Strong June results capped a tremendous first half of 2018 for U.S. beef exports. That’s according to USDA data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. June pork exports were lower than a year ago for the second straight month, but first-half volume and value remained ahead of last year’s pace. Beef muscle cut exports set a new volume record …
U.S. Poultry Gains New Market Access in Morocco
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today that the government of Morocco has agreed to allow commercial imports of U.S. poultry meat and products into Morocco for the first time. “The Trump Administration continues to prioritize the opening of new markets for U.S. agricultural products. This new access to the Moroccan market is …
Celebrating National Goat Cheese Month
Cathy Isom gives a bit of history about the specialty cheese you will want to sink your teeth into this month. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Celebrating National Goat Cheese Month August is National Goat Cheese Month. Chances are, if you’ve had a Greek salad with feta, then you’ve tried goat cheese. Most goat cheeses are at their …
Smithfield Foods Hit with Hefty Penalty in North Carolina
A federal jury in North Carolina decided on Friday that Smithfield Foods would have to pay a hefty dollar amount of $473.5 million dollars to neighbors of three of the company’s large hog farms. The neighbors had filed an unreasonable nuisance lawsuit because of odors, flies, and large trucks rumbling down the road. The jury says Smithfield owes the compensation …
African Swine Fever Found in China
The Swine Health Information Center says the first case of African Swine Fever was found in China last Friday. Farm Journal’s Pork Network says the outbreak was located in the northeast part of the country, which is a swine-dense area just 130 miles from the North Korean border. The infection was found on a small farm with 383 pigs. 47 …
Clay County Young Farm Family Named Best in Alabama
Chris and Jordyn Upchurch of Clay County reaped the rewards of hard work and first-rate farming when they were named Alabama’s 2018 Outstanding Young Farm Family (OYFF) Aug. 4. The multi-generation farmers were honored at the Alabama Farmers Federation’s 46th Commodity Producers Conference in Montgomery and will receive over $70,000 in prizes. Their Rockin U farm in Lineville encompasses over …
Senate Passes 1-Year Delay for ELD Mandate
An amendment to the Senate’s “minibus” spending bill would grant livestock haulers another year-long extension to implement the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. Nebraska Republican Deb Fischer proposed the amendment to delay implementation of the ELD mandate until Sept. 30, 2019. Fischer says the amendment is important because livestock haulers face different challenges than traditional haulers who are currently using …
People are Eating More Chicken
Why are people buying, and eating, chicken? Cathy Isom looks into this question letting us know what seems to be driving more people to eat more chicken. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. People are Eating More Chicken Americans are eating more chicken and in record numbers. More than 9 in 10 consumers purchase chicken regularly. That’s according to …
Senate Approves Roberts’ Efforts to Improve Access to New Drugs for Animals
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts applauded Senate approval of legislation to speed access to new animal drugs for veterinarians. The provision by Roberts was approved earlier this week that would allow access to new animal drugs through conditional approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Roberts’ provision on conditional approval was included in the Animal Drug and Animal Generic …
Fish and Chicken Top Sources of Foodborne Viruses
A new study by the Centers for Disease Control finds fish and chicken as the most linked foods for foodborne disease outbreaks. Over a six-year period, the CDC analyzed more than 5,700 foodborne disease outbreaks that result in more than 100,000 illnesses and 145 deaths. Norovirus was the most common disease, followed by Salmonella. Multistate outbreaks comprised of only three …