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 ProductsNovember 1, 2024Nuseed 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, Rabbits, 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, Orange Juice, 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 ProductsNovember 1, 2024Nuseed 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 …

New Animal Disease Early Detection Partnership

Dan African Swine Fever, Avian Influenza, Beef, Cattle, Dairy, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), Equine, Livestock, Pork, Poultry, This Land of Ours

There’s a new partnership for early detection of animal diseases. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. It’s a new partnership among the nation’s animal health and biodefense facilities to improve early detection of emerging animal diseases. This is Christy Loiacano, coordinator of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service …

NPPC Asks to Intervene in CAFO Rule Court Case

Dan Legislative, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), Pork, Regulation

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) has teamed up with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association, and the United Egg Producers (UEP) requesting the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to allow their intervention in a lawsuit filed by environmental and animal rights extremists against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over …

Smithfield Foods to Close North Carolina Pork Plant

Dan Economy, Pork

Smithfield Foods will close its Charlotte, North Carolina pork-processing plant and transfer production to its Tar Heel, North Carolina facility. The company says the move is to increase efficiency and better utilize existing capacity, and comes as the company faces “abundant supplies and soft demand” weighing on pork prices. The company will provide financial and other transition assistance to the …