- House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin C. Peterson of Minnesota and Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway of Texas sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, urging him to work with university policy research centers to analyze issues related to the cattle industry, especially in light of the recent and ongoing stress related to COVID-19. In the letter, Peterson and Conaway call on USDA’s Office of the Chief Economist to evaluate cattle market structure, price discovery, price reporting, purchasing mandates, and barriers to entry in the packing sector.
- Vytelle (the recent combination of Vytelle IVF and GrowSafe) announces through its GrowSafe business the launch of the Beef Marketing Program to monitor individual animal performance, predict carcass weight and optimally market cattle in the feedlot.
- In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, House Agriculture Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Jim Costa of California and Ranking Member David Rouzer of North Carolina, joined by Full Committee Chairman Collin Peterson of Minnesota, Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway of Texas, and 17 other Members, urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist U.S. lamb and sheep producers impacted by the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The letter follows closure of the nation’s second-largest processor representing an estimated 20 percent of the nation’s processing capacity, and pushes USDA to help lamb and sheep farmers and ranchers find alternate processing and marketing options immediately.
- In an episode of the Dairy Stream podcast, the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) at the University of Wisconsin – one of the nation’s premier dairy research centers – is highlighted for its integral role in keeping the dairy economy healthy and dairy customers happy. Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin sponsored this episode. Listen here.
- Merck Animal Health announced the completion of its acquisition of IdentiGEN, a leader in DNA-based animal traceability solutions for Livestock and Aquaculture from MML Growth Capital Partners Ireland. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
- The team at Armor Animal Health announced they will be hosting a 2020 Virtual World Dairy Expo Event. Armor teamed up with their vendor partners to bring World Dairy Expo fans a week filled with their favorite things about the event. The company states that even though this virtual event will never compare to the world-class celebration everyone looks forward to in Madison, Wis. each year, they will strive to bring some excitement to the industry in a virtual setting.
