Hog Production

A $10.4 Trillion Engine: Agriculture Drives One-Fifth of the U.S. Economy

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:46:58 GMT

Did you know that close to one in every three jobs nationwide is tied to food and agriculture? The latest Feeding the Economy Report says food and agriculture support about 49 million jobs, which is about 30% of total U.S. employment. Although less than 2% are on the farm, when you add food manufacturing, wholesale and retail, that adds another 24 million jobs, or about 15% of the workforce.

Each year, the Feeding the Economy Report measures the downstream, off-the-farm economic impact of U.S. agriculture. Danny Munch, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the report tracks three layers of impact.

“When you combine those layers, ag supports about $10.4 trillion in economic output, or about one-fifth of the entire U.S. economy,” Munch said on the Newsline podcast .

2025: $900-Billion Growth in U.S. Agricultural Industry

The U.S. agricultural industry grew by nearly $900 billion over the past year, according to this study led each year by the Corn Refiners Association and sponsored by three dozen agriculture and food organizations, including the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).

The first layer is direct activity, which includes the base level of food and ag production that is traditionally measured. It also measures supply industries like transportation, finance, equipment manufacturing and inputs in the second layer. The third includes the ripple effects of those two stages on how wages are earned and spent throughout the rest of the system.

“So, all the benefits we were talking about – jobs, wages, tax revenue – they’re tied to where that production happens,” Munch says. “If production shifts overseas due to cost pressures, regulatory burdens or competitive challenges, that economic activity moves with it. So, it’s not just about the food supply, it’s about all these other jobs, tax revenue and economic commerce that supports industries across every corner of every state.”

The report includes a state-by-state breakdown of agriculture’s economic impact, showing total jobs, wages, output, taxes and exports. Key findings include:

Food and agriculture generated more than $3 trillion in wages for U.S. workers, with wages rising 4% year-over-year and 13% over the past decade.
Food manufacturing remains the largest manufacturing sector in the U.S., employing almost 2.3 million workers.
U.S. food and agriculture exports were more than $177 billion, though exports declined by $5.4 billion year-over-year, underscoring the need for maintaining strong trade agreements and expanding market access for American products.
The food and agriculture sector produced $1.35 trillion in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments, a 7% increase year-over-year.

“The report confirms the incredible, positive impacts of agriculture on our country,” says NPPC CEO Bryan Humphreys. “America’s 60,000-plus pork producers are proud to help drive this force that provides our food and other agriculture products—and the opportunity to be part of something bigger than themselves by carrying on a tradition of taking care of their families, neighbors, animals and land, and at heart, a way of living that often has been passed down for generations.”

U.S. pork producers annually generate more than $37 billion in personal income, contribute more than $62 billion in GDP, and support more than 573,000 jobs in the U.S. economy, NPPC adds.

Equipment Malfunction Causes Manure Spill in Ohio, Sparks Vital Lessons for Farmers

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 20:09:47 GMT

A farming equipment malfunction is the cause of a manure spill that turned a creek red in Wyandot County, Ohio, reports the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA).

According to Glen Arnold, field specialist and manure nutrient management systems professor at Ohio State University Extension, a part broke on the irrigation system that allowed the manure to flow into nearby Carey Creek, also known as Poverty Run. An alarm system should have indicated a problem did not work properly. Ohio EPA reports that the red color stemmed from a discharge of liquid manure that was pulled from an anaerobic manure lagoon on a nearby hog farm.

“As soon as it was discovered, the farmers shut the manure source off and took steps to pump the manure-contaminated water back out of the creek,” Arnold explains. “This time of the year in Ohio, we are at a minimum flow time. We haven’t had much rain, so the creeks wouldn’t have much water to carry manure downstream.”

An example of equipment being positioned to remove manure from a ditch.

(Glen Arnold)

This means the manure-contaminated water wouldn’t travel very far, he says.

Carey Creek is not a drinking water source, Ohio EPA reports. It flows into Tymochtee Creek then the Sandusky River.

Fortunately, no impacts to wildlife have been reported, Ohio EPA says. Cleanup is underway by a contractor hired by the farm. The farm is working closely with Ohio EPA, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, and the Local Soil and Water District. Ohio EPA will continue to oversee cleanup until the issue is resolved.

Why Did the Water Turn Red?
Reports said the creek turned a light red to a pink color. Although this may seem odd to most people, for those who understand anerobic lagoons, this is anything but weird.

“That would be pretty standard for a manure lagoon,” Arnold says. “In lagoon situations, you’re hoping the bacteria will break down the solids that are in that manure pond or lagoon. You don’t generally pump it all the way out, you basically pump liquids off the top on a regular basis. Because of the bacteria that are working together to make that lagoon work as it should, the liquids generally have a red tint.”

For the most part, liquids are being pumped off the top of the manure pond or lagoon, he explains.

“It’s low-nutrient water – most of the high nutrients are down in the bottom,” Arnold says. “In that situation, that red tint that was in the manure pond then gets transferred into the creek. It’s not more toxic or more dangerous in any way, but that was the color of the original liquid manure.”

Ohio EPA reports this red tinted color is caused by purple sulfur bacteria commonly found in anaerobic manure lagoons. This color means the lagoon is working properly.

How Should You Handle a Manure Spill?
If a spill occurs, Arnold says the first thing producers should do is contact the local authorities. In Ohio, it’s generally the Soil and Water Conservation Service District, but some larger permitted farms can call the Ohio Department of Agriculture directly.

“Malfunctions happen,” Arnold points out. “Anytime a problem like this occurs, quick action is the best way to go. Get the situation mitigated as quickly as possible. Get the source stopped, get the creek or river dammed up, contain the spill, and then we can pump it back out.”

A manure tanker sucking up liquid manure from a emergency sump hole dug in a corn field.

(Glen Arnold)

He says it’s important to remember that you can’t rely 100% on technology at all times.

“You have to put eyes on the manure application process,” Arnold says. “You have to put eyes on the field tile. You’ve got to put eyes on surface ditches and be sure they’re not allowing the manure to escape from a field. It’s important producers give thought to their first line of defense and second line of defense to prevent these things from happening.”

After everything has been done to pump the water out, Arnold says the next step is to mitigate or improve the quality of the water through aerification.

“Aerification is where we shoot the water up in the air to let ammonia get out of the water, and to add oxygen to the water,” he says. “We can put bubblers in the water to bubble air into it to improve the water quality or add some additional water from a source like a fire truck or water tanker to get fresh water into the creek or ditch.”

He says this is important because manure contains ammonia, and ammonia will bind with the oxygen in the water, making it unavailable for fish, crawdads and other aquatic life.

“It’s always difficult once a manure spill has occurred to think clearly and follow a plan,” he says. “I would encourage producers to think through the steps they would take if a spill occurred. Who would you need to contact? Do you have their cell phones handy? What equipment would you need to get your hands on?”

Respect Authorities When a Manure Spill Occurs
It probably goes without saying, but it’s important to cooperate with the authorities when a spill occurs, Arnold adds.

“The agency people have a job to do,” he says. “I know how it feels – you are partly embarrassed because you’re the center of attention, and farmers rarely want to be the center of attention. You’re partly mad at the equipment that broke, or the unexpected clay tile that allowed the manure off the field that you didn’t know about in advance, or the fact that the neighbors are going to be watching you now.”

Manure being sucked from a ditch after a spill.

(Glen Arnold)

If you’ve got a solid track record and are upfront about what happened, the authorities will generally work with you to resolve it, Arnold says.

“But if someone shows a bad attitude or has a history of repeated manure escapes or spills, that’s a very different situation. The best thing you can do is demonstrate that you’re taking responsibility and making every effort to do the right thing.”

Tips for Smooth Manure Application
The old adage that ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ is true, especially when it comes to manure management.

“We don’t want to make mistakes when handling manure,” he says.

Although manure is an organic product that breaks down rapidly and does not last long in the environment, having a manure spill is disruptive, troublesome and costly.

Remember to look closely at fields this time of year before you apply manure, Arnold says.

A temporary dam built in a corn field to stop swine from manure escaping after an equipment pumping failure.

(Glen Arnold)

“Because of our clay content in our soil, we’re going to have a lot of cracks,” he says. “We use tillage to disrupt those preferential flows, the worm holes, the cracks in the soil, crawdad holes, and those types of things.”

He also urges producers to understand the tile structure in the field where manure is being applied. Check the weather forecast before applying manure, and of course, apply manure at the proper rate.

