Pork Export Success

Dan Industry News Release, Pork

Exports remain an important part of the U.S. industry. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) spokesman Joe Schuele says Mexico is importing a record amount of pork.     South Korea is another top-performer. Sales haven’t been at this level since 2011 when Korea had a severe domestic shortage of pork due to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. South America has also …

Perdue Announces Tony Tooke as New Forest Service Chief

Dan Forestry, Industry News Release

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced Tony Tooke will serve as the new Chief of the U.S. Forest Service. Tooke has worked for the Forest Service since age 18 and currently is the Regional Forester for the Southern Region. Following the announcement, Secretary Perdue this statement: “The Forest Service will be in good hands with the U.S. Forest Service’s …

Economic Study Shows Renewable Fuel Standard Added to Price of Corn

Dan Corn, Energy, Industry News Release

A new economic study shows the Renewable Fuel Standard has added a third to the price of corn and saved the U.S. nearly 18-billion in gasoline costs. The Iowa State University study to be published soon in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics shows specific benefits to farmers, consumers, and the environment, from the nation’s renewable fuels requirement. Renewable Fuels …

New Drought Monitor Shows Both Improvements and Declines

Dan Drought, Industry News Release

The new Drought Monitor shows both vast declines and huge improvements in conditions across several parts of the country. Oklahoma is one state showing improvement. Oklahoma was 60 percent drought-free last week and recent rainfall has shrunk the areas under drought to just 14 percent. Cooler temps brought rainfall to much of northern Texas and Oklahoma that added up to …

Ethanol Production May Outpace Demand in Future

Dan Energy, Industry News Release

A new report from Cobank says the ethanol industry could soon face declining slim-to-negative profit margins. The report is titled “Ethanol’s Growth Path: Output and Export Uncertainties Both Rising.” It outlines how an ethanol market fueled by corn prices at multi-year lows, together with reinvestment into expanding production capacity, will push supplies past demand growth. A Cobank senior economist says …

CAFO’s Get Extra Time to Comply with Requirements

Dan Cattle, Industry News Release, Livestock

The Environmental Protection Agency has until November 14th to decide how to enforce emissions requirements for thousands of animal feeding operations across the country. An Agri-Pulse report says a recent Washington, D.C., Court of Appeals decision says the agency illegally exempted all but the largest operations from reporting releases of hazardous substances above certain levels. The court was looking specifically …

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tidwell Announces Retirement

Dan Forestry, Industry News Release

U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell announced his retirement after a 40-year career, characterized by his climb from a firefighter to a District Ranger, Forest Supervisor to the head of the U.S. Forest Service, leading more than 30,000 employees working in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised Chief Tidwell, saying, “From the start, we …

New Academic Journal Study: RFS Offers Substantial Benefits to U.S. Economy

Dan Energy, Industry News Release

A new economic modeling study that will soon be published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics finds that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has substantially benefited the U.S. economy by lowering gasoline and crude oil prices, cutting crude oil imports, adding value to U.S.-produced agricultural commodities, and reducing U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. “The results confirm that the current …

South Korea Lifts U.S. Poultry Ban

Dan Industry News Release, Poultry

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the government of South Korea has lifted its ban on imports of U.S. poultry and poultry products, including fresh eggs. Korea had imposed the ban in response to a recent detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). On August 11, the United States notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that …