U.S. consumer demand for meat at the retail level remains exceptionally strong despite rising prices caused by increased production costs and supply chain challenges. A new CoBank report says that may change soon. Once the full effect of increased costs of producer price inflation shows up in the retail meat case, demand will get tested. “Retail meat prices will remain …
USDA Lets More Packing Plants Return to Faster Line Speeds
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service last week announced it approved the Clemens Food Group pork packing plant in Coldwater, Michigan, to run faster line speeds under a one-year trial program. The agency now has let four plants operate with faster harvesting line speeds, which could increase packing capacity and alleviate supply issues in the face of strong pork demand. …
Feral Swine in America: USDA/APHIS Goes to Georgia
The newest video in the ongoing series, Feral Swine in America: Episode 5- Georgia, takes us to peanut fields to hear about the invasive species’ impacts on this American staple crop. We also go to Cumberland Island to see how feral swine impact sea turtles and the collaborative efforts made to prevent nest damage. APHIS is offering this video series, which …
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. …
Supreme Court to Hear NPPC Case Against Prop. 12
(NPPC/WASHINGTON, D.C., Mar. 28, 2022) — The U.S. Supreme Court at its Mar. 25 conference agreed to hear a case brought by the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) against California’s Proposition 12, which bans the sale of pork from hogs born to sows that weren’t raised according to the state’s “arbitrary” production standards. “We are …
Programs Announced by USDA to Increase and Expand Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity
Technical Assistance Now Available to Processors; $23.6 Million Available for Meat, Poultry Readiness Grant program (USDA/WASHINGTON, March 25, 2022) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the launch of the Meat and Poultry Processing Capacity Technical Assistance Program (MPPTA) to provide technical assistance to meat and poultry grant applicants and grant-funded projects. Processors and applicants involved with the Meat and …
Omnibus Spending Bill Included Many Pork Industry Priorities
The omnibus spending bill to keep the government operating through fiscal 2022, which was approved by Congress and then signed into law last week by President Biden, included nearly two dozen pork industry priority provisions and programs that will benefit U.S. producers. According to the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), a lot of the $25.1 billion for agriculture, rural development, …
NPPC Focuses on Readiness for Possible Foreign Animal Diseases
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) hired Dr. Anna Forseth for the newly created position of Director of Animal Health. She will focus on foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness, as well as antibiotic use and resistance issues. “She has a wealth of knowledge about hogs and swine diseases and a great background in swine research,” says NPPC CEO Bryan …
Support to Expand Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced $215 million in grants and other support are being made available to expand meat and poultry processing options, strengthen the food supply chain, and create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas. As Rod Bain reports, this funding opportunity is one of many actions that USDA is taking to expand processing capacity and increase competition in meat and …
FSIS Removes Mask Mandate for Meat Processing Facilities
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) this (last) week removed mandatory mask requirements at federally inspected meat processing facilities. As of March 1, 2022, FSIS Notice 34-21 requiring masks was rescinded. FSIS-regulated establishments are no longer subject to suspension or withdrawal of inspection services for failure to require their employees to wear masks when FSIS inspection program personnel are …