Secretary Rollins rolls out a robust strategy to deliver affordable eggs (USDA/Washington, D.C./Feb. 26, 2025) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a $1 billion-dollar comprehensive strategy to curb highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), protect the U.S. poultry industry, and lower egg prices. This is in addition to funding already being provided to indemnify growers for depopulated flocks. As …
Canada Stocks Avian Flu Vaccine as H5N1 Detected in U.S. Rats
For the first time, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of H5N1 avian influenza in rats, heightening concerns about the virus’s potential to spread among mammals. The infected black rats were discovered in Riverside County, California, near recent poultry outbreaks. This finding adds to growing evidence of cross-species transmission, with additional cases reported in a harbor seal, …
Administration Moving Away from Depopulation for Bird Flu
When it comes to dealing with bird flu, efforts are now underway to concentrate more on bio-security and medication. Rusty Halvorson has the story. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsMarch 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024
New Numbers for Beef Producers
New numbers for beef producers were available in a recent report. Rusty Halvorson has more on that, along with information about labor issues for hog producers. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsMarch 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024
Caucus Members Want Assurances Regarding Chicken Exports
The co-chairs of the Congressional and Senate Chicken Caucuses wrote the USDA to seek assurances to protect America’s chicken exports should vaccination be contemplated as part of a strategy to combat HPAI. With the recent attention around increased egg prices due to HPAI, there have been renewed conversations about whether the U.S. should vaccinate commercial poultry flocks against the virus. …
Conditional License Issued for Avian Influenza Vaccine
Zoetis recently announced the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics issued the company a conditional license for its Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus. According to a story from Rusty Halvorson, the vaccine is labelled for use in chickens. A conditional license is used to meet an emergency condition, limited market, local situation or other special circumstance and is issued …
U.S. Bird Flu Response Hampered by Trump Administration
The U.S. response to the ongoing bird flu outbreak has faced significant disruption in the early weeks of the Trump administration, raising concerns among federal officials, state agencies, veterinarians, and public health experts. Since President Donald Trump assumed office on January 20, two key federal agencies responsible for monitoring and managing the outbreak have delayed critical communications, including bird flu …
NCC to HHS: Emphasize Chicken in 2025 Dietary Guidelines
Last week the National Chicken Council (NCC) urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reject recommendations (.pdf) put forth by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) that emphasize plant-based proteins over lean meats like chicken. Rusty Halvorson has more details. NCC’s comments (.pdf) were submitted in response to the Scientific Report released last December by the DGAC, which makes recommendations …
Record Large Pork Exports, Beef Export Value Higher
According to year-end data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), exports of U.S. pork eclipsed previous highs in both volume and value in 2024, while beef export value climbed 5% from 2023. Rusty Halvorson has more details. According to USMEF, December pork exports totaled 267,132 metric tons (mt), slightly below last year’s large volume, while value …
Bird Flu Drives Egg Prices Up, No Relief in Sight
The cost of eggs in the United States has surged in recent months, largely due to the ongoing bird flu outbreak that has led to the culling of millions of chickens. Prices have more than doubled since the summer of 2023, and with the Easter season approaching, demand is expected to drive costs even higher. According to the U.S. Department …