Weekly livestock news: May 24, 2021

Farm groups urge federal investigation of meatpacking industry consolidation

Several farm groups have called on the Justice Department to investigate consolidation in the meatpacking industry, urging the development of “new independent, local and regional packers.” Ranch and farm groups have said during the pandemic that high beef prices in the grocery store haven’t translated into stronger prices for slaughter cattle. The six groups said they would ask Congress to renew a federal law requiring meatpackers to report purchase prices for cattle, with the addition of a new provision for reporting of “formula” prices along with cash prices. Lawmakers also sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking for examination of “potential instances of improper and anti-competitive activities in the live cattle and beef industry.” Successful Farming has more.

Cattle ranchers cull cows as 60% of U.S. herd faces drought

Sixty percent of the U.S. cowherd is facing some level of drought or dryness, the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows. This means cows are going to the processor “in numbers not seen in a decade,” according to AgDay TV. As 46% of the country experiences drought, pastures in some areas aren’t greening up, meaning cows have to be slaughtered. “The cows slaughtered for March of this year was up 10% over last year already, and April was up 4-5% over last year,” said Greg Henderson, editor of Drovers. Henderson added that in 2020, beef cow slaughter was up 7%, the highest beef cow slaughter since 2010. North Dakota State University in April provided guidelines on developing a culling plan during drought.

Study finds fewer drug-resistant microbes in organic meat

Retail meat samples from producers certified as organic by USDA had a significantly lower prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms than meat raised conventionally, a new study shows. Additionally, the study, by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, found that retail meat processed at facilities that handle both organic and conventional meat—known as “split” facilities—had a lower prevalence of overall bacterial contamination than meat processed at facilities that exclusively handle conventionally raised meat, regardless of how the meat was produced. The researchers hypothesize that the mandated cleaning and decontamination that split facilities have to perform between processing organic and conventional meats could be contributing to a lower overall bacterial burden. Speeding up processing lines could be concerning because it may mean less time to clean, they noted. The University of Minnesota has more.

USDA researchers discuss progress on African swine fever vaccines

Feed Strategy spoke with two USDA researchers about progress the agency and other global researchers have made on the development of African swine fever vaccines. In addition to recent findings from the agency that showed one vaccine candidate can be produced on a commercial scale without needing live pigs, researchers have also been working on a vaccine administered orally. This could allow them to reach wild animals. While progress has been made on new vaccines, it’s difficult to predict when they could be deployed in the field, said USDA researcher Manuel Borca. But Borca added that researchers are optimistic their work will lead to viable vaccine candidates.

University of Arkansas and Missouri State University offer dual degree poultry science program

The agriculture colleges at the University of Arkansas and Missouri State University have created a dual degree transfer program with an emphasis on poultry science, Meat + Poultry reports. The “3-plus-1” curriculum allows animal science majors at Missouri State to complete their senior year at the University of Arkansas in the poultry program. Those students will earn bachelor’s degrees from Missouri State in animal science and from the University of Arkansas in agricultural, food and life sciences with a poultry science concentration.

Argentine farm groups plan to halt livestock trading in response to beef export ban

Argentine farm groups planned to halt trading of livestock in protest against a 30-day government ban on beef exports meant to bring down domestic prices, the country’s main producer groups said. Argentina’s four main rural associations launched the nine-day halt of livestock trading—which they said could lead to further measures—in response to the government’s announcement that it would ban beef exports for 30 days to tamp down inflation. The standoff illustrates the balance the government needs to strike between supporting farm exports, which bring in much-needed foreign currency, and bringing down inflation, which is set to approach 50% this year, Reuters reports. Argentina is the world’s No. 5 beef exporter and has been increasing sales to markets like China, helping Argentina’s farmers but fueling concerns about inflation.