“Farmers live as close to their hog buildings as anyone in the community,” Arnold says. “The same groundwater and surface water that their families drink is the water we all depend on. Pork producers want to do right because they hope their children and grandchildren will remain on the land and be part of the farm’s future. Protecting water is not only about farming responsibly — it’s about safeguarding our own families and neighbors.”

Cheryl Day, Ohio Pork Council executive vice president, says producers are already doing a responsible job managing nutrients, but no one can afford complacency.

“Every decision we make on manure handling and application matters,” Day says. “One mistake can set back the progress our industry has made and risk both water quality and community trust. Stewardship isn’t optional — it’s our responsibility, and it must remain our highest priority.”

No one plans for a spill, but planning for the unexpected makes all the difference. Farmers who know their tile maps, watch the forecast, and have response plans ready are protecting more than their farms — they’re protecting their communities.

Why Keystone Cooperative is Investing in the Stock Show Industry

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 15:56:11 GMT

When it comes to hiring employees, Keystone Cooperative, Inc., looks for three core competencies: customer focus, drive for results and teamwork. The company says it is finding its next generation of employees within organizations like the National Junior Swine Association (NJSA).

“We talk a lot at Keystone about these core competencies, and you definitely must have all three if you’re going to be successful in the show ring,” says Nathan Hedden, vice president of swine and animal nutrition at Keystone. “You have to work hard at home and that will end up bringing the other three competencies along.”

Keystone is a farmer-owned cooperative with roots that go back to 1927, Hedden explains. Based in Indianapolis, Ind., the company operates in Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan.

“We have 2,000 employees at Keystone across four different divisions: agronomy, energy, grain, swine and animal nutrition,” Hedden says. “It really made sense for us to partner with NJSA. When we think about talent, we want to be the employer of choice in the Midwest, not just in agriculture, but across all different industries. We see this as the next talent pool to continue to grow Keystone.”

(Legacy Livestock Imaging)

During the National Junior Summer Spectacular in Louisville, Ky., Keystone representatives were on site watching the show and meeting young people from all over the country.

More than 600 exhibitors from 28 states brought 1,324 pigs to the event, says Clay Zwilling, CEO of the National Swine Registry.

“One of the things that was the most exciting for me was asking how many of new families were in the crowd at our opening ceremonies,” Zwilling says. “Probably a third of the crowd raised their hands. It really heeds to the passion people have for this industry and the excitement of the long-term engagement and sustainability of our side of the business for young families that are coming in and getting engaged.”

(Jennifer Shike)

Molding Leaders
NJSA is focused on developing the next generation of leaders for the pork industry, Zwilling says.

“It’s been really exciting to watch this grow and blossom and be able to connect really talented young people back into the pork industry,” Zwilling says. “The number of new employees and tenured employees at Keystone that have come through the junior livestock project, and specifically NJSA, is incredible.”

The core competencies that Hedden looks for align with NJSA’s focus, he adds.

“It’s incredible to watch little kids that we’ve got to encourage to break out of their shell go on to have success in the show ring and ultimately come back to the industry as talented leaders,” Zwilling says. “I think this alignment makes a ton of sense. I’m very excited about the future and appreciate the support of people willing to help invest in these kids.”

It’s A Big Industry
The stockmanship skills youth learn raising and showing pigs is another reason Keystone was drawn to support this youth swine program.

“We have 282 sites across the Midwest where we raise pigs today, working with an independent farmer who is actually taking care of those pigs,” Hedden explains. “Well, as those farms have grown, we’ve seen a lot of those operations that haven’t had pigs or maybe haven’t had pigs for a while and haven’t kept up with the technology that’s available today, want to raise pigs again. If you can find employees with stockmanship skills that can stand in the gap and help them learn and develop that, that creates a huge competitive advantage for us.”

The pork industry is full of opportunities, Hedden adds. He’s committed to helping youth see that there is more waiting for them after they finish showing pigs.

“It doesn’t end at the end of your show career,” he says. “Find people that you can talk to, maybe even ride along with, to better understand what they do. That may help you find your passion for what you want to do next.”

What Motivates Agricultural Candidates to Apply?

Thu, 03 Jul 2025 16:49:44 GMT

Agriculture and food industry employers consistently struggle to find applicants with the right combination of skills and experience. So, where exactly are the qualified candidates going?

Candidate drop-off, a situation where job seekers initiate applications but fail to complete them, is an issue facing recruitment professionals nationwide. To better understand and address this issue, AgCareers conducted the Application Motivation Survey. We investigated the key motivators driving application completion and identified obstacles causing drop-off.

Here are essential insights into what motivates candidates to apply and select your organization:

1. Money Talks and Transparency Pays
Our survey underscores the importance of pay transparency in job advertisements. Salary and benefits information emerged as the most crucial factor candidates seek before deciding to apply. Only 32% of job seekers stated they’d apply to a role without listed salary details—meaning employers risk losing nearly 70% of potential applicants by omitting compensation details. Including salary ranges directly benefits both candidates and employers by saving time and clearly aligning expectations. Employers can further streamline the process by proactively indicating salary ranges, especially if asking for applicants’ salary expectations.

Even after a candidate applies, compensation remains the primary consideration for candidates deciding whether to join or leave an organization. Respondents said that “salary/compensation” was the most crucial factor influencing their selection in an employer and the top motivator for them to leave a job if offered another opportunity elsewhere.

2. Location & Job Description
Alongside competitive compensation, clearly articulated job descriptions and specific location details form the trifecta of essential information for candidates. Location consistently ranks as the top online job search criterion. Conversely, nearly half (46%) of respondents stated “unwillingness to relocate” as their main reason for not applying.

Job descriptions also significantly influence application decisions. Candidates feel most confident and encouraged to apply when they clearly meet all listed requirements. Conversely, failing to meet minimum education and experience criteria discourages applicants, with women significantly less likely than men to apply if they don’t fulfill all job posting requirements.

3. Application Process
Candidates express substantial frustration with repetitive application processes requiring redundant entry of resume information and lengthy, complicated steps like authentication. Additionally, respondents reported they are unlikely to apply to future openings at an organization if their initial application goes unacknowledged.

Access the Full Survey Report
Download the complete complimentary Application Motivation Survey Report to gain further insights into job search behaviors, employer branding, application processes, and candidate communication strategies. Enhance your organization’s job postings and branding efforts to attract and retain top talent.

Download the AgCareers Application Motivation Survey Final Report 2024-2025 .

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Has Prop 12 Created a Crisis in California?

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 21:00:01 GMT

Proposition 12 is exacerbating food insecurity in California – especially in the Asian and Latino communities who rely on pork as their primary protein, say representatives of the Latino Restaurant Association and the Latin Business Association.

“The impacts of Proposition 12 are devastating our Latino businesses and families across California,” says Ruben Guerra, chairman of the Latin Business Association. “With pork prices soaring up to 41% higher than the rest of the country and more than one in three Latino adults already living in food-insecure households, this misguided law is creating unintended food insecurity in our communities.”

Pork is a staple protein in Latino cuisine and culture, yet Guerra says they are seeing California’s pork consumption plummet as families struggle to afford these drastically higher prices.

“This isn’t just about numbers, this is about real families having to choose between putting food on the table and paying their bills,” he says. “Our small businesses, particularly Latino-owned restaurants and markets, are caught in the middle as they try to maintain affordable prices while absorbing these massive cost increases.”

Prop 12 hasn’t made life better for anyone, says Lilly Rocha, executive director of the Latino Restaurant Association.

“It would be one thing if the regulations imposed on pork producers were based on data and scientific research,” Rocha says. “But it’s not. We’ve had a great pork industry forever. Why do we need to change a good thing all of a sudden? It makes no sense. It seems to be regulation stemming from a social agenda, not a scientific one.”

Out-of-Control Prices
The Latino Restaurant Association is based in Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, California and New York and serves about 1,400 members across the nation. As a representative of Latino restaurant owners, Rocha says they are concerned about how Prop 12 has affected their industry in a negative way.

“Latinos are the No. 1 consumers of pork in the United States – that means our menus have a lot of pork products,” Rocha explains. “Pork has generally been the affordable protein. Now, beef and pork are the same, so the profit margin is going down on both of the proteins. It’s going to be more of a struggle to even make a profit within the menu since prices are up, resulting in an increase in overall pricing.”

She points out that the Latino community is not the most affluent of the minority groups, so the higher prices are impacting them in a big way.

“Here in California, it’s not the easiest place to run a business, especially a restaurant. We are seeing out-of-control pricing already,” Rocha says.

Pork is a staple protein in the Latino population.

