At 1 p.m. EDT on May 8, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will host a free, public Agricultural Data Webinar to spotlight available data for recently discontinued programs. Speakers at the event include Lance Honig, Agricultural Statistics Board (ASB) chair, and Troy Joshua, ASB executive director and director of NASS’s Statistics Division. Data from other NASS products as well as from USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency will be discussed. Attendees will have the opportunity to submit questions during the Q&A section. Register to attend at www.nass.usda.gov/Education_and_Outreach/Meeting/index.php.
The Meat Institute has created a best practices document to help the meat and poultry industry prevent child labor and identity fraud. The document, the “Meat and Poultry Industry Best Practices: Workforce Age Verification” can be found here.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is announcing a staff change in their Washington, D.C. office. Sigrid Johannes, currently serving as Director of the Public Lands Council and NCBA Government Affairs, has been promoted to Senior Director of Government Affairs. Along with this promotion, Sigrid will take on a new portfolio including lab-grown meat, cattle health and welfare, food safety, and animal disease traceability.
With baseball and softball season underway and the kickoff to summer grilling season fast approaching, the Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. brand, funded by the Beef Checkoff, is excited to announce the perfect partnership between beef and baseball/softball as a proud partner of the Little League World Series this year.
U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, along with Representative Jim Costa (CA-21), Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry, and U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), led 70 of their colleagues in penning a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, urging him to reverse the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to cancel or discontinue several National Agricultural Statistics Service reports.
New school meal standards announced by the USDA include major steps to promote the health of America’s children through school meals. The new standards will be gradually updated to include less sugar and more flexibility in menu planning between Fall 2025 and Fall 2027, according to the USDA announcement. Included in the updates was the continuation of allowing schools to offer flavored and unflavored milk to students. The new guidelines recognize the important role milk plays in providing the essential nutrients students need, such as calcium, vitamin D and potassium. The update did include a new limit on the amount of added sugar allowed in the milk, a requirement school milk processors have committed to meeting the limit on added sugar.
Tony Rice testified before USTR on how U.S. trade policy can strengthen supply chain resiliency and ensure that U.S. dairy continues to grow as a global leader. The U.S. dairy industry exported more than $8 billion worth of products in 2023, supporting thousands of jobs and contributing significantly to the national economy. Rice in his testimony highlighted the need for a more proactive U.S. trade policy agenda that aggressively tackles global trade barriers and enhances market access to key partners.
Nine universities recently participated in the 75th USPOULTRY Foundation Ted Cameron National Poultry Judging Contest, held at Louisiana State University (LSU). Texas A&M University won the high team overall category, and The Ohio State University took second place. Additionally, Cade Davis with Mississippi State University won the high individual overall category, with Marissa Askew from Auburn University finishing second.
Alltech announced that the company will serve as the primary importer and distributor of Agolin products in the United States and Canada beginning May 1, 2024. Agolin’s high-quality essential oil blends are scientifically proven to optimize feed intake and performance, including improved milk and meat production, for both ruminant and non-ruminant animals.
