Latest News From Pork

October Consumer Food Insights Report Highlights Thanksgiving Meal Plans
October Consumer Food Insights Report Highlights Thanksgiving Meal Plans

While Thanksgiving staples like turkey, green beans, gravy and stuffing will be common throughout the country, items such as cornbread, ham and macaroni and cheese are more likely to be a part of meals in the South.

Tyson Foods to Deploy Driverless Trucks in Arkansas
Tyson Foods to Deploy Driverless Trucks in Arkansas

Tyson Foods is deploying autonomous refrigerated box trucks to bolster Tyson routes in Northwest Arkansas. Operating 18 hours a day, these driverless trucks will deliver products to distribution and storage facilities.

Three Florida Men Sentenced in $9-Million Frozen Meat Crime Ring
Three Florida Men Sentenced in $9-Million Frozen Meat Crime Ring

Arrested for approximately 45 thefts totaling over $9 million in loss, three Florida men have been sentenced for stealing semi-loads of frozen beef and pork from packing plants across six Midwest states.

Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Face Sharp Decline in Sales
Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Face Sharp Decline in Sales

High price points and other lingering obstacles trigger sharp decline in sales of plant-based meat alternatives.

Post-Pandemic Meat Processing Plants: Survival of the Fittest
Post-Pandemic Meat Processing Plants: Survival of the Fittest

A recent study analyzed the probability of meat processing plant survival, finding that business diversification is most important for smaller plants and local context is more important for larger plants.

Spice Up Your Life a Little: SPAM Makers Reveal New Variety
Spice Up Your Life a Little: SPAM Makers Reveal New Variety

Look what the makers of SPAM have come up with, bringing the brand's family of varieties to 11 flavors now.

Sol the Agriculture Detection Dog: A U.S. Hero
Sol the Agriculture Detection Dog: A U.S. Hero

Although he’s motivated by treats and can charm just about anyone, don’t let this dog fool you. Sol is a highly driven beagle who plays a critical role in protecting U.S. agriculture.

What Meat Product is Your State Most Hungry For? Data Shows Top Meat Volume Growth
What Meat Product is Your State Most Hungry For? Data Shows Top Meat Volume Growth

When it comes to meat, what is your state most hungry for? Data shows meat eaters across the nation are looking for variety and tend to have a geographic component to recent consumer preferences.

Gene-Edited Pigs Approved to Enter Food Chain for the First Time
Gene-Edited Pigs Approved to Enter Food Chain for the First Time

Washington State University researchers will help make history after receiving FDA "investigational" authorization to have their gene-edited pigs enter the food chain for human consumption.

Tyson Foods Plant Closure Raises Antitrust Concerns Among U.S. Farmers and Experts
Tyson Foods Plant Closure Raises Antitrust Concerns Among U.S. Farmers and Experts

Tyson Foods gave its chicken suppliers two months' notice of its plan to shut a Virginia processing plant in May, raising concerns among farmers and legal experts about Tyson's compliance with antitrust regulations.

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Food Price Inflation: Not Unprecedented but Definitely Unusual

Are you experiencing stress in your budget? A recent consumer survey shows almost everybody said ‘yes’ and food is at the top of the list of items in the household budget that are creating the most stress.

Do Consumers and Nutrition Experts Think Alike When it Comes to Healthy Foods?
Do Consumers and Nutrition Experts Think Alike When it Comes to Healthy Foods?

The average consumer seems to think about nutrition in a way that’s similar to experts, according to the Consumer Food Insights Report.

The McRib May Be On Its Farewell Tour, So We're Showing Love to the Birthplace of the Beloved McRib
The McRib May Be On Its Farewell Tour, So We're Showing Love to the Birthplace of the Beloved McRib

News is circulating that it may be the last time McDonald's has the McRib on its menu. While a farewell tour may be underway, the University of Nebraska's Meat Sciences Department created the technology behind the McRib.

More than Hangry: What’s Really at Stake in Global Food Insecurity?
More than Hangry: What’s Really at Stake in Global Food Insecurity?

Empty dinner plates can quickly translate to lack of world peace. Just ask Sen. Ernst, who gave a political rundown of food security as national security at Iowa State University last week.

Munching on Mealworms: The Next Meat-Alternative Snack?
Munching on Mealworms: The Next Meat-Alternative Snack?

