- A recent study by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) indicates that U.S. beef and pork exports added 41 cents per bushel to the value of corn in 2020. That’s 11.5% of the average annual price of $3.52/bushel, and the overall value of red meat exports was $5.8 billion.
- The North American Meat Institute announced that it will join the U.S. government-led multistakeholder Coalition of Action on Sustainable Productivity Growth for Food Security and Resource Conservation to be launched by the Biden administration at the UN Food Systems Summit.
- The Red Angus Association of America (RAAA), a leading progressive breed organization for seedstock beef cattle in the United States, announced they will provide herdbook registry of Red Angus animals carrying gene-edited traits for heat tolerance and coat color. Both trait approvals by RAAA emanate from specific genetic alterations designed and submitted by Acceligen, a technology company pioneering commercialization of gene-edited food animals.
- The non-profit Soil Health Academy announced that it will conduct a pair of one-day workshops to help dairy producers transition from conventional cropping and confined diary operations to more profitable and productive regenerative operations. The first on-farm workshop is scheduled Oct. 26 at the host farm of Jim Harbach in Loganton, Pennsylvania. On Oct. 29 in Waterloo, New York, a second on-farm workshop will be conducted at the host farm of Jonas Stoltzfus.
- As of Sept. 1, there were 75.4 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, down 4% from September 2020 but up 1% from June 1, 2021, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
- Kansas State University and Elanco Animal Health Incorporated are combining efforts to tackle innovation for companion animal and livestock health. A five-year strategic alliance agreement between the university and Elanco will allow for collaborative research and intellectual property licensing for commercialization activities. Researchers will focus on activities supporting sustainable practices in livestock production and pet health; vector-borne and emerging disease prevention and treatment; and advanced understanding of the microbiome in animals.
- Haiti’s Chief Veterinary Officer reported a positive case of African swine fever (ASF) to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) earlier this week.
