Weekly livestock news: March 2, 2020

Thousands of farmers could join dicamba lawsuits

As many as 2,000 farmers could mount a legal challenge against Bayer and BASF over crop damage from the dicamba herbicide. Joseph Peiffer, a managing partner at Peiffer Wolf, made the estimate at a news conference. The estimate could be conservative and is based on more than 5,000 complaints filed through different agricultural state boards and federal agencies, according to Feedstuffs. This comes after a Missouri jury awarded $15 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages in a case brought by a peach farmer in the state. In 2017, 3.6 million acres of soybeans on 2,708 farms nationwide were damaged by dicamba, according to an estimate by University of Missouri crop science professor Kevin Bradley.

Experts discuss market implications of coronavirus

Markets were down amid a startling rise in coronavirus cases outside China and an announcement from the World Health Organization that the world isn’t ready for the virus’ spread. “No one really knows how far coronavirus will spread or what effect it will have on global demand,” DuWayne Bosse of Bolt Marketing told Ag Web. “That uncertainty is enough for a fund trader to exit long positions.” One analyst said the rise in cases in Iran was especially concerning, given the country’s uncertain economy. Bosse said the economic impact on grains and oilseeds is of particular interest: “Corn and wheat have more downside risk from here,” he said. “Not only due to continued spread of the coronavirus, but also due to current fund positions. Funds are long a very large amount of Chicago wheat contracts. If those funds are nervous they may want to exit longs, which would create a large move lower.”

Farm numbers show the smallest drop in recent years

The United States lost 5,800 farms in 2019 from 2018, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s the smallest decline in recent years, Ag Web reports. Since 2012, the average year over year decline in the number of farms was about 12,000; the biggest drop was between 2014 and 2015. The total number of farms in the country last year was 2,023,400. Texas had the most, at 247,000.

Researchers map African swine fever virus genome

Researchers at University College London (officially UCL) and the Pirbright Institute have mapped the expression of genes across the entire African swine fever virus genome, UCL announced. Scientists say the research could provide vital information for drug developers. The virus expresses different genes at different times of infection: Genes used for DNA replication and immune system evasion are switched on early in the infection, while those involved in creating proteins for new virus particles are switched on later. African swine fever virus “has a very large DNA genome,” said study coauthor Linda Dixon of the Pirbright Institute. “For comparison, the influenza virus expresses eight genes, whereas ASFV expresses between 150 and 190, which has so far made it difficult for scientists to identify and determine the significance of each gene. Our study helps to untangle which genes are important during different stages of infection to better understand their functions.”

Scientists use on-farm test kit for ASF detection

A new test kit has successfully identified African swine fever in pig blood, according to Feed Strategy. Scientists at Silver Lake Research and Kansas State University said their test demonstrated 95% efficacy in a laboratory setting, with just one false positive. The kits are being field tested in Vietnam and Cambodia, said Jürgen Richt, a Kansas State professor. Richt previously developed antibodies for ASF detection. Six months ago, Kansas State University granted a license to Silver Lake Research to incorporate the antibodies into on-farm test kits, which Silver Lake Research is now producing. While the test isn’t as effective as laboratory screening, Richt said it’s much faster—a matter of minutes for the test kit versus at least a day in the lab. It’s most effective in pigs already showing moderate to severe symptoms of ASF; efficacy declines if the animals have only recently contracted the virus.

Cargill launches plant-based patty, ground products

Cargill will launch plant-based hamburger patties and ground meat alternative products in April, the company announced. This means Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods will have more competition as Cargill brings its products into grocery stores, cafeterias and restaurants, Reuters reports. The company plans to use its decades-long experience handling ingredients and buying crops to produce private-label products more efficiently than competitors. “We believe we’re uniquely positioned to be very effective and efficient in the supply chain,” said Elizabeth Gutschenritter, managing director of Cargill’s alternative protein team. Cargill’s products will be made from soy protein or pea protein, and retailers will be able to sell the products under their own labels.