(Latino Restaurant Association)

Although she doesn’t know if there is a direct correlation between higher pork prices and restaurant closures, she says there’s no question about it that closures are continuing to happen.

“I think Prop 12 is just one more regulation on top of other regulations, and all together, that’s what’s making our folks shut their doors,” she says. “Prop 12 absolutely adds to that in a very negative way.”

Rocha and Guerra are leading voices in the Food Equity Alliance, a coalition working to address rising food costs and their impact on California families, especially within the Latino community. Of course, they don’t want prices to go back down, but realize that probably won’t happen. She says they’d like to see prices not go up. Most importantly, they don’t want Prop 12 to propagate in other places.

“Latinos love pork, and we will try to find ways to be able to afford pork,” Rocha says. “We’re always going to be supportive of the pork industry and want them to know we are an ally. We are willing to do anything we can do to help or team up to educate others on what’s really going on in the industry.”

Your Next Read: Converting to Prop 12: What Have We Learned a Year Later?

China’s Tipping Point: What Looming Crisis Means for U.S. Pork in 2025

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:03:17 GMT

There are decades where nothing happens, and there are weeks where decades happen.” This quote from Vladimir Lenin is particularly relevant as globalism, the dominant economic system of the past several decades, faces radical transformation entering 2025.

At the forefront of this transformation is China, the “workshop of the world” and a major destination for agricultural exports. However, China is now grappling with a host of existential threats. The question is not if but when we will witness a total system collapse, and this year appears to mark the beginning of the end, as recession looms overhead.

The challenges facing China could fill volumes, but three key factors make its problems insurmountable.

1. Population Collapse
As shown in Chart 1, China’s population structure is dire. Even a dramatic increase in birth rates would be too late to reverse the trend. Conservative estimates suggest China’s population could shrink to 500 million to 700 million within 75 years. This demographic decline would devastate any economy, but it hits China’s industrial economy particularly hard.

Population Forecast for China

(UN Population Prospects 2024)

2. Economic Model Missteps
As labor costs rise with the decline in population, China’s competitive advantage in the industrial sector will erode. This makes transitioning to a service-based economy critical. While China had begun this shift over the past decade, the process was abruptly reversed during COVID-19, when Beijing funneled stimulus investment into industry. The result? Depressed returns and mounting debt, with little progress toward a viable economic model.

3. Leadership Challenges
President Xi Jinping’s consolidation of power through the systematic purging of opposition has undermined China’s ability to make well-informed policy decisions, precisely what a country facing crisis needs most. As sole decision-maker, China’s ability to manage crisis rests entirely on President Xi, outside of him, China’s policy-making apparatus would need to be reforged from the ground up.

Implications for U.S. Producers in 2025
While the exact trajectory of events remains uncertain, several outcomes seem likely if a recession hits this year:

Declining Input Costs: Prices for commodities such as oil, steel and other inputs will drop as consumption slows in China. Feed costs would also decline if Chinese producers exit the market due to poor liquidity and reduced demand for pork. However, while inputs could become cheaper, disruptions in production chains as companies relocate outside of China will cause supply shortages. This means the cost of finished goods will remain high for the foreseeable future.

Stable U.S. Pig Prices: Pork exports to China will continue downward, but growing demand in other markets, such as Mexico, which benefit from the relocation of production chains, should help stabilize exports.

The Importance of Liquidity: In a recession, liquidity will be vital. It will enable businesses overexposed to the Chinese market to pivot to new opportunities and allow others to pursue expansion at bargain prices.

This year is shaping up to be one of rapid and dramatic changes. Although challenges loom ahead, it is during challenging times that opportunities arise for those who can adapt and respond effectively.

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CoBank: Policy Will Shape Rural Economy In The Year Ahead

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 23:31:07 GMT

CoBank has released its 2025 outlook report , which outlines the key themes the organization expects to shape agriculture and the rural economy in the coming year. While there are several factors to watch, they mainly stem from one place: federal policy.

“The environment we enter in 2025 hasn’t fully defined itself yet, but many of the policies proposed by the incoming administration would likely have a negative impact on U.S. agriculture,” said Rob Fox, director of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. “Open access to export markets and labor availability are critically important for agricultural producers and processors. Depending on how policy plays out, those two areas could be big challenges in 2025 and beyond.”

As a new economic era begins, here are the six main forces at play:

Threat of A Trade War
A large focus of President-elect Trump’s campaign was on significant import tariffs. While we don’t know exactly what this policy would look like, it is unlikely to produce a positive outcome for crop or livestock producers.

Fox writes, “These policies could achieve some limited objectives, but it is very hard to paint them as anything but negative for the U.S. farm economy.”

If a trade war was to ensue, it could also be very costly for agriculture. A recent joint study by the national corn and soybean associations estimates the 2018-19 trade war with China cost the U.S. a total of $27 billion in agricultural sales to China over those two years.

Export Competition
Alongside the potential for a trade war, export competition from Russia and South America poses another treat.

According to the report, Russia’s currency is weakening - which is expected to anchor global wheat prices and allow Russia’s wheat to be more competitive.

At the same time, Brazil’s currency is also weakening and exports from the country will be cheaper than those from the U.S. This is coupled with the forecast of record South American corn and soybean crops.

With an abundance of soybeans globally, CoBank is anticipating many U.S. acres to shift from soybeans to corn this year as well.

Labor Challenges
Another likely outcome of the upcoming Trump administration is a decreased labor supply.

The president-elect has proposed deportation and reduced immigration, which could negatively impact the dairy, meatpacking and produce industries by causing labor shortages and driving up costs.

Livestock Sector Investment and Growth
It’s not all bad news for the dairy industry, though. According to the report, the U.S. will see an unprecedented $8 billion in new dairy processing investment through 2026 - and some of those plants will come online in 2025.

The livestock sector as a whole is benefiting from low feed costs, and specifically in the beef industry, a reduced herd size is supporting higher feeder and fed cattle values.

The USDA Economic Research Service projects per capita consumption of chicken, beef, pork and turkey to remain stable or grow up to 2% from 2024 to 2025.

It’s important to note, however, there could be retaliation from potential tariffs placed on major dairy export customers such as Mexico and China.

Tight Margins
Reduced income and tighter margins for the crop industry are expected to continue in 2025.

CoBank anticipates input decisions being driven largely by what provides the greatest return on investment, and farmers may look to switch chemicals to generics.

During this time, it will be critical for ag retailers to provide tailored agronomic advice and technical assistance.

Biofuel Uncertainty
On the biofuel front, headwinds are expected to continue into 2025 - with the Trump administration adding more regulatory uncertainty.

Projections of note include:

A modest increase in biofuel production next year, although ethanol supplies will maintain 2024 production levels of 1.05 million barrels per day, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Renewable diesel production capacity will grow just 100 million gallons from 2024 to 2025 to a total of 5.2 billion and remain steady through 2026, according to an updated analysis from University of Illinois.
Federal and state tax incentives and low carbon fuel policies will drive the future viability of sustainable aviation fuel.

To read the full report from CoBank, click here .

The Pork Industry Responds to EPA’s Rodenticide Strategy

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 18:03:43 GMT

Many people in agriculture fear rodenticides will become even more difficult to access and more expensive to use after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s release of the final biological evaluation, and associated response to comments, for 11 rodenticide active ingredients.

From feral hogs and Norway rats to house mice and ground squirrels, the amount of damage caused by these pests in agricultural and non-agricultural settings alike is astounding. Not only do they cause significant damage to property, crops and food supplies, but these pests also spread disease and pose a serious risk to public health.

EPA says the mitigation measures described in this final biological evaluation will serve as the agency’s Rodenticide Strategy as outlined in EPA’s Endangered Species Act Work plan.

“The Devil will be in the detail, and will vary state by state,” says Michael Formica, chief legal strategist at the National Pork Producers Council. “This strategy is going to undermine use of these important rodenticide tools. Producers will need to be licensed by their states to get them, and we’ll have fewer options at a higher price available.”

Formica says this is just another in the “thousands of over-reaching ill-considered regulations that lead to food price inflation.”

Final Biological Evaluation
The 11 rodenticides evaluated in the biological evaluation include: chlorophacinone; diphacinone and its sodium salt; warfarin and its sodium salt; brodifacoum; bromadiolone; difenacoum; difethialone; bromethalin; cholecalciferol; strychnine; and zinc phosphide.

“These rodenticides are intended to control target animals using different biochemical mechanisms (e.g., neurotoxicity, reduced blood clotting). They also have different properties that affect the types of species that may be impacted,” EPA wrote. “For example, some rodenticides may remain in target animals long enough such that predator or scavenger animals that consume the target animals may be affected. The assessment accounts for these different properties across the 11 rodenticides evaluated in the biological evaluation.”

