- Merck Animal Health announced the completion of its acquisition of Quantified Ag®, a leading data and analytics company that monitors cattle body temperature and movement in order to detect illness early. In April 2018, Merck Animal Health invested in Quantified Ag® and partially funded their development work in data analytics in livestock. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
- The International Dairy Foods Association released a statement recommending three servings of dairy per day and putting dairy in the healthy foods category with fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
- Kent Nutrition Group continues to uncover dietary options to help manage market hog growth rate and weight gain to help keep pigs at viable weights until packing plant capacity is available.
- Over the last 13 months, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, has submitted 21 sets of public comments and more than 100 research studies in support of beef’s role in a healthy diet to the 2020 – 2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee. To view a list of the comments submitted, visit www.beefresearch.org/humannutrition.aspx.
- An economic analysis published recently shows the serious impact of the European Union’s Skim Milk Powder Intervention Program on the U.S. dairy industry — especially to U.S. farm-gate milk prices — in the years 2016-2019. The report authors conclude that the United States was “economically harmed by the EU’s Intervention program for SMP” in three ways.
