The 2025 International Livestock Congress will be held March 4-5, 2025, in Houston, Texas, during the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. This year’s topic will be “Effectively Communicating Sound Science and the Value of Animal Agriculture to Society.” The ILC provides a unique opportunity through the International Stockmen’s Educational Foundation’s Student Travel Fellowship Program. This program introduces attendees to a group of outstanding students from international and domestic agriculture colleges and universities.
The American Feed Industry Association is pleased to see the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establish a new framework for the review of animal food ingredients under the Animal Food Ingredient Consultation (AFIC) program through the issuance of Guidance for Industry (GFI) 294. The FDA’s action marks a major shift for the regulation of animal food, providing animal food innovators an alternative pathway to the recently ended process facilitated in coordination with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
Due to the National Day of Mourning for President James Earl Carter, Jr., USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has rescheduled the Weekly Slaughter data release from Jan. 9 to Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. ET. Other reports scheduled for release on Jan. 10 such as Crop Production and Grain Stocks reports will be published as scheduled.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) congratulated Speaker Mike Johnson (LA) for his successful reelection campaign as Speaker of the House for the 119th Congress: “Congratulations to Speaker Johnson on successfully navigating a narrow margin and being elected as Speaker of the House by his peers once again. Speaker Johnson has always been a strong supporter of U.S. cattle producers, and we look forward to continuing to work with him in the new Congress,” said NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane. “There is a lot of work that needs to get done this year, including extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passing a long-term Farm Bill, and providing regulatory relief to producers that have been squeezed by government overreach over the past four years. We are confident Speaker Johnson is the leader to get these policy priorities across the finish line.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, announces the release of the updated Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) National Manual, which serves as a resource for science-based cattle production information. The manual is available for free at www.bqa.org/resources/manuals.
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) commended President Biden for signing into law the Beagle Brigade Act, which provides statutory authority and reliable funding to the National Detector Dog Training Center. NPPC led a coalition of 50+ groups in pressing Congress to pass this bipartisan legislation
The poultry industry consistently invests in research to enhance its understanding and expertise in avian care, while exploring methods and techniques to boost its overall success. These advancements and related subjects will be highlighted at the International Poultry Scientific Forum (IPSF), held in conjunction with the 2025 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in Atlanta.
