Weekly livestock news: March 9, 2020

Bayer’s soybeans have competition from Corteva; officials agree to review of M&A practices

Bayer’s decades-long dominance of the $4 billion U.S. soybean seed market is facing a challenge from rival Corteva Inc., Reuters reports. Officials said the company expects plantings of its genetically modified Xtend soybean seeds to flatline this year for the first time, after three years of strong growth since their launch with an accompanying dicamba weedkiller. Dicamba has been found to damage crops, making Xtend — which needs certain specialized weedkillers like dicamba — less appealing to farmers. They can avoid those problems with Corteva’s Enlist E3. In other news, Bayer officials have agreed to allow an independent expert to review the company’s due diligence practices in major deals, like its controversial acquisition of Monsanto.

Merck expands pinkeye vaccine portfolio

Merck Animal Health announced an agreement with Addison Biological Laboratory in which Merck will market Addison’s Moraxella Bovuculi Bacterin, which has been conditionally licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. According to the announcement, the product is the only commercially available vaccine for the prevention of pinkeye due to Moraxella bovuculi in cattle. Pinkeye is highly contagious and costs cattle producers more than $150 million each year, Merck said. “Options to help prevent M. bovuculi have been limited, so we are pleased to provide veterinarians and producers with this vaccine,” said Dr. Tim Parks, ruminant technical services manager for Merck. “Moraxella Bovuculi Bacterin includes eight different M. bovuculi isolates—and when used in conjunction with [Merck preventives] Vision or Piliguard vaccines for M. bovis—provides comprehensive pinkeye protection.

How two years of changes in the dairy industry led to Dean and Borden bankruptcies

Dean Foods and Borden Dairy—two of the largest U.S. milk processors—filed for bankruptcy within two months of each other. For at least two years, the companies have increasingly struggled with competition from milk alternatives, innovative startups and deeply discounted private label dairy, Lillianna Byington writes in Food Dive. “It’s going to take some disruptors to wake up some of the folks who haven’t made those decisions to invest in the future,” said Paul Ziemnisky, executive vice president of global innovation at Dairy Management Inc. “If you’re not investing in the category today, you’re going to have a major challenge to survive.” Borden and Dean failed to adapt to changing customer preferences, Byington writes in this analysis of the bankruptcies and the shifting industry that led to them.

Britain says it won’t compromise on food standards in U.S. trade talks

Britain won’t lower its regulation around environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards as part of trade talks with the United States, according to a document from U.K. officials. “The UK’s independent food regulators will continue to ensure that all food imports into the UK comply with those high standards,” according to the document, reported by Reuters. “Without exception, imports into the UK will meet our stringent food safety standards—all food imports into the UK must be safe and this will not change in any future agreement.”

Texas issues rabies warning after cow at stock show gets sick

The Texas Department of State Health Officials issued a notice for visitors to the cattle barn during February’s San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, saying they may need to be assessed for rabies exposure, Drovers reports. A solid black Brangus heifer shown by a student from the Miller Grove ISD in Hopkins County developed rabies and was capable of spreading the virus when it was in the barn during the show on February 11-14. Rabies is spread through the saliva of infected animals. Anyone who put their hand in the cow’s nose or mouth, or had contact between its saliva and an open wound or mucous membrane like the eyes, nose or mouth should be evaluated for rabies, the notice said. People who didn’t have that kind of contact with the animal aren’t at risk of contracting the illness.

Rural vets turn to pet care in addition to livestock

Veterinarians in rural areas are increasingly including pets in their practices, rather than just focusing on large farm animals. “In general, it seems like there definitely is a trend toward more companion animal veterinarians than pure food veterinarians,” Illinois state veterinarian Mark Ernst told Illinois Farmer Today. “That’s partly because the industry is becoming more integrated on the production animal side. There are fewer veterinarians serving larger clients with more animals.” According to Dennis French, head of the University of Illinois’ Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, “In rural areas, you almost have to do mixed animals just to supply the needs of your clients….My father was a veterinarian. He did probably 18 farm animal calls a day, and at night we would work on whatever small animals came in, to care for them as well.” Organizations like the American Veterinary Medical Association have voiced concern about the lack of rural vets, attributing it in large part to huge student debt loads that are difficult to pay back in rural practice.