Animal Ag Bites 1/21

- - - In response to erroneous reports in the news and (mostly) on social media, the National Pork Producers Council is reminding pork producers and consumers that federal meat inspectors are working in meat packing plants despite the government shutdown. NPPC and other livestock groups a year ago urged Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to deem as essential USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors. Also continuing to operate during the shutdown are USDA Market News Service staff who produce the twice-daily livestock mandatory price reports, which are the sole source of market information on sales to packers of cattle, hogs and lambs and on the subsequent sale of meat products.
    - The National Pork Producers Council said it cannot support a trade agreement between the United States and the European Union that does not include agriculture, after the European Commission issued draft negotiating mandates to EU member states that doesn’t include talks on agriculture.
    - The International Production & Processing Expo will be held Feb. 12–14, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. IPPE offers attendees access to the latest in protein and feed technology through exhibits and educational programing. TECHTalks are free, 20-minute technical presentations, offered each day at IPPE. See the schedule here.
    - Mike Gauss has been named president for Kent Nutrition Group (KNG) effective January 1, 2019. John Thorpe, previous president of KNG, has been promoted to president and chief operating officer for Kent Corporation, the parent company for KNG, Grain Processing Corporation, Kent Precision Foods Group and Kent Pet Group.
    - More than 50,000 cattle producers have been certified through the Beef Quality Assurance program’s new online learning system since it was first offered in February 2017.
    - Jarrod Blackburn recently joined the Vita Plus Loyal team as a dairy specialist. Based in central Wisconsin, Blackburn will provide customized feed and nutrition strategies as well as management expertise for every area of the dairy farm.
    - Sullivan Higdon & Sink’s work for Twist’d Q Seasonings & Rubs, Merck Animal Health, Bayer and Shatto Milk Company was recognized by the Best of NAMA (National Agri-Marketing Association) Awards, Region II, during an awards banquet in Kansas City.
    - Birko launches its Elite 360® Precision Application Technology at the International Production and Processing Expo in Atlanta.
    - Culver’s restaurant chain is covering the registration fees of the first 250 FFA members and advisors for FFA Day at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Trade Show on Friday, Feb. 1, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The FFA Day sponsorship is made possible through Culver’s Thank You Farmers® Project.
    - Cheese, dairy, milk and yogurt processing have long been an integral part of the PROCESS EXPO trade show and the 2019 event, taking place October 8-11, 2019 in Chicago’s McCormick Place.
    - Chad Zuleger has joined the Dairy Business Association’s policy team. Zuleger has worked in Wisconsin legislative offices, for private companies and with a trade association during 22 years of government affairs work.
    - Vytelle announced a partnership with global livestock reproductive services innovator Sexing Technologies® (ST) for the use of ST’s proprietary reverse semen sorting technology.
    - The top 10 teams of the Food Science and Technology Career Development Event have been invited to attend the International Poultry Expo, part of the 2019 International Production & Processing Expo, as a result of the USPOULTRY Foundation’s ongoing initiative to further attract students to the poultry and egg industry.
    - The Center for Consumer Freedom sent a letter to State’s Attorney Michael O. Twigg in Cumberland, Maryland, urging for a full and thorough investigation of the animal liberation group PETA for felony wiretapping based on a judge’s ruling in a federal court case. The letter can be read here.
    - The American Feed Industry Association is pleased to see the Donald Trump administration include agriculture in its trade negotiating objectives with the EU, but cautions against seeking these objectives in stages, rather than in a single negotiation.
    - The 2019 Stakeholders Summit will be May 8-9 in Kansas City. To view the agenda and register, visit AnimalAgAlliance.org/Summit. Early registration discounts are available through February 1.