EPA says the final biological evaluation finds that the currently labeled uses of the 11 rodenticides evaluated remained the same as those in the draft biological evaluation, and:

• Will have no effect on 88% of species and 95% percent of critical habitats
• Are not likely to adversely affect 4-11% of species and 1% of critical habitats
• Are likely to adversely affect 1-8% of listed species and 4% of critical habitat
• Have a likelihood of future Jeopardy/Adverse Modification (J/AM) of less than 5% of listed species and less than 1% of critical habitats

“The final Rodenticide Strategy does not itself impose any requirements or restrictions on pesticide use,” EPA says. “Any mitigation measures needed to address potential likelihood of future J/AM for listed species will only apply in geographically specific areas where listed species with J/AM predictions are located, using EPA’s Bulletins Live! Two system, as part of label language, or in the Terms and Conditions of registration.”

Not all of these measures will be necessary for all uses or products containing these pesticide ingredients, EPA explains in the release. These are measures from which EPA expects to choose when reducing exposure to listed species and their critical habitats, as necessary, for a specific active ingredient, use site, and application method. During formal consultation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) will use EPA’s effects determinations to inform their biological opinion(s).

Formica says, “This is an overly-broad regulation that imposes unnecessary costs and an additional burden on producers because of concerns by activists and their allies at EPA over alleged misuses that have nothing to do with ag (their concern is urban and suburban consumers putting too much out indiscriminately).”

Rodenticide Access
Over 10 years ago, there was a previous attempt to ban rodenticide use, Formica recalls. Opponents feared people would see a mouse, run to a local retailer and then throw out a lot of rat poison, potentially impacting other animals.

“Then rodenticides were relabeled for ag use only. They created a minimum size you had to buy so you couldn’t buy a small 1 lb package at a suburban big box hardware store, you had to buy 20 lbs from an ag supplier.,” Formica says.

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is the Federal statute that governs the registration, distribution, sale, and use of pesticides in the United States, according to EPA’s website. Generally, before a pesticide may be sold or distributed in the U.S., it must be registered with the EPA. Before EPA may register a pesticide under FIFRA, the applicant must show, among other things, that using the pesticide according to specifications “will not generally cause unreasonable adverse effects on the environment.”

“What they want to do is remove it from store shelves entirely, restrict its access unless you are licensed to apply it,” Formica says. “If you are a grain farmer, you’re probably going to have a FIFRA applicator’s license anyway, but not every hog farmer is a grain farmer and not every cattle rancher is a grain farmer, so they’re going to have to go out and get their FIFRA applicator certification, which is done at the state level,” Formica explains.

In addition, losing the retail market for these rodenticides will make them more difficult to buy for those who need them, he explains.

“It won’t be impossible to buy but you are going to have much fewer choices and you will have to buy larger quantities,” Formica says. “The price goes up as well.”

The final biological evaluation is available in the docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2023-0567 on www.regulations.gov.

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State of the Pork Industry Report: Takeaways from 2023

Tue, 21 May 2024 13:44:50 GMT

Looking back at the takeaways from 2023, what are the non-negotiables for pork producers going into the second half of 2024? In the first State of the Pork Industry Report hosted by Farm Journal’s PORK editor Jennifer Shike, four experts discuss this question and more as they compare the data to what they are seeing in the barns.

Find out what this group of industry leaders believes are the most important takeaways and how this can help your farm be more profitable now and in the future.

Experts include:

Cara Haden , DVM and veterinarian with Pipestone
Randy Kuker, director of swine production for The Equity
Adam Annegers, sow production manager at JBS
Brad Eckberg, business analyst with MetaFarms

What are the 2024 Non-Negotiables for U.S. Pork Producers?

For Kuker, the non-negotiables for 2024 are simple – people development and biosecurity matter.

“Develop your people, train them, coach them, try to influence them to do a good job every day and give them the support they need. Be present for them,” Kuker said in the report. “Then, really push biosecurity. Consider incentivizing people for doing good biosecurity and keeping those lateral transfers out of there.”

Annegers couldn’t agree more and added the pork industry doesn’t have time not to train. People are the industry’s No. 1 resource.

“Keeping our people happy and getting them trained, engaged and empowered to do a great job taking care of pigs is huge for us. That will continue to be a big driver for us as we go forward,” Annegers said. “Those people trees are just not growing anymore. So, when we get talented people who care a lot, we need to put all of our time and effort into those people. Without employees on the farms, we don’t have farms.”

For the self-proclaimed “data nerd” on the panel, Eckberg encouraged producers to utilize data to make decisions. He also reminded listeners that garbage in is garbage out.

“You’ve got to have quality, accurate data to make decisions,” Eckberg said. “Tracking the bare essentials is a great place to start that allows you to be proactive.”

Of course, health is a non-negotiable for Haden.

“It is so fun to raise healthy pigs. It’s a blast. They’re a really fun animal to work with,” she said. “But it’s not fun to raise sick pigs. Really look at your system. What can we do from a vaccination standpoint? What can we do from a flow standpoint? What can we do from a biosecurity standpoint? What can we do to try to keep our pigs healthy, so that we can enjoy our jobs and going into the barn every single day? I think that needs to be a huge focus.”

In addition to 2023 takeaways, the panelists dig into a variety of topics from Prop 12 to E. coli and from mortality rates and grow-finish trends. Check out the first State of the Pork Industry Report hosted by Farm Journal’s PORK on YouTube .

Read More:

A Good Start to 2024: Mortality Improves Across the Board in Latest MetaFarms Report

The Superpower the Industry Needs on Swine Farms Now

Sow Death Loss Reaches All-Time High in 2023: What Can Producers Do Now?

Keep Your Eyes Open: Ways to Reduce Wean-to-Finish Mortality

When the Data Gets Overwhelming: Key Metrics to Pay Attention to on the Swine Farm

Why Pork is in the Crosshairs of Animal Rights Extremists

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 18:45:25 GMT

The pork community is in the crosshairs right now for the animal rights extremist community, says Hannah Thompson-Weeman, president and CEO of the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

“They’re feeling buoyed by Proposition 12 being upheld last year,” Thompson-Weeman says. “And that’s led to a wave of similar legislation in other states and even things coming up all the way down to the city level. In addition to that, we’re seeing a lot of continued farm and plant activism.”

Some extremists are using false pretenses to get hired and capture footage that they can use in campaigns to damage the reputation of the industry. Some are even going in and taking animals, stealing piglets in some instances, that they claim is a rescue, she adds.

Several cases have gone to trial for those incidents recently. The results have been a mixed bag, Thompson-Weeman says. In some cases, they’ve been able to make a very emotional argument to a jury and be found not guilty even though they admit they went into a farm without permission and took animals without permission.

In one of those trials toward the end of last year, the co-founder of an extreme animal rights organization was found guilty. In the wake of that conviction, they released a 149-page investigation manual, encouraging other extremists to use drones, cameras, and any other way to try to get unauthorized access to farms, she says.

“It’s an incredible challenge, not only reputationally, but also when it comes to animal diseases and biosecurity, thinking about people without permission going from premise to premise,” Thompson-Weeman says. “Unfortunately, it really is a major challenge for the pork community right now.”

She says animal rights extremist organizations that didn’t previously play much in the legislative space are latching on to that as a tactic, all the way down to city-level resolutions.

“They see it as a way to get the ball rolling and set a precedent for taking those ideas all the way up to the state and ultimately, federal level,” Thompson-Weeman says.

For example, citizen-led initiatives in the city of Berkeley are trying to ban farms and processing plants in the city.

“Now is that going to have a big impact? Probably not,” she says. “There’s not a lot of production agriculture in a city like Berkeley, but they’re also taking a similar initiative to the county level in Sonoma County, Calif., which is a major agricultural county.”

At an activist conference a few years ago, someone said, “You can change the world starting with a local ordinance.”

“They see it as a way to set a precedent and get the ball rolling, especially going to places that don’t have a lot of agriculture and uninformed electorate and local officials,” Thompson-Weeman explains. “If they can get a growing list of cities and municipalities to pass these type of regulations, even if not a lot of production is actually impacted, they can then take that to the state level and push for something that would have a big impact on animal agriculture.”

What Can We Do?

Everyone in the animal agriculture community, whether you are a farmer or rancher or a part of allied industry, or part of an association, or just someone who cares about food choice and having meat, poultry, dairy, seafood and eggs available to you, has a role to play in addressing these issues. She says it starts on the farm with being proactive and making sure that practices are beyond reproach when it comes to things like animal welfare and sustainability.