While plant-based meat alternatives seem to have lost their hype, scientists work to develop another protein alternative—mealworms.

Plant-Based Food Isn't Healthier: New Book Sets Out to Debunk Myths
Plant-Based Food Isn't Healthier: New Book Sets Out to Debunk Myths

A book about why eating a plants-only diet won't improve your health or save the planet is turning heads. A British-based investigative journalist digs into the concept that plant-based food is better for your health.

Deep-Fried Fantasies: 10 Big Tex Choice Award Finalists Announced for Texas State Fair
Deep-Fried Fantasies: 10 Big Tex Choice Award Finalists Announced for Texas State Fair

Everything’s bigger in Texas. And when it comes to the Texas State Fair, everything’s fried, too. Here’s the 10 Big Tex Choice Awards finalists of 2022!

Peanut M&M’s are ‘Healthier’ than Beef and Pork, Bill Gates-Funded Study Claims
Peanut M&M’s are ‘Healthier’ than Beef and Pork, Bill Gates-Funded Study Claims

Bill Gates and his meat-alternative agenda rise again through his recent funding in a study, claiming some candy and cereal are ‘healthier’ than pork, chicken and beef.

Trucker Blockade Shuts Down Major California Seaport for Second Day
Trucker Blockade Shuts Down Major California Seaport for Second Day

Truckers protesting California's new "gig worker" law blockaded the state's third-busiest seaport for a second day on Thursday, stalling agricultural exports and threatening to worsen U.S. supply chain backups.

Your Fourth of July Picnic Could be 11% More Expensive
Your Fourth of July Picnic Could be 11% More Expensive

Wells Fargo analysis shows hosting a party of ten for the fourth of July holiday could cost 11% more in 2022 than it would have last year.

How Much Do Consumers Love Meat? Rising Prices Will Soon Tell
How Much Do Consumers Love Meat? Rising Prices Will Soon Tell

Higher costs for feed, energy and labor have yet to fully impact meat prices, but that will soon change, says CoBank's Brian Earnest. Will consumers trade down when producer price inflation hits the meat case?

Super Bowl Standouts: 5 Pork Recipes They’ll Rave About
Super Bowl Standouts: 5 Pork Recipes They’ll Rave About

Pork reigns as champion in the Super Bowl Sunday food line-up. It's tasty, versatile and a great value this year. Here are five recipes that are sure to win over hungry football fans, or more importantly, the foodies.

Food Inflation Makes Your Super Bowl Party Cost More
Food Inflation Makes Your Super Bowl Party Cost More

“Food inflation is a hot topic,” Michael Swanson says noting that overall prices in the category are running at 6% higher than a year ago, whereas typically year-to-year food inflation is 1%.

USDA Announces $700 Million in Grants to Help Ag Workers Impacted by COVID-19
USDA Announces $700 Million in Grants to Help Ag Workers Impacted by COVID-19

USDA Secretary Vilsack announced that $700 million in competitive grant funding will be available through the new Farm and Food Workers Relief grant program to help farm and food workers with pandemic costs. 

As Exports Explode, Emergency Structural Damage on I-40 Bridge Brings Barge Traffic to a Halt
As Exports Explode, Emergency Structural Damage on I-40 Bridge Brings Barge Traffic to a Halt

A significant fracture on the I-40 bridge is now shut down to not only vehicle traffic, but barges until the issue can be fixed. The emergency shut down is a barrier for barge traffic along the Mississippi River.

Bacon Maintained Star Status During the Pandemic
Bacon Maintained Star Status During the Pandemic

Demand for protein of all kinds soared, but bacon outpaced it all.

PepsiCo, Beyond Meat Partner to Develop New Plant-Based Snacks

PepsiCo Inc and Beyond Meat Inc said on Tuesday they would form a joint venture to develop and sell snacks and beverages made from plant-based protein.

CDC Prioritizes Frontline Meat Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination
CDC Prioritizes Frontline Meat Workers for COVID-19 Vaccination

The Centers for Disease Control agrees that frontline meat and poultry workers should be some of the first vaccinated after health care workers and those in long-term care facilities.

At a Crossroads: Where Does the Pork Industry Go Next? 
At a Crossroads: Where Does the Pork Industry Go Next? 

