Marlys Miller
NAHMS Swine 2012 Study enters phase II
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has completed phase I of the National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) focused on swine. It is now entering phase II, and organizers need pork producers’ help.
FULL STORY »
Profit Tracker: Pork producer losses mount
Pork producer margins are headed in the wrong direction; meanwhile packers are gaining ground. Losses for farrow-to-finish producers more than doubled in a week, according to Sterling Marketing, Vale, Ore. For the week ending Sept. 7, producers lost an average $29.01 per head.
FULL STORY »
Profit Tracker: Producer margins turn red
Although profitability has been tightening on a weekly basis, driven by the drought-induced grain price rally, pork producer margins have dropped into the red. According to Sterling Marketing, farrow-to-finish margins averaged a negative $13.25 on the week ending Aug. 31. That compares to the previous week at a profit of $4.48 per head.
FULL STORY »
Hot dog chain wants gestation-stall-free pork
Wienerschnitzel, the world’s largest hot dog chain, is the latest quick-serve food company that has committed to phasing out gestation-sow stalls from its supply chain. The Galardi Group, Irvine, Calif., which is the franchisor of Wienerschnitzel, has set 2022 as the stall-free deadline.
FULL STORY »
NCGA wants RFS comment period extended
Citing the time demands of harvest, Garry Niemeyer, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) president, is asking for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) comment period to be extended another 30 days, which would wrap it up in late October.
FULL STORY »
HSUS investments raise the bar on the gestation-stall ban
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has expanded its reach in an effort to pressure action toward the elimination of gestation-sow stalls. The animal activist group purchased stock in four leading investment firms -- JP Morgan, BlackRock, Ameriprise and Prudential.
FULL STORY »
Harris Teeter to ban gestation stalls
Harris Teeter Supermarkets has announced that it will ask its pork suppliers to phase out gestation-sow stalls. While company officials did not provide a deadline, they did point to Smithfield Foods’ plan to eliminate gestation stalls by 2017.
FULL STORY »
PETA and Kansas State Fair head to court
A federal judge will hear arguments in a lawsuit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that accuses the Kansas State Fair of violating the animal rights group’s free speech rights. At issue is a 13-minute video that PETA wants to display in its booth.
FULL STORY »
Defense agency to purchase $100 million in protein supplies
Following USDA’s purchase of $170 million worth of pork, lamb, chicken and catfish for federal food programs, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) will procure a six-month advanced meat supply for its Department of Defense (DOD) customers.
FULL STORY »
Massachusetts considers gestation-stall ban
Massachusetts lawmakers are revisiting a bill that would target certain farm-animal production practices, including veal crates and gestation-sow stalls. There is a companion bill on the Senate side.
FULL STORY »
Profit Tracker: Producer margins drop, packers gain
Further erosion of market hog prices dropped pork producer margins by more than $10 per head on the week ending Aug. 24. Meanwhile, packers gained ground.
FULL STORY »
- Meat industry associations quick to attack the new MCOOL rule
- Oil prices pare losses on U.S. equities turnaround
- Future of food discussion with Agriculture Secretary
- Ag markets diverged prove rather volatile on Thursday
- Hormel Foods profit declines as costs pinch
- Livestock Slaughter: Pork production up 5 percent from April 2012
