New USDA Grants to Benefit Meat and Poultry Inspection Operations

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced $55.2 million in competitive funding will be available through the new Meat and Poultry Inspection Readiness Grant (MPIRG) program. The new program is being funded through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. “We are building capacity and increasing economic opportunity for small and midsized meat and poultry processors and producers across the …

Vilsack Weighs in on PSA Investigator Bill

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack weighed in this week on a bill to create a Packers and Stockyards Act (PSA) investigator at USDA to boost price discovery and transparency in the highly concentrated livestock sector. He says a Packers and Stockyards Act investigator could be part of broader USDA action to deal with unfair market practices harming small independent producers. “I …

New Bill Addresses Anti-Competitive Practices in Meat Processing Industry

Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley joined fellow Republican Mike Rounds of South Dakota and Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, in introducing legislation on meatpacking. The bill would address the anti-competitive practices in the meat and poultry industries that threaten the nation’s food supply and national security. The legislation comes on the heels of a recent ransomware attack on JBS, one …

Alabama Beef Events Being Held This Summer

The Alabama Beef Checkoff is helping sponsor a variety of fun events across the state this summer. Alabama Cattlemen’s Association (ACA) Director of Education and Outreach, Ali Cantrell, says they have a big picnic coming up. To learn more about Beef Checkoff funded activities in Alabama, contact the ACA office in Montgomery or go to their website, bamabeef.org. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester …

NCBA Takes Action to Increase Producer Profitability

Last week, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) to eliminate the use of “Product of the USA” (POTUSA) and other broad U.S. origin labeling claims for beef products that are potentially misleading to consumers. NCBA believes that current “Product of the USA” labels are a disservice to …

Canada’s BSE Risk Upgrade Could Benefit U.S. Beef Industry

The World Organization for Animal Health recently upgraded the BSE risk classifications for Canada and Ireland, with both moving from “controlled” risk to “negligible” risk. According to U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Senior Director of Export Services, Travis Arp, Canada’s upgrade could lead to regulatory relief for the U.S. beef industry. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up …

Cattle Market Legislation Introduced in U.S. House

For quite some time, cattle producers have seen the decline of a negotiated fed cattle trade, an issue the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has been discussing on how to increase opportunities for producer profitability. This week, Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-MO-4) introduced the Optimizing the Cattle Market Act of 2021 in the U.S. House of Representatives. If enacted, the bill would direct …