In the pork industry, following programs like PQA, We Care, and making sure to live those things out each day demonstrate commitment to animal welfare and being responsible stewards of the land and good neighbors in our communities.

“It’s doing the right thing, day in day out, no matter who’s watching,” Thompson-Weeman says.

Of course, producers can do all those things and still find themselves the target of an organization that simply doesn’t believe there’s any way to ethically and responsibly raise animals for food, no matter how well it’s done.

“Take security measures to make yourselves a harder target. Things like lighting, cameras, gates, locks, fencing, no trespassing signage, biosecurity signage procedures for checking in and out of the property, are just a few ways to make yourself and your livelihood a little bit more protected from these organizations,” she adds.

Don’t forget you have a role to play in the consumer conversation, Thompson-Weeman points out.

“Making sure we’re being loud, proud voices to set the record straight and correct the narrative about animal welfare, sustainability and responsible antibiotic use,” she says. “If we’re not there putting a face on animal agriculture and sharing our story, those negative voices are going to be what people hear. We all have a role to play both in our livelihoods and facilities, and then having conversations about these important topics.”

Worst-Case Scenario: Why Eric Snodgrass Thinks The Heavy Rainfall In Brazil Could Do More Harm Than Good

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 15:58:14 GMT

Sinking soybean prices have been the theme to start the new year. One reason behind the price pressure is bearish news of rain returning to key growing areas in South America that had been impacted by severe drought. However, one leading ag meteorologist thinks this rain could do more harm than good at this point in the season, even impacting the planting of the safrinha corn crop.

Eric Snodgrass, science fellow and principal atmospheric scientist with Nutrien Ag Solutions , says the wet weather is a sudden switch from the drought that plagued a vital soybean and production growing region at the end of 2023.

“For the last three months, we’ve seen incredibly dry conditions throughout the center-West region,” says Snodgrass. “We had episodes of heat pushed the late planting off quite a bit. And now we’re seeing the models really make a pretty substantial flip over to much wetter conditions.”

Join us Feb. 5 to 7 in Kansas City for Top Producer Summit . This is the leading networking and education event! Eric Snodgrass will present a general session: High Impact Weather And Production Agriculture”

Snodgrass says forecasts point to as much as 8 inches to 10 inches of rain in a span of two weeks. While the rain is needed, it could actually do more harm than good.

“To be honest with you, I think this is a worst-case scenario, compared to if it had just stayed drier,” Snodgrass says. “What I mean by that is you bring in all that rain, it’s going to impact some early harvests. But what happens if all of that moisture begins to get recycled? In other words, it sticks around and that makes things wetter for a while. Now, all of a sudden, you start pushing back the harvest time period. And that’s going to just keep pushing that crop calendar such that the safrinha corn crop goes in late.

The next 5 days across S America. Wednesday morning global output. pic.twitter.com/a8rmJ1tTrW
— Allen Motew (@QTweather) January 3, 2024

Snodgrass says El Niño reached its peak at the end of December. Now, what’s called the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is riding on top of El Niño, which is pumping tropical moisture into Brazil and increasing farmers’ chances there for heavy rainfall and continued rain events.

“Basically, we opened it up finally to getting moisture into place from the tropics and, therefore, it’s going to start raining and raining pretty heavily,” says Snodgrass.

Busting Myths and Opening Doors: How One Ag Teacher is Making an Impact in the Pork Industry

Fri, 10 Nov 2023 17:22:36 GMT

It’s not easy to be an award-winning FFA advisor, but Riley Hintzsche of Streator Township High School in Illinois, makes it look that way.

His passion to help students find a career in agriculture is one of the reasons why he takes advantage of the U.S. Pork Center of Excellence’s Destination Pork high school curriculum.

“It provides an opportunity for kids to see what they do and don’t know about the pork industry and take a look at their future, really looking at the industry and what is possible,” he explains.

Plus, Hintzsche appreciates the two pathways Destination Pork offers: Pathway to the Industry and Pathway to Your Future.

Not only does the curriculum open students’ eyes to the pork industry, but it also provides insight into job and career opportunities. The best part? It’s free.

“The career aspects and highlights in Destination Pork are important to me,” Hintzsche stated. “There’s a huge gap in understanding with students wanting to be involved in pork production. Anytime there’s opportunity to show what life is really like outside our school, those highlights make a difference for our students, illustrating what they can do and sink their teeth into.”

Practically speaking, Hintzsche says the format, including PowerPoint presentations, is ideal for students. It allows them to get involved and engaged without getting bored by long lessons. The interactive elements also address different student learning styles, which he says provides even more value to him as an educator.

^{Riley Hintzsche says the two curriculum options allow him to work with students to understand each corner and aspect of the pork industry.}

It’s Time to Bust Myths About Modern Pig Farming

He points out that there can be a negative public connotation at times when it comes to farrowing houses and modern pig farming practices. Students sometimes come in with a negative perception - not based on knowledge or experience, but on what they see in social media.

Streator FFA farrows two sows each year in their greenhouse, giving students irreplaceable experience with the process, he says.

“After four years watching a pig farrow, understanding almost every piglet survived the birthing and weaning process, and gaining a better understanding of modern agriculture including farrowing crates, medication, and antibiotics, perceptions change,” he says.

Hintzsche appreciates that the hands-on experience with farrowing along with Destination Pork’s curriculum make a great combination for students and for him as their ag educator.

“When I take a look at Destination Pork, I see the opportunity it provides for students as a really great access point to understanding pork production without me putting in an overwhelming amount of effort. I can work with students to understand each corner and aspect of the industry,” he adds.

The life of an ag teacher is constantly busy so for Hintzsche, Destination Pork is something quick, accessible and creates opportunities for students to excel in the classroom.

^{Streator FFA farrows two sows each year in their greenhouse, providing unique opportunities for students to engage in hands-on learning.}

How Can You Help Spread the Word?

It’s not hard to make an experience like this happen in your school. Ag educators are welcome to download the Destination Pork curriculum from the U.S. Pork Center of Excellence website for review and implementation in their own classrooms.

The two curriculum pathways include:

Pathway to the Industry is an instructor-led experience designed for an Introduction to Agriculture course. Content and objectives are aligned with AFNR (Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources) standards and focus on pork production. Pathway to the Industry features a seven-lesson unit broken into 10 45-minute sessions. Topics include an overview of the pork industry, pig anatomy, the pork production cycle, pig caretaking and well-being, pig behavior, pork reproduction (breeding and genetics), and environmental stewardship of the pork industry.
Pathway to the Future, a student-led experience designed for independent study, uses an online module. Students identify and initiate paths to a career in the pork industry. Content focuses on career exploration and individual competencies and includes a series of independent courses consisting of four 30-minute sessions. Topics covered in the independent courses are value of the pork industry, challenging misconceptions of the pork industry, the people who work in the pork industry, and personal destination mapping within the pork industry. Additional experiential activities, which are optional elements of the Pathway to the Future module, revolve around four 60-to-90-minute sessions.

Read More:

How Two Pig Farmers Are Winning People Over to Pork Now

Supreme Court May Soon Announce Prop 12 Decision; Here's Why All Producers Should Care

Fri, 12 May 2023 15:20:52 GMT

Supreme Court may announce a decision relatively soon on the controversial Proposition 12 case that deals with California trying to dictate how hogs are raised.

The California law being challenged bans the sale of pork within the state unless pregnant pigs are allowed at least 24 square feet of space and the ability to stand up and turn around in their pens. The measure was approved with more 68% of the vote as part of a 2018 ballot initiative known as Proposition 12.

Related article: Proposition 12 Will Push Pig Farmers Out of Business, NPPC and Farmers Say

The National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation , which sued in 2019, say the measure violates the so-called dormant commerce clause, a doctrine that says the U.S. Constitution limits the power of states to regulate commerce outside their borders without congressional authorization.

Why Should Crop Producers Care?

If the Court rules in favor of California, the legislation will open a door to a much larger arena of regulatory authority. This case should have all other ag producers on alert, according to John Dillard of OFW Law .

Related article: How Prop 12 Could Impact Crop and Livestock Producers

“If California were to win this case in the Supreme Court, there’s nothing stopping the state from saying, for example, you can only sell corn in California if it’s harvested with an electric combine,” he says.

Dillard says the Supreme Court’s ruling could give the green or red light for each state to set its own standards on any and all products that come across state lines.

