USDA said this week cow-to-cow transmission is a factor in the spread of avian flu in dairy herds, but it still does not know exactly how the virus is being moved around.
Canadian cars are stealing from the mouths of pigs and cattle, according to a new study on the impact of blending ethanol with gasoline.The competition between food and fuel is squeezing the size of the province's livestock sector, says the study - a squeeze that could get even worse if the amount of ethanol used in gasoline increases.
The nation's cattle inventory, scorched by a record-breaking drought in Texas, has plummeted to a 60-year low, triggering concerns that beef prices will spiral higher for consumers.
Findings highlight the industry’s efforts to provide innovative products that meet children’s taste requirements, while satisfying increasingly stringent school nutrition guidelines.
Low cattle supplies in 2012 are expected to drive up beef prices for the second year in a row, stretching consumers still coping with high unemployment and only modest wage increases.
As the campaign season heats up, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was in Missouri yesterday to spread the message and priorities outlined by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union speech Tuesday.Tom VilsackEchoing the same theme from the president's speech of fighting for the middle class, Vilsack sought to portray actions by the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the past several years laying the groundwork for growing manufacturing jobs and developing a renewable energy economy through biofuels."It's a very important moment in America," Vilsack said in a phone interview. "It's a make-or-break moment for the middle class."
Historic drought conditions took a toll on the Texas cow herd in 2011 as more than 150,000 head left the state for greener pastures - three times more than the 45,000 recorded in 2010, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service economist.
Consumers are going nuts for almond milk, as it became the fastest growing non-dairy milk alternative in 2011 at the expense of soy milk. According to the latest figures from Packaged Facts, sales of almond milk increased 79 percent in the US last year, while sales of soy milk -- though still the most popular non-dairy milk alternative -- fell 15 percent between 2008 and 2010, reported online trade publication FoodNavigator.com last week.
World’s largest dairy exporter attributes large shipments to continued growth in global demand for dairy products and record milk production in New Zealand.
U.S. farms pumped out 196.2 billion pounds of milk last year, a record, up from 192.8 in 2010. Cow numbers were also up 80,000 head (0.9%) over a year ago.
Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 18 requests for export assistance from Bongards, Dairy Farmers of America, Darigold and United Dairymen of Arizona.
The Kumamoto Dairy Cooperative Association, a grouping of dairy farmers in Kumamoto Prefecture, is intensifying its efforts to boost milk exports to other Asian countries. At present, milk produced in Hokkaido dominates Japan's milk export business because of its brand cachet. But milk producers in Kumamoto are striving to blaze a new trail overseas amid the trend toward globalization such as Japan's possible signing up for the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal.
Owners John and Celia Harrison received the award, which recognizes U.S. dairy producers that apply creativity, excellence and forward thinking to achieve greater on-farm productivity and improved milk marketing.
WESLACO - When a swarm of Africanized honeybees infiltrated the U.S.-Mexico border in 1990, it was detected, destroyed and studied by U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists at the Kika de la Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research Center.When Hurricane Alice and a subsequent tropical depression sent floodwaters coursing down the Rio Grande in the historic flood of 2010, it was planes operated by the center that allowed officials to track the river's swelling.
NMPF and USDEC are concerned that including the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in the government’s reorganization process could detrimentally affect U.S. ability to effectively negotiate and enforce trade agreements.
Over the next decade, the company says, the potential to grow dairy globally is more than double that of the next two food categories—bakery and chilled processed foods—combined.
Remodeled facilities will enable better animal care—with better cooling and ventilation and bigger, more comfortable stalls—and enhanced learning opportunities than are possible in the existing 56-year-old setup.
