Weekly livestock news: March 7, 2022
DSM’s methane-reducing feed additive receives marketing approval in the European Union
European Union member states have approved marketing in the EU of Royal DSM’s Bovaer, a methane-reducing feed additive for dairy cows. Once the European Commission adopts the Food Safety Authority’s conclusion that Bovaer is effective, the product will be the first of its kind available on the EU market, according to the commission’s announcement. DSM says the product has consistently reduced dairy cow methane emissions by about 30%.
Neogen launches ready-to-use formulation of Synergize disinfectant
Neogen announced the addition of a ready-to-use formulation of its Synergize disinfectant to its biosecurity portfolio. The new formulation of the disinfectant and deodorizer requires no mixing, which eliminates several steps that were required for use of the concentrated product. According to Neogen, this should save producers time and money spent on personal protective equipment required to handle the concentrate. “As producers in the animal agriculture markets face high turnover and increasingly complex requirements for ensuring employee safety, this ready-to-use Synergize formulation will assist in keeping costs down and processes quick and efficient,” said John Adent, Neogen’s president and CEO.
Kansas lawmakers consider increasing loan forgiveness in incentive program for rural veterinarians
The Kansas House of Representatives has approved proposed changes to a program meant to incentivize new veterinarians to practice in rural areas of the state. The bill increases annual student loan assistance in the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas from $20,000 to $25,000. It also expands eligibility for the program beyond first-year veterinary students, the Kansas Reflector reports. As of now, a small number of in-state students at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine enter the program in their first year of school and receive a $20,000 loan each year, which is then forgiven year by year after they begin working in rural counties in the state. Under the new bill, veterinarians would have the option to work in counties with populations less than 40,000, up from the current cap of 35,000. They could also work in an urban county if at least 50% of the veterinary practice’s business involves meat-producing animals.
Avian flu detected in 6th Indiana commercial flock
Avian influenza has been detected in a sixth commercial poultry flock in southern Indiana, state officials said March 1. Laboratory testing of a fourth commercial turkey flock in Dubois County has come back as presumptively positive for the virus, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health said. The samples were set to be verified by a federal lab in Iowa. Pending tests should indicate if it’s the same strain of the virus that has been found elsewhere (H5N1). Three cases were already found in Dubois County and two in Greene County. Cases have also been detected in a Michigan backyard flock and in other states. Officials began euthanizing the 16,500 birds at the latest Indiana farm to keep the disease from spreading, the Associated Press reports.
Grain markets could see supply shock of a lifetime after invasion of Ukraine, economist says
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could cause the biggest grain supply shock in living memory, according to one economist’s analysis. Scott Irwin, an agricultural economist at the University of Illinois, said on Twitter last week that tens of millions of acres of grain production are at stake. The world “desperately” needs farmers to plant more acres in 2022, he said, but “basically nothing can be done in the short-run except to run up the price of grain high enough to ration demand.” Ukraine and Russia together account for more than a quarter of the global trade in wheat, as well as a fifth of corn sales. Prices for these staple crops are rising due to concerns about supply disruptions at a time when global food prices had already reached record highs, Bloomberg reports.
Beef prices rose with high demand in 2021, but consumers may stop buying: Rabobank
U.S. retail beef prices in the last quarter of 2021 were 23% above the five-year average, according to a new report from Rabobank. In China, prices were 24% above the five-year average. Strong demand and limited supplies have kept prices high in the past two years, although this could come at the cost of consumers. “Further increases in beef prices run the risk of consumers substituting to other proteins or reducing their overall consumption,” said Angus Gidley-Baird, senior animal protein analyst at Rabobank. “And we are starting to see signs that they might be reaching their limit.” Inflation is putting pressure on the supply chain, as the costs of labor, freight, energy and feed all increase. Some of these costs are expected to decline over time, but others will be permanent, according to the report. The U.S. beef herd is contracting, although other key international producers are expected to increase production this year, Feedstuffs reports.