Interstate commerce has been brought into question many times in the past. The Supreme Court will either set new parameters or reinforce old ones when they address Prop 12 this year.

As El Niño Makes Its Grand Return, Here's What It Tells Us About Summer Weather and Corn Yields

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 18:35:26 GMT

Drought was a major storyline for U.S. crop conditions last summer. Dry conditions spurred by La Nina weighed on corn yields across areas of the Corn Belt. As La Nina fades, and El Niño starts to make a return, meteorologists say the weather shift could also signal better crop production in 2023.

El Niño is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, and it’s associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific. While it can bring warm temperatures around the globe, agricultural meteorologist Eric Snodgrass says it also tends to bring favorable growing conditions for crops in the Midwest.

“We do have a great suite of models that we’d like to just combine and compare, and what’s interesting about this particular year is they’re all telling the same story. And that story is that we expect most of the Corn Belt to have decent summer thunderstorm activity, decent precipitation and a lack of long duration episodes of heat,” says Snodgrass, the Principal Atmospheric Scientist with Nutrien Ag Solutions . “We always get short heat waves, but I’m talking about the long duration ones that can really go in there and destroy yields.”

Change in Pattern Hints Change in Summer Growing Conditions

He points out with most models signaling the return of El Nino, it is also a hint of what type of growing conditions crops like corn could see this summer.

“El Niño and the likelihood of it becoming a full-fledged El Niño by the time we get into summer, is pegged at about a 75% chance of occurring now,” says Snodgrass. “Should it manifest itself and be the most dominant, what we call teleconnection in the pattern, we would likely be seeing a better year overall.”

Snodgrass says his forecast for favorable growing conditions this summer is based off previous El Niño years, and particularly, El Niño summers.

“Since 1970, we’ve had 17 El Niño summers and 14 of them had trendline yields slightly above that. This means we generally think of El Niño summers of having a more juicy atmosphere, or more stuff for thunderstorms, so we’ll keep a close eye on it,” he says.

Read More: Punishing Drought Now Expected to Persist Through July Across Texas, Plains

Drought in the Plains Still a Concern

The area Snodgrass is most concerned about is the southern Plains. Growers in the area are finally seeing chances of rain, but he says considering how deep the drought is in areas of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, it will take above normal precipitation to eat away at the punishing drought.

“The places I’m most concerned about right now have to be the places that are already in drought because it takes so much effort to overcome the lack of soil moisture in those places,” he says.

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey is also watching El Niño, and the more short-term need for moisture across the Plains. He says timing of those rains will be key.

“If you talked to me a month ago, I would have been talking about how we expect to see El Niño by the end of the calendar year. But all of a sudden, as we look at the how the Pacific Ocean is evolving, it seems like El Niño is more and more imminent each passing day,” says Rippey. “From a drought standpoint, that ultimately should be good news for these drought-affected areas of the Great Plains, because that should help this transition out of drought. But the big question is, will it come in time to salvage summer crop planting?”

From All Angles: Food Chain Mandates Threaten Producers, Impact Consumers

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 17:23:57 GMT

Precedent-setting mandates are coming at animal agriculture from many different angles, undermining the freedom of farmers to raise livestock. These regulations aren’t based on science. They aren’t based on animal husbandry experience. And many will argue they aren’t based on a shred of truth.

So, why are more and more activist groups turning to state ballot initiatives to push their agendas? Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim Wiesemeyer says it’s simple.

“Activist groups know that it is easier to get mandates at the state level than federal, and are trying that approach with some initial success,” Wiesemeyer says.

The activist groups are targeting states with little to no livestock production trying to mandate how producers raise livestock, explains Michael Formica, assistant vice president and general counsel for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).

“Because the rules are implemented on a state-by-state basis, each rule is unique and it’s creating a patchwork of different regulatory standards,” Formica says. “Meanwhile, food brands continue to assess sourcing policies entered into a decade ago that are bringing with them additional challenges.”

One Word for Food Mandates

If the mandates resulted in better food safety and efficiency while working with farmers and the food sector to accomplish goals, that would be a clear benefit, Wiesemeyer says. But these mandates don’t result in better food safety or efficiency, and they aren’t created in collaboration with farmers and the food sector.

In one word, Formica calls these mandates “uninformed.”

“The use of mandates to set supply chain policies encourages rules that might sound good on paper to uninformed voters and audiences but lack any consideration of the complex realities of animal health and welfare, veterinary care and supply chain challenges. These rules set arbitrary standards based on a goal of reduced meat consumption rather than being informed by veterinary expertise,” he says.

Wiesemeyer describes mandates in the food supply chain as “unnecessary.”

“These unfunded mandates have far more costs than benefits, which should be the test of any new proposed regulation,” Wiesemeyer adds.

For fifth-generation pork producer and CEO of Two Mile Pork LLC Scott Hays, these mandates are “evolving.”

“We’re seeing developments in the kinds of policies being developed and new players getting involved. For example, financial groups and benchmark reports seek to influence investors by calling attention to animal care and environmental practices,” Hays says.

Time to Speak Up

It’s vital for all agriculture and livestock stakeholders to engage with food industry decision-makers, government officials and NGOs to communicate about realities of modern agriculture to help them make informed decisions, Hays explains.

“As we seek to minimize the threat of further restrictions, it’s important to bring in expertise and science to ensure rational and economically viable solutions are identified,” he says.

More mandates will continue to drive smaller producers and firms away from animal agriculture because they do not have the personnel nor financial resources to deal with them, Wiesemeyer believes.

“This is ironic because many of those pushing mandates profess to want to expand entrants in the ag industry,” Wiesemeyer says.

As a producer, Hays is concerned about the goal posts changing and new policies being imposed. The result of the ballot initiatives, special interest group pressure and government policies is a dangerous mix of inconsistent standards that threaten farmers’ ability to operate effectively.

“What I comply with today may not be compliant in a year or five years when a new policy or regulation is approved; and therefore, will require me to make additional changes, at a significant cost. And consumers suffer, too,” he says. “These changes have a ripple effect of disruption in the supply chain, including higher prices.”

Keep Your Eyes on This

In the short term, Proposition 12 in California and Question 3 in Massachusetts are just a few mandates threatening producers’ freedom to operate while others such as the PAUSE Act , which has been proposed in Colorado, bring with them potential additional challenges, Formica says. (link to stories on these issues)

“California’s Prop 12 is the key issue to watch,” Wiesemeyer believes. “Why? If the Supreme Court does not accept the NPPC/Farm Bureau petition to review the matter , and if it is not struck down, then anti-farm policy groups will use the California approach as a template for similar action ahead on other issues.”

Although there doesn’t appear to be an upside to these mandates, Formica says the debate has led to strengthened relationships between the pork industry and other livestock industries, as well as the organizations throughout the food chain that ultimately market and sell these products to consumers.

“This has allowed us opportunities for additional education and understanding of pork production,” Formica points out. “Making sure producers, veterinarians and other livestock specialists are involved in these important discussions is vital.”

Hays says the story of how food is raised and produced is compelling, especially as fewer people have any connection to farming and rural lifestyles.

“Special interest groups, financed with nearly unlimited financial resources, are continuing to push for changes. Despite a slowdown during the pandemic, we expect these headwinds to continue,” Hays says.

Read More:

The Wait Continues for SCOTUS Decision on Prop 12 Petition

Prop 12: A Different Kind of California Wildfire

PAUSE Act A Radical Threat To Ranching

Why Animal Agriculture Needs to Take Petition 13 Seriously

Considering Prop 12 Conversion? Think About These Things First

BREAKING: State Court Halts Enforcement of Prop 12, California Must Finalize Rules First

Prop 12 Countdown: California Food Industry Leaders Fight Back

Proposition 12: Stop Applying Band-Aids to Proposed Rules, NAMI Says

Proposition 12 Will Create a Burdensome, Bureaucratic Labyrinth, NPPC Says

Pork Industry Braces for Catastrophic Costs to Implement Proposition 12

Proposition 12 Pressures Aren’t Going Away

On-Demand Webinar: Proposition 12: Where Do We Go From Here?

20 States Back Challenge to the Constitutionality of California’s Prop 12

California’s Proposition 12 Would Cost U.S. Pork Industry Billions

Court Upholds California Proposition 12

Delay Implementation of Proposition 12, Food Industry Leaders Urge

How Will the Economic Boom Impact U.S. Agricultural Businesses?

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 15:57:30 GMT

The economic boom continues as U.S. consumers are getting out and about spending on services once again. Jobs are abundantly available, but workers are scarce as the labor market is healing slower than many economists expected, according to the latest Quarterly report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange.

