Ag in the News

03/26/2008

National

Report dubs humane slaughter 'low priority' in U.S. meat industry
In the wake of controversy surrounding animal abuse at Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co., the Animal Welfare Institute has released a report analyzing humane slaughter enforcement at U.S. meat processing plants. MORE!

USDA preparing to lift ban on Argentine beef imports
The last time there was an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the Patagonia South region of Argentina was 1976. MORE!
By Ann Bagel Storck on 3/26/2008 for Meatingplace.com Researchers at Kansas State University have validated a process that destroys E. coli O157:H7 and salmonella in jerky without being burdensome for small processors. MORE!

ARAMARK rolls out menu items for 2008 baseball season
Philadelphia-based ARAMARK announced the launch of several new menu items, as well as new environmentally friendly dining initiatives, to debut in various ballparks across the nation for the 2008 baseball season. MORE!

Pork Management Conference slated for May
The 2008 Pork Management Conference, Your Pork Industry Investment, will take place May 7-9 at the Hilton Sandestin in Destin, Fla. MORE!

Wrap Up

Old-crop leading the way. Soybean futures again led price gains in overnight trade. Old-crop beans were as much as 46 cents higher, while November beans advanced a dime. Corn futures were 8 to 9 cents higher. Chicago wheat was 2 to 12 cents higher.

Argentine unrest. Unrest in Argentina continues to test the country's president as she continues to take a hardline in the situation where farmers have been on strike to protest a hike in the country's export taxes. News reports say consumers have joined in some of the protests as they see dwindling food supplies. Some say the situation is the worst in 20 years. Some exporters have shifted business because they don't have exportable supplies.

Close to farm bill deal? Yeah, well that's what Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) is saying. One has to hope he's right as that phrase has been used so many times over the last few weeks and more importantly months that it's almost taking on a striking similarity to the tale of the little boy who cried wolf. Conrad, however, isn't talking details. So maybe that does mean we're closer to a deal.

More hog hurt globally. Canada's hog industry's woes are pretty well known in the U.S., but today's Wall Street Journal notes that UK hog producers are in similar straits. The paper says producers there are losing $50 per head on hogs. But their industry is stepping up its efforts to boost consumption and public awareness of the situation, not necessarily pushing for a bailout.