According to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), U.S. beef exports posted one of the best months on record in November, 2020. Beef exports came in at 115,337 metric tons (mt), with a value of $707.5 million. USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom explains where the strongest markets were for U.S. beef. November was also …
Farmers to Families Food Box Program Purchases to Continue
(USDA/AMS) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will purchase an additional $1.5 billion worth of food for nationwide distribution through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. In total, USDA has distributed more than 132 million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “This new round of …
Taiwan Approves U.S. Pork Imports with Ractopamine
Taiwan’s parliament approved a measure that will allow U.S. pork imports containing ractopamine, a leanness-enhancing additive. Reuters says the approval came despite objections from KMT, the main opposition party, which says it creates a health risk for the Taiwanese people. The country’s president decided in August that Taiwan would allow imports of U.S. pork with the additive, which is banned …
NPPC: Anti-Meat Group Shows ‘True Colors’
Last week, the head of an anti-meat extremist group posed as the CEO of a major pork producer during a national television interview. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) says the conversation contained “outrageous and false claims” about the U.S. pork industry and the challenges it faced during COVID-19. NPPC President Howard “A.V.” Roth (Rowth) had a sharp response to …
USDA Receives Delivery of First Significant FMD Vaccine Bank Purchase
Earlier this year, the Department of Agriculture announced the first significant purchase for its Foot-and-Mouth vaccine bank. This month, the purchase worth $27 million was delivered. The establishment of a robust FMD vaccine bank has been a top, long-term priority for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), which was instrumental in advocating for its establishment as part of the 2018 …
Meat, Poultry, Farm Workers High Priority for Vaccine
Federal guidance suggests essential workers should be next to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, including meat packers and farm workers. A Centers for Disease Control advisory committee voted in favor of a blueprint for essential workers and people older than 75 as recipients of the vaccine in the next phase. In a news release, North American Meat Institute President and CEO …
Ag Groups Applaud Regan Nomination to Head EPA
(NPPC) — President-Elect Joe Biden on Thursday nominated Michael Regan as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Regan most recently led the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The following statement may be attributed to National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President Howard “AV” Roth, a hog farmer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin. “NPPC congratulates Michael Regan on his nomination. …
APHIS Reopens Comment Period on Request to Produce FMD Vaccine
(USDA/APHIS) — In July 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) sought public comment on a petition from a vaccine manufacturer seeking approval to produce foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine consisting of a modified non-infectious and non-transmissible strain of the virus on the U.S. mainland. Today (12/1/2020), APHIS is reopening the comment period for …
Cost of 2020 Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving is a bit different this year because of COVID-19. But, did consumers pay more or less this year for the items that make up the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner? Rod Bain has a story that answers that question. American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist John Newton shares the cost of some of this year’s Thanksgiving Day dinner items, per the 2020 …
Farmers Earn 12 Cents of Thanksgiving Food Dollar
(NAFB) — For every dollar Americans spend on Thanksgiving dinner this year, farmers and ranchers will earn about 11.9 cents. The National Farmers Union says that marks a slight drop from 2019 when farmers claimed 12.5 cents of the Thanksgiving food dollar. Though farmers’ smaller share of food expenditures could be blamed on dropping commodity prices in previous years, it’s …