Livestock News for April 2

Ag Secretary promises assistance to farmers, ranchers, and communities affected by recent flooding

To help residents, farmers, and ranchers affected by the devastation caused by recent flooding, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to aid people in their recovery efforts. USDA staff in the regional, state, and county offices are responding and providing a variety of program flexibilities and other assistance to residents, agricultural producers, and impacted communities at large. “Recent flooding in the Midwest and along the Missouri and Mississippi River Valleys has caused devastating impacts across the region, and USDA has personnel and resources devoted to helping farmers and communities recover after this storm,” Secretary Perdue said. “I encourage area farmers and ranchers to contact their local USDA Service Center so we can work with them to identify the resources and tools needed to reestablish their operations. While farmers and ranchers in the area are resilient, the pain is real. We will do everything in our power at USDA to be as helpful as we possibly can.”

Tyson Fresh Meats and IdentiGEN collaborate to trace beef using DNA technology

Tyson Fresh Meats, the beef and pork subsidiary of Tyson Foods, Inc., is collaborating with IdentiGEN to use DNA technology to trace beef back to the individual animal of origin. IdentiGEN’s signature DNA TraceBack® system will be a key tool to trace the cattle raised for Tyson’s Open Prairie® Natural Angus Beef, according to a release. A DNA sample from cattle entering the Open Prairie program will be used to trace the origin of individual cuts of beef as they move through the supply chain. The DNA TraceBack process is intended to assure customers that the Open Prairie beef products they buy were sourced from ranches where the cattle were raised to meet specific requirements, such as no antibiotics ever and no added hormones.

USDA-trained beagles thwart attempt to smuggle 1 million pounds of Chinese pork into U.S.

According to Swineweb.com, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has intercepted a massive amount of Chinese pork that smugglers were attempting to sneak into the U.S. through a New Jersey port. The pork – which NJ.com and other outlets report totaled about 1 million pounds and filled five containers – may have been contaminated with African swine fever, according to CBP. Secretary Perdue gave some of the credit for the bust to the USDA-trained beagles – Chipper, Marlee, Chaze, and Cardie – who sniffed out the Chinese pork.

Pork production to eclipse beef by 2028: USDA

Pork production is projected to edge past beef production at just over 30 billion pounds by 2028, USDA said in a new report highlighted by Meatingplace. Red meat and poultry production all are seen increasing over the period, according to the report, which covers projections for agricultural commodities, trade and indicators such as macroeconomic trends and farm income over the next decade.