The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) began a coordinated, phased reopening of southern cattle ports, beginning August 24. USDA opened the Douglas, AZ port of entry to cattle trade, while simultaneously initiating the operational steps necessary for subsequent openings at the Santa Teresa, NM, and Columbus, NM, ports. Every animal entering the United States through these ports will undergo a full USDA inspection to ensure it is free of any signs of New World screwworm (NWS).
National Pork Producers Council President Rob Brenneman, a pork producer from Washington County, Iowa, applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s announced pork purchase for federal food assistance programs under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935.
USDA is making available $35 million for partnerships to respond to the threat feral swine pose to American agriculture, landscapes and human and livestock health. This partnership opportunity is part of a broader $105 million investment for the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program, where USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service are working together to target feral swine.
The Meat Institute announced the publication of new peer-reviewed research in Frontiers in Climate that gives livestock and meat companies a practical way to better account for emissions and disclose methane’s role in their greenhouse gas inventory. The study, “Bridging the Climate-Corporate Gap: Utilizing GWP* with GWP100 for Livestock Companies’ Greenhouse Gas Inventories,” was authored by Sarah C. Klopatek, Logan R. Thompson, Sara E. Place and Matthew R. Beck. The research addresses a challenge facing agriculture and food companies: how to report methane, a short-lived greenhouse gas, in a way that reflects both current reporting requirements and the latest science on warming over time.
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) is pleased to welcome Abigail Tierney as manager of global policy. In this position, Tierney will educate policymakers, represent the AFIA in trade discussions and advocate for science-based regulations to reduce non-tariff barriers. She will also represent the U.S. animal food industry at meetings both domestically and internationally, analyze global trade trends and develop tools to support industry members.
The leader in intelligent nutrition announced the launch of the NOVUS® Raw Material Compendium, a digital platform designed to support more informed, data-driven feed formulation strategies. The platform provides nutritionists and feed formulators with a centralized resource to evaluate ingredient variability, compare nutrient values across the most relevant databases, assess internal ingredient data, and explore alternative raw materials. By bringing multiple data sources into one tool, NOVUS is helping to simplify a process that is often complex and time intensive.
The Dairy Alliance, a nonprofit organization funded by dairy farm families in the Southeast, recently hosted its “Dairy Does More” initiative, a community effort in partnership with Ingles Markets and regional dairy processor Milkco to support families recovering from Hurricane Helene across North Carolina.
New artificial intelligence (AI)-based tools could help poultry producers detect Salmonella more quickly using smartphone images and bird activity patterns, according to a newly published study conducted at the University of Georgia. The project was funded by the USPOULTRY Foundation to advance innovative solutions for poultry health and food safety. The research is part of the Association’s comprehensive research program, which encompasses all phases of poultry and egg production and processing, and is made possible in part through proceeds from the International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo.
