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USMEF says African Growth and Opportunity Act could help create trade access
The Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), which was created to incentivize two-way trade between the U.S. and sub-Saharan African countries, allows the president to offer duty-free access to certain nations. However, some of the countries benefitting from AGOA have prohibitive restrictions on U.S. beef and pork imports. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Director of Export Services Jim Remcheck said the USMEF sent a letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative outlining several...
Milk production down from May 23-May 24
The dairy industry has had more than its fair share of challenges in the past months and years. We have discussed low prices, trade issues, access to foreign markets, H5N1 disease, and more. The American dairy industry also feels the effects of contracted farms and...
Food Bank of Iowa receives donation of almost 240,000 eggs
Today, the Iowa Egg Council, Rose Acre Farms, and Hatch partnered together to make a generous donation of almost 240,000 eggs to the Food Bank of Iowa. This comes at a time when food donations are critical, as communities like Greenfield and Spencer are still...
Beef exports climb even higher while pork sits below last year’s pace
The value of U.S. beef exports topped $900 million in May, the highest since June 2023, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said exports trended higher year-over-year to...
Vilsack says clock is ticking on passage of new farm bill
United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says that everyone is on the same page with the goal of getting a new five-year farm bill done. However, he also says that time is getting tight for the completion of a new farm bill and is calling for all sides to...
Thirty million farm acres abandoned since 1986
In 2022, a University of Wisconsin study claimed that U.S. farmers had converted several million acres of pristine grassland and other “semi-natural areas” to cropland. Researcher Tyler Lark said that was in response to the Renewable Fuel Standard and ethanol...
High-tech equipment increasing demand for larger farm sheds
We talk at length about the changes we see in technology and the larger equipment we are seeing in the fields. While we focus so much on how the technology is changing the face of farming and how it makes us more efficient with our resources and inputs, we tend to...
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More Ag News
The dangers of SCN resistance
When discussing the tools available to combat Soybean Cyst Nematodes (SCN), we often talk about two modes of action. PI88788 & PEKING. These two weapons have been the two most effective tools we have. However, there are drawbacks when we look at their...
Biosecurity increasingly important as cattle movement rises
As we see more and more cattle movement, biosecurity is becoming increasingly important. David Shirbroun, professional services veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim, said there are several things producers can do to make sure they aren’t bringing infected cattle...
Dramatically lower wholesale and retail turkey prices
As Americans prepare for Thanksgiving dinner, shoppers are pleased with the state of turkey prices at the grocery store. That’s USDA economist Michael McConnell who says that despite affordable prices at the store, the news is not as good for turkey producers who are...
Food fight: US dietary guidelines could cut meat and potatoes
Beef groups slammed recommendations for consumers to increase their protein intake via beans, peas and lentils, calling the proposal “unhinged.” A major battle is brewing over how much red meat Americans should consume — and it has the beef industry seeing red. The...
“Culture Celebrators” have a particular affinity for pork
The Culture Celebrator is one of seven consumer segments identified in an in-depth consumer segmentation study completed by the National Pork Board. Sarah Showalter, manager of business and consumer insights at NPB, said the Culture Celebrator segment shows an...
