Industry reaction to the World Trade Organization decision against the United States on the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law have been coming in steadily since the announcement was made earlier today. National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson says they believe the situation can be handled by USDA. “Under the guidance of USDA, any changes to COOL to ensure …
FAPRI: Crop Prices Dropping Even More
A new report is either good news or bad news, depending on whether you just raise crops or just raise livestock. But for many producers who do both, the latest report from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri is certainly a dose of both good and bad news. Earlier this month, we told …
Mark Your Calendars for New LPC Event
The Livestock Publications Council is hosting their first ever event designed to celebrate the livestock industry through education and honor those who have made an impact in it. Vision – An Industry Celebration, will take place November 11, 2014 at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri. There they will honor the Headliner and Hall of Fame winners at …
FAPRI: Good News and Bad News for Livestock, Grain Producers
Livestock prices are up, but grain prices are down… that’s the good news, bad news for farmers this year. The latest report from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri says that while livestock producers are enjoying a complete reversal of fortune of not very long ago as prices for cattle, hogs and milk …
State Fairs – A Family Affair
I literally grew up at the Missouri State Fair. I was just a little one when I first attended the fair with my dad and I haven’t missed a year since. My dad worked for the Missouri FFA and ran the FFA Building during the two-week event. I remember hanging out with the State FFA Officers while running through displays …
Pork Economic Situation and Outlook
The record yields and production predicted for the U.S. corn crop this year have good potential to get even bigger, according to livestock economist Steve Meyer, Paragon Economics. “It just looks very good … we’re looking at a great crop,” said Meyer at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica North Carolina Swine Health Seminar last week. “Based on history, the two years …
BIVI CEO Kissel at North Carolina Swine Seminar
Dr. Albrecht Kissel moved from his native Germany to Missouri in 2011 to become the president and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) and this year he had the chance to attend the company’s annual North Carolina Swine Health Seminar. Trained as a veterinarian, Kissel has been with BI since 1993 and he shared a little bit about BIVI and …
Ditch the Rule at Missouri State Fair
Agriculture’s “Ditch the Rule” campaign against the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule was highlighted at the Missouri State Fair this week. Three members of Missouri’s congressional delegation held a press conference at the fair, organized by the the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and Missouri Farm Bureau. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), …
Join the #RealPigFarming Conversation
I sat down with Cindy Cunningham of the National Pork Board and talked with her about the new campaign they’ve launched called #RealPigFarming. The campaign takes place on major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and its aim is to educate the general public on the pork industry. “So those real pig farmers – from their barns, from their …
Lotz Wins World Livestock Auctioneer Championship
Blaine Lotz of Edna, Kan. proved his world-class talent as a livestock auctioneer at the 51st anniversary of the Livestock Marketing Association’s (LMA) World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) in Knoxville, Iowa, on Saturday, June 21. As a third-generation auctioneer, the world champion was quite familiar with the livestock marketing industry. When he was 15, Lotz attended auctioneering school at Western …