CoBank says labor challenges felt during the pandemic and continuing still today will incentivize businesses throughout the food supply chain to rapidly increase automation within their operations.

“The most significant and lasting impact from COVID-19 will be an acceleration in automation,” says Dan Kowalski, vice president of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange division, in the report. “And it will affect the entire supply chain from field to grocery and restaurants. It won’t be an overnight transformation, but much larger investments in technology now will lead to a much more automated supply chain over the next few years.”

Although commodity price inflation has been a boon to many ag producers over the past year, CoBank says increases in raw material and transportation costs, combined with higher wages, are causing retailers to pass those higher costs on to consumers.

Grocers and restaurants are trying to discern how this will impact consumer buying habits. CoBank adds, “The coming adjustments will look quite different for each segment of the food supply chain. But the acceleration in change will be meaningful, and strategic steps to build more resilient businesses are coming sooner than previously believed.”

Meat and Poultry Prices Hit Record Highs in May
Meat and poultry prices hit record highs in mid-May as food service and retail grocery pipelines prepared for post-COVID-19 consumer activity and summer gatherings. In April, food service sales reached pre-COVID-19 levels, hitting an all-time monthly high of $75.3 billion, the report says.

Overall retail grocery sales growth is up 7.3% from a year ago and 15.3% from 2019, providing evidence of longer-term changes in consumer behavior.

Pork has been one of the highest rising commodities in 2021, CoBank points out, with lean hog futures topping out at $122 in mid-June. Still, strong consumer demand for meat, tight supplies of competing meats and declining pork production in the second half of the year will continue to impact pork prices for the rest of 2021.

“USDA’s June 1 Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report was mildly bullish and confirmed what most of the trade expected: the U.S. hog inventory shrank again, dropping 2% year over year, continuing a contraction since mid-2019,” CoBank’s authors report.

Analysts said there were a couple of surprises, however:
• Pigs per litter shrank, breaking a strong five-year growth trend with increased disease pressure being the most logical explanation.
• June-November farrowing intentions are down 3.2% from a year ago, aligning with declining breeding sows and gilts numbers, which are down 2.8% since 2019.

CoBank cautions that Chinese pork prices have dropped 65% since the beginning of the year, signaling a significant reduction of U.S. pork exports to China in the second half of the year.

Beef prices are at or near record highs, yet cattle ranchers and feeders are currently facing limited national slaughter capacity, high feed costs and the liquidation pressures of exceptional drought hitting the western U.S., CoBank reports. The national beef herd is in contraction due to weak cow-calf profitability going back as far as 2015.

Chicken industry margins have improved significantly from the low points of 2020 and CoBank expects profitability to remain strong through the end of 2021. However, issues with chicken breeding stock changes in the past couple of years have limited short-term expansion potential.

Milk production continues to chart record highs in the U.S. despite the increase in feed costs and hot temperatures. Milk production topped 19.85 million pounds for the first time in May, with daily output up 4.6% year-over-year, CoBank reports. Exports of U.S dairy products continue to be key, though the risk of a stronger U.S. dollar could threaten the pace of exports in the next few months.

Read the full report here.

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Democratic Lawmakers Introduce Bill to End Factory Farming, Livestock Groups Fight Back

Senate Bill to Reform Hours of Service, Logging Regulation for Ag Haulers

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 20:51:31 GMT

Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) reintroduced the Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the Hours of Service (HOS) and Electronic Logging Device (ELD) regulations at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

The bill would also delay enforcement of the ELD rule until the required reforms are formally proposed by the Transportation Secretary.

“We’ve worked to provide needed certainty and flexibility to our agricultural haulers under the HOS and ELD regulations so that they can get their products to market safely and efficiently,” Senator Hoeven said in a release . “This legislation builds on our efforts, establishing a process to address unnecessary burdens under these regulations and advance reforms based on the input of agriculture producers, while also ensuring roadway safety is maintained.”

The bill would establish a working group at DOT comprised of representatives from the transportation and agriculture industries, transportation safety representatives and the USDA.

The working group will consider the impact of existing HOS and ELD rules on the commercial transport of livestock, insects and agricultural commodities and develop guidelines on reforming these rules, the release said.. Within 120 days of receiving the working group’s report, the Transportation Secretary must propose regulatory changes to the HOS and ELD regulations, considering the group’s recommendations.

“It is important that we maintain safe roads while also recognizing the unique flexibility needed to move Colorado’s agricultural products to markets,” Senator Bennet said in a release. “I look forward to working with Senator Hoeven and our colleagues to give farmers and ranchers a seat at the table as we push for more sensible rules around the transportation of agricultural goods.”

The Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act is supported by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, United States Cattlemen’s Association, Livestock Marketing Association, American Farm Bureau Federation and more.

“NPPC strongly supports the Hoeven-Bennet bill, which provides stakeholder collaboration for developing common-sense Hours of Service regulations to addresses the safety of our roadways while protecting the welfare of our livestock,” NPPC President Jen Sorenson, communications director for Iowa Select Farms in West Des Moines, Iowa, said in a statement. “The bill supports an essential element of the nation’s food production system and the continuity of the U.S pork supply chain.”

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Superheroes of the Supply Chain: Truckers Keep it Moving

Federal Court Removes Swine Slaughter Line Speed Provision

HAULS Act Expands Hours of Service Flexibility for Livestock Haulers

Ag in the Spotlight: President Biden Proclaims March 23 National Ag Day

Mon, 22 Mar 2021 19:01:30 GMT

For a fifth year, the White House is publicly recognizing Tuesday, March 23, 2021, as National Ag Day . As part of the proclamation , the White House is also saluting farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses for the contributions they continue to make.

In the White House proclamation, President Biden states, “On National Agriculture Day, we recognize the unique and irreplaceable value that farmers, ranchers, foresters, farmworkers, and other agricultural stewards have contributed to our Nation’s past and present. America’s agriculture sector safeguards our Nation’s lands through sustainable management; ensures the health and safety of animals, plants, and people; provides a safe and abundant food supply; and facilitates opportunities for prosperity and economic development in rural America.”

The salute by the White House also highlights how agriculture has continued to answer the challenges of the pandemic by providing a steady stream of safe and abundant food. The White House statement, signed by Biden, also highlights how agriculture will play a critical role in combating climate change.

“I also made a commitment to tackle the climate crisis,” says Biden, in the White House proclamation. “Farmers, ranchers, and foresters play a critical role in combating climate change. From sequestering carbon in the soil to producing renewable energy on farms, we will continue to innovate and create new revenue streams for farmers and ranchers while building a resilient agriculture sector.”

Read the entire proclamation here .

What’s Next for Animal Activism in 2021 and What Can We Do About It?

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 21:14:41 GMT

By Hannah Thompson-Weeman, Animal Agriculture Alliance

2020 has taken me so off guard that I am a little hesitant to even attempt to look into my crystal ball and make predictions for 2021. A year ago, I certainly would not have guessed that events and travel would come to a halt in March or that phrases like “mask up” or “social distancing” would be part of our daily conversations. As much as the past year has shown us that being flexible and adaptable is just as valuable as having thorough predictions and plans, I still believe there is merit to taking a moment to reflect on some of the trends we’ve seen this past year and consider how they may impact us moving forward.

The Animal Ag Alliance has remained focused on monitoring animal rights activism this year, and activist groups have not skipped a beat in their efforts to damage the reputation of animal agriculture. Some organizations believe the COVID-19 pandemic is the “tipping point” they need for their messages to go mainstream, and that concept combined with activists trying to take advantage of a new incoming administration means that 2021 could be an even more intense year for activism.

I think we should all be preparing for a few continued trends:

• Activist messaging involving public health and animal agriculture. Activist groups have long claimed that animal agriculture is a threat to public health and the COVID-19 pandemic has added fuel to that fire (despite there not really being any merit to attempting to tie the current outbreak to food production). Unfortunately, this narrative seems to be gaining steam with calls to “reform the food system” to prevent future pandemics. I think we are going to see more and more references to farms as “breeding grounds” for future disease outbreaks and should be focused on debunking that narrative.

• Renewed focus on sustainability. Conversations about the environmental impact of animal agriculture took a backseat for much of 2020, but in the past few months that discussion is heating back up. Restaurant chains like Panera and Chipotle have announced new labeling programs to communicate the environmental footprint of their menu options and we’re starting to hear more about the UN Food Systems Summit coming up in 2021 with an action track focused on “shifting to sustainable consumption patterns.” The animal agriculture community will need to make sure we’re continuing to communicate about our sustainability efforts as we settle into the “new normal.”

