As we all know, various meetings, conventions and other events in the agriculture industry have been cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. But one event that is still taking place as planned is the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Summer Business Meeting in Colorado. NCBA CEO Colin Woodall says the event this week is an in-person meeting. The …
During Hurricane Season, USDA Offers New and Improved Insurance Options
By Martin R. Barbre, Administrator, Risk Management Agency, USDA The 2020 hurricane season has begun, and many experts have predicted above-normal activity this year. USDA is ready to help you during this hurricane season. USDA Helps Producers Recover From Disasters and Prepare for Future Ones USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently introduced a new crop insurance hurricane endorsement, Hurricane Insurance …
Sunbelt Field Day Yields Positive Results
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
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
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
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 Supports Beef Education and Promotion ProgramsJanuary 23, 2026Florida Cattle Producers Proactive In Research Efforts Funded by the Florida Cattle Enhancement BoardJanuary 16, 2026Florida Cattle Industry Supports Administration of Florida Cattle Enhancement BoardJanuary …
Legislation Introduced to Improve Meat Processing Capacity
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
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
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
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 …