Many are lauding the passage of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade agreement which replaces NAFTA when it comes to trading with our neighbors to the south and north. The dairy and poultry industries are the big winners on our sides of the border, and the changes are bringing stability that will help dairy and poultry producers plan more securely for their futures.
Yes, we’re still talking about African Swine Fever (ASF) because it not only affects the pork industry, the poultry industry is benefitting from markets gained due to downturn in pork markets.
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The US poultry industry has recorded an all-time low for worker injury and illness within the industry’s slaughter and processing workforce. Figures released in November show an 84% decline in illness and injury over the past 25 years.
In late November, Michigan became the fifth state to require that all egg-laying hens in Michigan be kept in cage-free systems and the sale of non-cage-free eggs end by December 2024. Notably, thus far, Michigan is the largest egg-producing state in the U.S. to adopt cage-free legislation – coming in at seventh place for egg production.
If you subscribe to the predictions of the Farmers’ Almanac, we are going to have a colder than usual winter. The worst of this year’s bitter cold winter will affect the eastern part of the Rocky Mountains all the way to the Appalachians. So, will you be prepared to mitigate the cold upon your cattle?
It is a fact. Farmers are under stress. According to the American Psychological Association, many farmers are under intense stress. They note that calls to Farm Aid’s farmer hotline increased by 100% between 2017 and 2018. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 111 million people live in areas with shortages of access to mental health professionals.
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) announced there are 77.7 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms – up 3 percent from September 2018, and up 3 percent from June 1, 2019. The numbers were released in the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published September 30.
If you visit the National Pork Board web site, you can download a number of tasty recipes to celebrate what the Board calls “Porktober”. So be ready to serve up some yummy meals.
