USDA recently released its fifth and final proposed rule to beef up competition in the highly consolidated meatpacking industry – seeking advice on price discovery and competition in markets for fed cattle. Rusty Halvorson has the story. Joe Maxwell, the co-founder of Farm Action, says one of the real problems facing cattle producers is a lack of transparency. “In cattle …
USDA Raises Beef Production Outlook, Trims Dairy Expectations
USDA’s October beef production outlook was noticeably higher compared to the prior month’s forecast. Rusty Halvorson has more details. USDA outlook board chairman Mark Jakenowski says beef production is expected to grow both this year – and next year. “Beef production was raised 210 million pounds for 2024. We’ve been seeing some increased steer and heifer slaughter and also higher …
Interest in Plant-Based Products is Cooling Off
Plant-based products started quickly in the grocery sector a few years ago. However, Supermarket News says that the market is beginning to settle and evolve. The plant-based meat sector, a hot topic a few years ago, is currently experiencing growing pains. Fresh meat alternatives had volume sales of 36.9 million pounds for the 52 weeks ending on May 19. That’s …
UF/IFAS 2024 Beef & Forage Field Day is Thursday
Cattle producers are invited to attend the University of Florida/IFAS 2024 Beef & Forage Field Day, at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) Beef Cattle Unit near Marianna, FL. on Thursday, October 24, 2024. The event will begin with a trade show, coffee, and registration at 8:00 AM Central Time, then field tours will start at 9:00 AM and …
October Beef Month Continues in Alabama
October Beef Month continues across Alabama, as various activities have taken place. Alabama Cattlemen’s Association (ACA) Director of Consumer Outreach, Josie Jones, has more on that, and also told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman about a big event she attended last week. To learn more about October Beef Month, contact the ACA office in Montgomery at 334-265-1867. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, 2024Nuseed …
Florida Beef Council Participates in Annual Conference
Last week, the Florida Beef Council (FBC) took part in the annual Partnership in Action Conference in Denver, Colorado. FBC Director of Beef Marketing and Promotion, DeAnne Maples, was there and says this was a great opportunity to learn from others. For more information on Beef Checkoff activities in Florida, contact the FBC office in Kissimmee. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, …
Preparing for Macon Burger Week in Georgia
The Georgia Beef Board (GBB) staff has been working to get ready for a big event that starts next week. GBB Executive Vice President Dale Sandlin has all the information needed about the annual Macon Burger Week. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, 2024Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024
USDA Releases Interim Report on Meat Industry Practices
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its Interim Report: Competition and Fair Practices in Meat Merchandising. The report aims to assess how retail concentration and business practices affect competition in the food sector, with a focus on the meat industry—especially beef. This report follows President Biden’s 2021 Executive Order No. 14036, which directed federal agencies to promote fair …
McDonald’s Sues Meatpackers for Collusion
McDonald’s has filed a lawsuit against Tyson Foods, JBS, and other major meat packing companies. The fast food chain is accusing the packers of colluding for years to limit beef supplies. The suit says that the collusion allowed the companies to boost their profits while forcing McDonald’s to pay inflated prices for their meat supplies. McDonald’s says the companies conspired …
August Pork Exports Above Year-Ago; Beef Exports Lower
Fueled by another outstanding performance from Mexico, August exports of U.S. pork increased year-over-year, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). U.S. beef exports were below year-ago levels in August. Rusty Halvorson has more details. August pork exports totaled 238,989 metric tons (mt), up 6% from a year ago but the second …