The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service is seeking nominees for the American Lamb Board (ALB) to succeed four members with terms that expire in February 2023. Nominations are needed to succeed members that include one producer with 100 or less lambs, one producer with more than 500 lambs, one feeder at-large, and one first handler. Any American producer, feeder or first handler …
Veterinarians Heading to Capitol Hill
On April 27th, a group of veterinarians will head to Capitol Hill to meet with senators and representatives to talk about legislation that will increase access to veterinary services in rural areas. They also want to talk about legislation to help in reducing the spread of diseases that pose a threat to animal and public health. The American Veterinary Medical …
COUNTRY Financial Provides Tips for Storm Season Preparation
While many think about the storms we’ve seen this spring, Georgia is prone to storms all year. Farmers are encouraged to take time to think about what their families and/or employees should do in the event of a weather-related emergency. Bart Hester, COUNTRY Financial insurance agency owner based in Moultrie, GA. talked with Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman about this. They …
Farmland Prices up 20% in 2022
The stronger land prices of late 2021 continued in the first months of 2022. Farmers National Company reports sale prices took another jump higher because of the war in Ukraine and ongoing inflation fears. Farmers saw higher commodity prices, and investors wanted a low-risk inflation hedging investment, which propelled the competition for good cropland. Farmland values are roughly 20 percent …
Officials Urging Poultry Producers to Tighten Up Biosecurity Even More
On Saturday, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial layer chicken flock in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and a non-commercial backyard flock (non-poultry) in Utah County, Utah. Both cases were confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. APHIS is working closely with state …
Bird Flu Driving Egg Processing Costs Higher
Processed eggs go into items ranging from salad dressings to cake mix. Bloomberg says the prices for those eggs intended for processing are soaring to record highs because of the avian influenza outbreak. The rapid spread of influenza could make this one of the biggest outbreaks in history. Twenty million birds have been culled from the nation’s flocks, which is …
USDA Releases Equity Action Plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made its Equity Action Plan (PDF, 500 KB) publicly available. The plan outlines actions USDA will take to advance programmatic equity to improve access to programs and services for underserved stakeholders and communities. All too often in the past, USDA programs and services were designed to benefit those with land, experience, money, and education while …
Beef, Pork and Poultry Production and Price Forecasts for April
Slight gains in both beef production and price forecasts are noted in the latest USDA outlook. But according to a story from Rod Bain, the latest pork production and price forecasts reveal tighter supplies and a price adjustment for hogs. World Agricultural Outlook Board Chair Mark Jekanowski also goes over USDA’s April outlook for broiler and turkey production and prices. …
New Veterinary Debt Solutions Program Launches
Farm Journal Foundation is partnering with the Zoetis Foundation to launch a new program to find solutions for relieving student debt in the veterinary industry. The effort’s long-term goal seeks to address shortages of veterinarians to work with farmers in rural areas. The new Veterinary Debt Solutions Program will convene leaders from across the livestock, academic, nonprofit, and veterinary sectors …
Avian Influenza Cases Outpacing 2014-2015 Outbreak
The number of highly pathogenic avian influenza cases in the U.S. are outpacing the 2014/2015 outbreak. However, the American Farm Bureau Federation says the higher numbers might be attributed to improvements in detection and reporting protocols. Farm Bureau economists found as of April 7, there have been more than 600 detections of HPAI in wild birds across 31 states, and …