John Maday
Japan offers growth potential for U.S. beef
Back in 2000, U.S. beef exports to Japan reached 1.16 billion pounds valued at $1.77 billion, and accounted for 43 percent by volume and 50 percent of the value of all U.S. beef exports. We also enjoyed a 53 percent share of Japan’s beef imports at the time. Those figures dropped to zero following discovery of the first case of BSE in the United States in December 2003.
FULL STORY »
A sweet problem
A study from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill seems to confirm what many probably suspected, that sugary drinks are the primary culprit when kids take in too many calories. Results of the study, from UNC’s Department of Nutrition, are published in American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
FULL STORY »
Shopper cards seen as food-safety tool
The shopper cards issued by supermarkets and warehouse stores do more than provide access to discounts, they also allow stores to record the purchases each customer makes. Retailers have long envisioned using their vast purchase databases as marketing tools, potentially targeting messages to individual customers based on their shopping patterns. Public-health officials now see another application of purchase data – identifying food-safety hazards and preventing widespread outbreaks of food-borne illness.
FULL STORY »
Can cellulose compete?
In the United States, corn remains the primary raw material for producing ethanol, creating a close link between energy markets and feed prices. However, according to a new study from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF), processes using cellulosic materials for biofuel production could become competitive with those using corn within just a few years.
FULL STORY »
USDA outlines plans for meat inspector furloughs
Details for planned furloughs of inspectors at meatpacking plants are becoming more clear. USDA previously announced the mandatory unpaid days off would be necessary due to the budget cuts mandated under the “sequestration” that took effect on March 1.
FULL STORY »
Late-winter storms provide some relief
The Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin from USDA and the Department of Commerce shows drought persisting, particularly over the western half of the United States and also in Florida. Two winter storms during the week ending March 9 however, provided some needed soil moisture across the Plains and Midwest.
FULL STORY »
NCBA favors voluntary COOL
The USDA’s new proposed rule for country of origin labeling (COOL) will just create more problems for the U.S. beef industry, says NCBA President Elect Bob McCan, a cattleman from Victoria, Texas. Speaking on NCBA’s “Beltway Beef” audio program, McCan says there is no regulatory fix to bring our COOL rules into compliance with World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements.
FULL STORY »
Small changes could allow prion diseases to spread
One of the puzzling characteristics of prion diseases such as BSE and chronic wasting disease (CWD) is that some can naturally spread from one animal to another while others do not. Researchers at the University of Alberta, led by neurologist Valerie Sim, have found that small changes in the makeup of prions could help them adapt and spread to other animals.
FULL STORY »
COOL: It’s back
It’s been more than a decade since mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) for meat products turned up in the 2002 Farm Bill, and the issue remains as contentious as ever. The latest round in the COOL debate began last week, when USDA issued a new proposed rule for meat labeling, intended to strengthen the policy and bring it into compliance with a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling.
FULL STORY »
Projecting climate impacts on ag
Anticipating more volatile weather, more extreme temperatures and violent storms in the future, scientists are busy analyzing the potential effects on agriculture. To help prepare for these potential changes, USDA recently completed a study and released a detailed report titled “Climate change and agriculture in the United States: Effects and adaptation.”
FULL STORY »
What’s behind the jump in boxed-beef prices?
Wholesale beef prices have been on quite a run over the last two weeks. After moving about $5 higher last week, beef cutout prices continued to strengthen through Thursday this week. The Choice cutout on Thursday averaged $196.90 per hundredweight, up more than $10 from $186.16 a week earlier. The Select cutout price, at $195.09 per hundredweight on Thursday, was up from $185.76 a week earlier
FULL STORY »
- YSA members gain insight into agribusiness, retail industries
- Meat industry associations quick to attack the new MCOOL rule
- Team up against bovine respiratory disease
- Oil prices pare losses on U.S. equities turnaround
- Future of food discussion with Agriculture Secretary
- Ag markets diverged prove rather volatile on Thursday
- Former Eastern Livestock CEO, CFO sentenced for federal crimes
- Post-tornado composting a solution for disposal of dead livestock
- Michigan hay buyers should plan purchases early
- More beef cows in worst drought regions than a year ago
- Seven jobs more dangerous than farming
- New animal identification rules aid disease traceability
