Livestock News for July 2
Feedstuffs reported that Cargill is expanding its protein production capacity in Chuzhou, Anhui, in China, with an investment of $48.8 million in a production plant to provide new products to customers and consumers. This is the second facility Cargill has built in the region. The new plant has two fully cooked protein production lines that will be able to produce 32,000 tons of chicken and other protein products annually. Cargill said the new facility will also increase production speed by as much as 30%.
Walmart execs offer insight on beef supply initiative
According to Meatingplace, Walmart’s move to vertically integrate its Angus beef supply chain evolved in part from a desire to gain leverage in the face of industry consolidation, company executives recently told investors. The retailer announced in April that it was developing an end-to-end supply chain for Angus beef cuts such as steaks and roasts to be sold in stores in the U.S. Southeast. Consolidation in the beef industry has meant Walmart does business with two key players, Tyson and Cargill, Walmart’s U.S. chief executive said.
Cattlemen launch media campaign in support of USMCA
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) launched a media campaign urging Congress to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The campaign features personal stories from cattle and beef producers across the country who want Congress to ratify the USMCA as quickly as possible. “The USMCA keeps the highly successful framework for U.S. beef trade in place and preserves access to two of our largest export markets,” said NCBA President Jennifer Houston. “Cattle producers need certainty with Canada and Mexico so that we can continue to build on 25 years of duty-free, unrestricted trade in North America.” The NCBA campaign will center around a new USMCA website, policy.nbca.org/usmca. Visitors to the site can click on a dynamic map to pull up state data, producer profiles, and news articles related to USMCA. The map will be updated weekly with new content and profiles.
Hog inventory up 4%
As of June 1, there were 75.5 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up 4 percent from June 2018, and 1 percent from March 1, 2019, according to the Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Other key findings in the report were: Of the 75.5 million hogs and pigs, 69.1 million were market hogs, while 6.41 million were kept for breeding; Between March and May 2019, 34.2 million pigs were weaned on U.S. farms, up 4 percent from the same time period one year earlier.
Equine: AAEP releases updated parasite control guidelines
According to the High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal, the American Association of Equine Practitioners recently released updated equine parasite control guidelines, providing unified strategies for veterinarians and horse owners in diagnosing and controlling equine parasites. The guidelines, first released in 2013, continue to support an individualized deworming approach for horses using targeted treatments at appropriate dosage levels. “Parasite resistance to equine dewormer active ingredients is a real threat to horse health,” said Dr. Kenton Morgan, DVM, senior veterinarian, equine technical services with Zoetis. “The updated AAEP deworming guidelines expand upon the research in resistance and outline the need for horse owners to work closely with their veterinarians for parasite control.” The AAEP Parasite Control Guidelines identify key parasites of concern along with diagnosis and treatment standards for both adult horses and young horses less than three years of age.
