New guidance from the Centers for Disease Control will help keep poultry processing workers safe and ensure the supply chain, according to the National Chicken Council (NCC). Responding to the new guidance this week, NCC President Mike Brown says, “We appreciate the administration’s new guidance in an effort to further keep our workers safe and keep food on the shelves.” …
USDA to Implement President Trump’s Executive Order on Meat and Poultry Processors
(Washington, D.C., April 28, 2020) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue released the following statement after President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to keep meat and poultry processing facilities open during the COVID-19 national emergency. “I thank President Trump for signing this executive order and recognizing the importance of keeping our food supply chain safe, secure and plentiful. …
Top Free-Ranging Birds to Add to Your Flock
Continuing her series on raising chickens, Cathy Isom, today, gives you the top 5 free-ranging birds you should add to your flock. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. There are several things to take into account when deciding on a breed for free-range chickens. Such as good visibility, strong foraging instinct, awareness of predators, and coloration to blend …
How to Manage a Free-Range Flock
Continuing her series, Cathy Isom has a couple of great tips about how to manage a free-range flock. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Sometimes when chickens have an entire world to roost, they’ll get it in their heads that the coop is not the safest place to roost at night. When you are raising birds you plan …
Considerations When Raising Free-Range Chickens
Cathy Isom begins this series by giving you some considerations to keep in mind when raising free-range chickens. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. For many people, nothing says “homestead” like the image of chickens happily scratching around a farmyard without a care in the world. However, free-ranging is not as simple as just releasing your birds out …
Another Meatpacking Plant Suspends Operations
Tyson Foods announced it will be suspending operations indefinitely at its plant in Waterloo, Iowa, which is its largest U.S. pork plant. That plant’s closure means approximately 15% of pork processing capacity across the country has gone offline. More than 150 of the country’s largest meat plants are in counties where the rate of COVID-19 infections is already relatively high. …
USDA’s Latest Meat Outlook Shows Lower Prices Across the Board
Covid 19 is affecting many aspects of agriculture, including the prices being paid for some of those products. And that is reflected in USDA’s latest outlook for the meat sector, which according to a story from Stephanie Ho, shows lower prices across the board. World Ag Outlook Board Chair Mark Jekanowski says USDA is forecasting a reduction in the global …
Extension Economist Offers Reassurances about Meat Supplies
(ACES) — Smithfield Foods has closed a major pork processing facility in South Dakota causing concern about meat supplies and possible shortages among consumers, industry professionals and political pundits. An economist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System said consumers should think about the industry as a whole and the long-term logistics of moving not only meat supplies but also all …
UF Surveys to Identify Impact of Pandemic on Florida’s Agriculture and Marine Industries
(UF/IFAS) — With agriculture and marine industries occupying a large portion of Florida’s economy, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) wants to better understand how measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are impacting these sectors. Starting today, faculty from the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics (FRE) department are deploying surveys to UF/IFAS Extension agents …
Animal Disease Reporting List Comment Period Underway
USDA is currently accepting public comment on the list of reportable animal diseases and new ways to expedite the reporting process. Rod Bain has the story. Dr. Bruce Wagner, with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), explains existing animal health and disease reporting systems, and a proposal to create a new list of reportable animal diseases. Sponsored ContentFlorida …