What Americans will be eating by the BILLIONS during the big game this weekend. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. If there is one thing that the pandemic didn’t change this year:  America’s love for chicken wings. In restaurants, servings of chicken wings were up 7% in 2020 versus 2019 despite an 11% decline in trips to commercial …
Facial Recognition May be the Future of Livestock Identification
We’ve heard about facial recognition technology, something that is used for various human applications. But according to a story from Gary Crawford, a simple smart-phone app paired with facial recognition technology may also be the future for livestock identification and traceback. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board …
Ag Secretary Designate on Pandemic Lessons-Learned
The Agriculture Secretary-designate recently said responses to the ongoing human pandemic provide basic lessons for dealing with infectious animal disease. Stephanie Ho has the story. During that talk with a coalition of land-grant universities, Ag Secretary-designate Tom Vilsack listed some of the top issues he’s concerned about. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding …
DIRECT Act of 2021 Introduced in U.S. House
There are many states across the nation that have State Meat and Poultry Inspection (MPI) programs that are approved by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). But under the existing framework, state-inspected products can only be sold interstate if approved to do so under the Cooperative Interstate Shipping Program (CIS). So this week a bill was introduced in …
Contract Poultry Growers Now Eligible for CFAP Funds
(ACES) — Changes to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) announced earlier this month is good news for Alabama’s contract poultry growers. “The USDA changes mean that relief funds are available to contract poultry and other contract growers affected by COVID-19 market changes,” said Dennis Brothers, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System agricultural economist. Brothers said contract poultry growers need to understand …
Tyson Agrees to Price-Fixing Settlement
(NAFB) — Tyson Foods this week agreed to $221.5 million to settle claims related to price-fixing lawsuits. The settlements are with three consumer and commercial purchasing groups who bought chickens directly from Tyson and require a federal judge’s approval. Tyson did not admit liability in agreeing to settle and said the payments will be reflected in its first-quarter financial statements, …
COVID-19 Impacts Mental Health on the Farm
A strong majority of farmers and farm-workers say the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their mental health, according to a new American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) poll. The poll also indicates that more than half say they are personally experiencing more mental health challenges than they were a year ago. The survey of rural adults and farmers/farmworkers reveals how the pandemic …
USDA Forecast Calling for Lower Meat Production, Higher Prices
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lowered its expectations for meat production in most categories. But according to a story from Stephanie Ho, USDA is forecasting higher prices across all meat categories this year. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm …
Secretary Perdue Comments on MOU on Animal Biotechnology
(USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Assistant Secretary for Health and Head of the Public Health Service Admiral Brett Giroir, M.D., establishing a regulatory environment at the Department of Agriculture for agricultural animal biotechnology innovation: “Today’s Memorandum of Understanding clears a path to bring our regulatory framework into …
Contract Swine, Poultry Producers Now Eligible for CFAP Assistance
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last Friday they will be providing additional assistance through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This includes expanding eligibility for some agricultural producers and commodities as well as updating payments to accurately compensate some producers who already applied for the program. Contract producers of broilers, laying hens, chicken eggs, turkeys, and swine who …