Nominations Open for Animal Agriculture Water Quality Committee

Dan Beef, Cattle, Dairy, Equine, Irrigation, Livestock, Pork, Poultry, Sheep-Goats, Water

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a Federal Register Notice on November 16 establishing the Animal Agriculture Water Quality Subcommittee. It’s under the umbrella of the Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Federal Advisory Committee. Nominations are open for members who want to serve on the subcommittee. The primary subcommittee goal will be to develop recommendations that will inform the Agency’s …

Concerns Raised Over EPA’s Proposed Wastewater Regulation

Dan Beef, Cattle, Environment, Livestock, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), Pork, Poultry, Water

Many in the livestock industry are very concerned about a proposed wastewater regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning wastewater from meat and poultry processing facilities. It is expected to require meatpackers and processors to install millions of dollars of upgrades to their wastewater management systems. So, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Chief Legal Strategist, Michael Formica, along with representatives from the U.S. Poultry …

USMEF Held Strategic Planning Conference in New Orleans

Dan Beef, Cattle, Marketing, Pork, Sheep-Goats, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF)

Last week, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) held its Strategic Planning Conference in New Orleans, where a range of topics impacting global demand for U.S. pork, beef and lamb were covered. USMEF Chair Dean Meyer, a livestock and grain producer from Rock Rapids, Iowa, welcomed attendees with a reminder of how the organization brings together diverse sectors of agriculture to work …

September Pork Exports Fairly Steady; Beef Exports Trend Lower

Dan Agri-Business, Beef, Cattle, Commodities, Economy, Exports/Imports, Livestock, Marketing, Pork, Sheep-Goats, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF)

According to new data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), September exports of U.S. pork were down slightly from a year ago but did maintain a robust pace. On the other hand, beef exports continued to struggle compared to last year’s record totals but showed increasing strength in the Western Hemisphere markets. Pork exports totaled 221,140 metric …

Watching the Soybean Trade

Dan Beef, Cattle, Commodities, Economy, Marketing, Pork, Soybeans

The soybean trade continues to be the talk of the ag trade this week. Mark Oppold has a look at that along what is happening in cattle trade. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024

USDA Unveils New Rules for Organic Livestock Producers

Dan Beef, Cattle, Livestock, Organic, Pork, Poultry, Sheep-Goats, USDA-AMS

Certified organic livestock and poultry producers in the U.S. will soon have new production standards to follow. The USDA has unveiled new rules for organic livestock producers that establish clear, strong and consistent standards for organic livestock and poultry production. It levels the playing field for organic livestock farmers, ranchers and businesses and promotes fairer, more competitive markets for their products, …

October Not a Good Month for Agricultural Commodities

Dan Agri-Business, Beef, Biofuels/Energy, Cattle, Commodities, Economy, Field Crops, Livestock, Pork, Soybeans, Wheat

Like September, October was not a very friendly month for many of the agricultural commodities. Mark Oppold looks at how trading did this past month. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024

Early 2023 Hog and Cattle Weights Lagged Behind 2022

Dan Beef, Cattle, Marketing, Pork

Live weights of both hogs and cattle ran below year-earlier weights for the early part of 2023. Hog live weights averaged 284.9 pounds through the week ending on July 8, 2023, compared to 287.3 pounds during the same time in 2022. That’s an average difference of over 2.4 pounds. Lower weights this year are likely because of producer losses caused …