the administration to exercise caution in rolling out any new restrictions on doing business with Cuba that would limit our agricultural export opportunities. We should be doing more, not less, to encourage U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba. Our farmers and ranchers and the Cuban people …

traders

Wind and Solar Energy Cover Over 10 Percent of U.S. Power Generation

Dan Energy, Industry News Release

Wind farms and solar panels that dot the map of rural America now account for more than 10 percent of U.S. power generation. Bloomberg News reports wind farms in Texas, Oklahoma and elsewhere accounted for eight percent of electric generation, while residential and commercial solar installations provided about two percent. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says that during 2016, wind …

organic trade association

Organic Trade Associations Applauds USDA for Revoking Organic License

Dan Industry News Release, Organic, Trade

The Organic Trade Association welcomed a move by the Department of Agriculture aimed at stopping fraudulent organic products from entering the United States. USDA this week revoked the organic certificate for a Turkish firm for shipping nonorganic ingredients to the United States labeled as organic, according to the Hagstrom Report. The Organic Trade Association said “fraud cannot be tolerated in …

pork

Nebraska Firm First to Ship U.S. Beef to China

Dan Beef, Exports/Imports, Industry News Release

Nebraska’s Greater Omaha Packing Company is sending U.S. beef to China, the first shipment of its kind in 14 years. After the U.S. and China finalized protocols to allow the U.S. to export beef to China, the Nebraska-based company announced it would send beef by air freight to a customer in Shanghai. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and Nebraska Department of …