A key railroad workers’ union says it won’t go on strike after November 19. The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employees Division says it will hold off on any type of action until early December. Freight Waves Dot Com says that will give railroads more time to come up with their best offer without the pressure of an imminent …
USMEF Conference Examines Exports, Production, Economic Headwinds
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) held their Strategic Planning Conference this week in Oklahoma City. The event attracted farmers, ranchers, processors and exporters from across the nation. During the event, it was noted that while U.S. red meat exports will likely set a value record approaching $20 billion this year, the industry faces an array of obstacles related to the sluggish …
Mississippi River Grain Shipments Down 78 Percent
Drought continues to cause a major slowdown in shipping. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) says the number of grain barges being unloaded in New Orleans during September and October dropped significantly. An AMS report says the number of barges is 20-30 percent lower than in recent years. The slowdown coincides with …
September Pork Exports Continue Upward Trend; Pace Cools for Beef
New data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) shows U.S. pork exports in September topped year-ago totals for the second consecutive month, while beef exports dipped below the $1 billion dollar mark but remain on a record pace. USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom notes continued strong export numbers amid mounting headwinds such as a strong U.S. dollar show the …
Grain Traders Tracking Many Issues
Many grain traders stay busy keeping an eye on various issues. Mark Oppold explains what some of those are. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
Efforts Continue to Sell U.S. Peanuts Abroad
Efforts to sell U.S. peanuts abroad continue. Tyron Spearman has information about possible buyers coming to our country to learn more about the industry. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
U.S. Railway Strike Looming
Reports are saying a U.S. railway strike is imminent after the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen union voted last week against ratification of the National Tentative Agreement reached on September 15. Just over 60% of their voting members voted not to approve. The BRS negotiated this round of bargaining as a member of the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition (CBC) and later the United Rail …
August Pork Exports Trend Higher, Beef Exports Again Top $1 Billion
U.S. beef exports once again topped the $1 billion in value. Data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) show August was slightly above last August’s large volume, thus reaching this milestone in seven out of the eight months this year. August exports of U.S. pork topped year-ago totals for the first time in 2022. U.S. Meat …
Issues Concerning Moving Grain on the Mississippi
For those looking to ship grain this fall, Mark Oppold reports there are some issues concerning barges traveling down the Mississippi River due to low water levels. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
USMEF Leadership Celebrates 45th Anniversary of Japan Office
Leaders of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) traveled to Tokyo last week to mark the 45th anniversary of the USMEF Japan office. They met with meat industry leaders, hosted a meat recipe session for Japanese cooking teachers and social media influencers, visited displays of U.S. meat in grocery stores and held an anniversary seminar for 200 of the country’s meat industry representatives. …