• Large-scale protests and demonstrations, including at private homes. Activist groups seem to be upping the ante in terms of protests this year, likely believing that they need to be more and more extreme to get attention. We’ve seen continued protests (despite restrictions on gatherings) everywhere from farms and plants to public health offices, with some involving trespassing and interfering with daily operations. Animal rights activist organizations have also held several protests at the private homes of animal agriculture company and organization leaders, which is a troubling new trend. These continued incidents illustrate that we cannot let farm security slip down our priority list in 2021.

Despite whatever challenges 2021 may bring, know that the Alliance team is here and has your back. Happy New Year!

Read more from Hannah Thompson-Weeman:

Things Animal Rights Activists Say: 2020 Edition

Activists Set Sights on 4-H and FFA Despite Fewer Fairs

Communication Strategy is Critical Part of Crisis Planning

Let’s Talk Turkey, Thanksgiving and Traditions

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 19:08:33 GMT

Thanksgiving may look different in 2020, but farmers are still the focus

As the frantic pace of harvest winds down, we can reflect on another season of abundant effort. The vital work of farmers and ranchers is not always easy — as we saw in 2020. Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to remember despite challenges, we all have many reasons to be grateful.

For many, Thanksgiving 2020 will stray from tradition. Nearly 70% of Americans plan to celebrate Thanksgiving differently this year, according to a recent consumer survey by research firm Numerator. Big gatherings will likely be broken into several smaller ones, which should still mean healthy demand the country’s turkey producers, says Beth Breeding, National Turkey Federation vice president of communications and marketing.

“There’s something very comforting about that Thanksgiving meal with the turkey at the center of the table,” she says. “There could even be an increase in turkey sales because of additional gatherings.”

The change in the size of gatherings could cause demand for smaller turkeys or cuts or parts such as whole breasts. Breeding says the popularity of kitchen tools such as Instant Pots and air fryers have already increased consumer demand and familiarity with these forms of turkey.

“We also expect to see a lot more first timers this year, who have never prepared the Thanksgiving meal before, have a go at preparing turkey,” Breeding says. “Everyone is cooking so much more at home.”

As you prepare for your Thanksgiving celebration, brush up on your knowledge about the traditional holiday dishes:

Turkeys: The U.S. is No. 1 in global turkey production.
Potatoes: The U.S. ranks fifth in global potato production. North Carolina is the leading sweet potato producing state, while Idaho grows the most white potatoes.
Cranberries: The U.S. is No. 1 in global cranberry production. Wisconsin leads the U.S. in production.
Pecans: The U.S. is No. 1 in global pecan production. New Mexico leads the U.S. in pecan production.
Pumpkins: The U.S. is fifth in global pumpkin production. Illinois leads the U.S. in pumpkin production.

Sources: USDA, National Turkey Federation

Join AgDay and U.S. Farm Report on Thanksgiving as they pay tribute to the amazing work and stories throughout America’s countryside in the annual “Harvest of Thanks” special.

Beth Ford On Food Production in The Post Pandemic World

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 03:06:47 GMT

The shockwaves COVID-19 sent through the food supply chain are well documented. While grocery store shelves were empty, farmers across the country dumped milk, destroyed produce and even euthanized hogs. While the details of each sector’s woes are uniquely complicated, the fact is the virus drastically changed the supply chain. Will those changes stay in place? Beth Ford, CEO of Land O’ Lakes recently shared her thoughts on food production moving forward.

“What’s interesting is that we’re all eating at home now and so, we certainly have seen our retail business change fairly dramatically,” she told the Washington Post. “Over the last month, as we’ve seen states open up again our food service orders at this point for the month are almost at 98 to 99% of our original plan, which means that the pipeline is starting to be refilled again against food service demand.”

While she admits it’s unclear whether that’s true consumer driven demand or filling the pipeline for future restaurant openings, it’s still an encouraging statistic.

How will this pandemic change the future of food? Ford isn’t sure but said one thing is clear: right now, we’re back to the basics.

“There was a real focus on innovation on differentiation and offers at retail,” she said. “Now we’re having a hard time keeping up with all of the demand for our butter-based business.”

It will be interesting to see how quickly the focus returns to differentiated products, Ford said. No matter what, it’s unlikely a manufacturing platform shift to turn plants that produce food service products into plants that make retail products until the future path of COVID is more understood, she added.

“Is demand going to normalize? We have seen elevated demand for our butter products or cheese products or putting everything at a level that more matches Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Will that stay with us when food service opens back up?” she wondered. “Straight up the reality is to change a manufacturing platform at scale to meet it is not an inexpensive endeavor, and it takes a while to do that. So, you’re not gonna see an immediate [or dramatic] shift.”

Trump Announces Trade Deal With Mexico, Says He'll Ditch NAFTA

Thu, 19 Nov 2020 03:10:15 GMT

by Eric Martin, Jennifer Jacobs, Josh Wingrove and Andrew Mayeda

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he would terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement and sign a new trade accord with Mexico, potentially leaving Canada out of the bloc.

Trump announced the agreement with Mexico in a hastily arranged Oval Office event Monday with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto joining by conference call. Pena Nieto said he is “quite hopeful” Canada would soon be incorporated in the revised agreement, while Trump said that remains to be seen.

Trump said he would speak with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “in a little while” and hoped to begin negotiations with him “almost immediately.”

As he announced the move, Trump said he would drop the name Nafta from the accord because of its unpopularity.

“We’re going to call it the United States/Mexico Trade Agreement,” he said. Nafta “has a bad connotation because the United States was hurt very badly by Nafta for many years.”

The president hailed the Mexico agreement as “a big day for trade.”

The peso rose ahead of Trump’s remarks. U.S. stocks also advanced, with auto suppliers and rail companies among the top gainers.

There is no deal reached yet with Canada, people familiar with the agreement said. The northern neighbor has been on the sidelines of the talks since July as Mexico and the U.S focused on settling differences.

A spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland issued a statement on Monday that warned against jumping to conclusions. “Canada’s signature is required,” spokesman Adam Austen said in an email. “We will only sign a new Nafta that is good for Canada and good for the middle class” and “we will continue to work toward a modernized Nafta.”

Nieto said in a tweet on Monday that he spoke with Trudeau and stressed the importance of Canada rejoining Nafta talks.

Bilateral Pact

Still, an accord between the U.S. and Mexico is the biggest development in talks that began a year ago, punctuated by Trump’s repeated threats to quit altogether. Significant breakthroughs came during the past several days of bilateral talks on automobiles and energy. The three countries trade more than $1 trillion annually, much of it under the pact.

There is one difference left to iron out, Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo told reporters early on Monday as he entered the Washington office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s office where negotiations are going on. He declined to identify the issue.

Canada Approval

Talks to update Nafta began a year ago, but in recent weeks have been held between just the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. president says the deal has led to hundreds of thousands of lost American jobs, and he promised to either change it to be more favorable to the U.S., or withdraw.

The U.S. push to finish Nafta talks comes at the same time it’s in a spiraling trade war with China, and has threatened to place tariffs on cars imported from major manufacturing centers in Asia and Europe -- efforts that have created new uncertainty for many businesses and investors.

Talks between the U.S. and Mexico had focused largely on cars. The U.S. wanted to bring back auto manufacturing jobs that had gone to Mexico. The countries are said to have agreed that automakers who don’t comply with the new Nafta rules will pay a 2.5 percent tariff, the same as they would if they skirted the existing Nafta, while any new Mexican plants wouldn’t have a guarantee. That could potentially expose them to U.S. auto tariffs of between 20 percent and 25 percent, which Trump is considering under national security grounds. The new rules would also likely require key components to have more domestic content.

Jesus Seade, the Nafta representative for Mexican president-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, has predicted that the nations will agree on a softened version of a so-called “sunset clause,” an automatic expiration after five years -- a key U.S. demand. The recent push for a deal is in part to have it signed before the new president takes office in December.

That would be essential, as the sunset clause was a major sticking point -- erupting, for instance, at the Group of Seven summit in June. Other key issues are Chapter 19 anti-dumping panels, which the U.S. wants to kill but which may be a deal-breaker for Canada, as well as Canada’s protected dairy sector, which Trump is targeting to dismantle.

How quickly Canada will rejoin talks remains unclear, Canada’s Freeland is in Europe this week. Even once Canada agrees, any Nafta deal between the three countries would have to be ratified. Timelines set out under U.S. trade law mean that would almost certainly be done by the next U.S. Congress, raising the prospect of further hurdles.

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