Big questions hang heavy in the air. Are we too efficient? What is the right number of sows to have in production? Mark Greenwood of Compeer Financial shares his view on what’s ahead.

U.S. Meatpackers Test UV Air Treatment Systems in Plants 
U.S. Meatpackers Test UV Air Treatment Systems in Plants 

Two of the world's largest meatpackers have installed ultraviolet air cleaning equipment in some of their U.S. processing plants. The decision comes as pressure increases on companies to protect workers from COVID-19.

A Day at the Food Bank to See USDA’s Farmers to Families Boxes
A Day at the Food Bank to See USDA’s Farmers to Families Boxes

Thirty-two million food boxes have been delivered as part of USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The Food Bank of Northern Indiana shows how the program is making a difference in people’s lives.

Future of the Food Supply Chain: What Trends Are Sticking Around?
Future of the Food Supply Chain: What Trends Are Sticking Around?

When people realized they were going to be sheltering at home this spring, they started to change. And some of those changes will likely stick around, experts say. 

China Must Meet Phase One Obligations, Ag Groups Urge President
China Must Meet Phase One Obligations, Ag Groups Urge President

The U.S. net farm cash income in 2020 is projected to decline 9% from 2019. Nearly 200 agricultural groups sent a letter to President Trump urging continued implementation of the U.S.-China Phase One Trade Agreement.

Trump Administration Aims to Buy Milk, Meat for Coronavirus Aid
Trump Administration Aims to Buy Milk, Meat for Coronavirus Aid

he Trump administration plans to buy milk and meat from U.S. farmers as part of an initial $15.5 billion effort to help them weather the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.

Feds Loosen COVID-19 Rules for Essential Workers
Feds Loosen COVID-19 Rules for Essential Workers

The Trump administration issued new guidelines Wednesday to make it easier for essential workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 to return to work if they do not have symptoms.

The U.S. and China Phase One trade agreement comes with hefty expectations. What could China buy to meet its $40 billion goal, and when could those buys happen? Experts say there are multiple answers.
How Quickly Can China Open Its $40 Billion Checkbook

The U.S. and China Phase One trade agreement comes with hefty expectations. What could China buy to meet its $40 billion goal, and when could those buys happen? Economists and market experts weigh in.

Impossible Foods Targets Pork for its Global Appeal
Impossible Foods Targets Pork for its Global Appeal

Impossible Foods is determined to replace animals in the global food system by 2035. Farm Journal news director, John Herath, caught up with Impossible Foods' head of culinary at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The Pork Industry Gives Back: Hams for the Holidays
The Pork Industry Gives Back: Hams for the Holidays

Ahead of the holidays, several companies gave the gift of pork to their local food pantries or to their employees. Here’s a quick snapshot of gifts across the industry.

Is Turporken the Thanksgiving Trifecta?
Is Turporken the Thanksgiving Trifecta?

Ham, turkey or turporken? Yes, it really is a thing.

breaking news
BREAKING NEWS: China to Increase Soybean Purchases

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is reporting "substantial progress" has been made in trade talks with China.

China Targets U.S. Farm Imports With Tariffs on Soy, Corn
China Targets U.S. Farm Imports With Tariffs on Soy, Corn

Trade tensions between the U.S. and China ratcheted higher after the Asian nation said it will follow through on plans to levy tariffs on a range of American farm goods including soybeans and corn.

<p>U.S. President Donald Trump makes a statement about Syria at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 13, 2018.&nbsp;</p>
Trump Says US Could Rejoin TPP if Deal Improved. How Hard Would it Be?

U.S. President Trump said last week he would reconsider joining the landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, if it were a “substantially better” deal than the one offered to President Obama.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with governors and members of Congress at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 12, 2018.
Trump Says No Timeline for NAFTA Talks, Getting Close to Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was in no rush for negotiators to finish NAFTA talks but he thinks they are getting pretty close to a deal.

Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said he assumes the Trump Administration would try to use U.S. farm bill legislation to shield the sector in a growing U.S.-China trade dispute.
Senator: Farm Bill Could be Used to Shield Farmers From Trade Spat

Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said he assumes the Trump Administration would try to use U.S. farm bill legislation to shield the sector in a growing U.S.-China trade dispute.