Livestock Articles
Lawmakers Investigate Meat Packing Plant COVID Outbreaks
Published February 1, 2021
The House Subcommittee on the COVID Crisis is investigating the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on meatpacking industry workers. In letters sent to JBS USA, OSHA, Smithfield Foods and Tyson Foods, the subcommittee said meatpacking companies refused to take basic…Bill Seeks “A Simpler Process” for Paying into the State Beef Checkoff
Published February 1, 2021
North Dakota House Bill 1487 would reword language, making paying into the state Beef Checkoff voluntary. Independent Beef Association of North Dakota President Kerry Dockter, who ranches at Denhoff, says the proposal is tied to the refund process. "A lot…China Has a Need for Feed
Published February 1, 2021
Last week was a record for U.S. corn sales to China. Rabobank Senior Director of Animal Protein Christine McCracken says China’s interest is due, in part, to a growing protein sector. There's structural changes taking place in China’s hog herd.…Little Change for the U.S. Lamb Crop
Published February 1, 2021
USDA says there 3.2 million head nationwide this past year. That’s down one percent from 2019. South Dakota had 200,000 head, down 5,000 from last year. Minnesota is unchanged at 90,000 head. North Dakota’s lamb crop totaled 52,000 head, up…Cattle Inventory Report Released
Published February 1, 2021
Beef cow numbers are down slightly and dairy cow numbers are up. According to USDA’s semi-annual cattle inventory report, beef cow numbers are down one percent from one year ago. Dairy cow numbers up one percent. The number of beef…OCM Urges White House to Revive Labeling Law
Published February 1, 2021
President Biden signed a ‘Made in America’ executive order, but the Organization for Competitive Markets says the U.S. cattle rancher does not benefit. The mandatory country of origin labeling law was repealed in 2015. OCM says U.S. beef is no…DIRECT Act Introduced to Help Small Meat Processors
Published January 29, 2021
South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson has reintroduced his proposal to allow state inspected meat to be sold across state lines through e-commerce. In Johnson’s view, there are a lot of small processors that don’t want to take on the expense…A Look at the ND Beef Checkoff Program
Published January 28, 2021
The Beef Checkoff program has been around since 1973. "It is not necessarily something new for cattle producers," says Nancy Jo Bateman, executive director, North Dakota Beef Commission. Like other commodity groups, the North Dakota Beef Commission is a state…Midwest Dairy Launches New Strategic Plan
Published January 28, 2021
Midwest Dairy launched a new three-year strategic plan earlier this month. The new plan takes into consideration lessons learned in the COVID pandemic with objectives to boost dairy sales, advance dairy research and grow trust in dairy nutrition. Midwest Dairy…