Sunbelt Field Day Yields Positive Results

Clint Thompson Georgia, Industry

Thinking outside the box with Thursday’s Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day yielded positive results, says Chip Blalock, executive director of the Sunbelt Expo in Moultrie, Georgia. It went so good, the new-look drive-thru version may become the new normal. “When you do something for the first time, you really don’t know what to expect,” Blalock said. “But when they were …

Big Trade Surplus in Most Red Meats

Clint Thompson Alabama, Beef, Florida, Georgia, Industry

Right now, the U.S. is seeing a big trade surplus in most red meat categories. But according to a story from Gary Crawford, that does not include beef. We may actually import more beef this year than we export. USDA Economist Bart Kenner looks at the U.S. red meat import situation during the first eight months of the 2020 fiscal …

USDA Provides Update on Investigation Following 2019 Tyson Beef Plant Closure and COVID-19 Pandemic

Clint Thompson Cattle, USDA

USDA (Washington, D.C., July 22, 2020) – As part of its commitment to ensuring fair and competitive markets for the livestock, meat and poultry industries, today the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report on its ongoing boxed beef and fed cattle price spread investigation. “The closure of the Tyson beef packing plant in Holcomb, Kansas, after a fire …

Most Meat Production Expected to Increase

Clint Thompson Alabama, Beef, Florida, Georgia, Industry

A July report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is projecting production increases in most meat sectors. Stephanie Ho has the story. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Advances Forage ResearchOctober 3, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Acts As Catalyst For Timely ResearchSeptember 26, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Opportunities For Research Not Found ElsewhereSeptember 19, 2025

Legislation Introduced to Improve Meat Processing Capacity

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Industry

Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Requiring Assistance to Meat Processors for Upgrading Plants (RAMP UP) Act, which provides federal incentives to improve beef processing capacity. The RAMP UP Act authorizes federal grants up to $100,000 for existing meat processors to become federally inspected. Currently, state inspected and custom exempt processors cannot sell meat in interstate commerce …

Alabama Cattlemen’s Association Attend LMA Event

Clint Thompson Alabama, Cattle, Industry

In the weekly livestock market report that many of you see every Saturday on our website, there was a note this past weekend that the report will not be issued this week due to the stockyards being closed for the July 4th holiday. In Alabama every year, this is the week that the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) in the state …

Largest Meatpacking Union Confirms Growing COVID-19 Impact on Workers

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Industry, Pork

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union held a press conference highlighting the impact and growing danger of COVID-19 on frontline workers. The union represents 1.3 million employees. The UFCW says that during the last 100 days, 238 UFCW frontline workers have died from COVID-19 and nearly 29,000 workers have been infected or exposed. UFCW International President Marc Perrone …

Senators Question Meatpackers About Exports, Shortages

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Industry, Poultry

Two Democrats in the U.S. Senate are questioning top American meatpackers about past shipments to China while America went through meat shortages in grocery stores across the country. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker want to know by the end of this month how much pork, beef, and chicken those companies shipped to China during the coronavirus outbreak while warning …

Bolivia Now Open to U.S. Red Meat

Clint Thompson Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Industry, Pork

Bolivia is the latest nation to open to U.S. red meat. According to a story from Joe Schuele, while Bolivia is not a high-volume destination for imported meat, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is already seeing some inquiries from interested buyers. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Advances Forage ResearchOctober 3, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Acts As Catalyst For Timely …

Facts of the Flow: Lake Okeechobee, 2020 Year-to-Date

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Lake Okeechobee, Water

(SFWMD) — Here is the latest update on inflows into Lake Okeechobee for the calendar year to date. This data is provided by SFWMD’s DBHYDRO database. There has been no back-pumping into Lake Okeechobee from the Everglades Agricultural Area this year. Source: South Florida Water Management District Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Advances Forage ResearchOctober 3, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board …