Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. grain and soybean futures fell on Friday as investor jitters about China’s economy continued to cool confidence in commodity markets and early data from a recent industry crop tour showed strong yield potential in the western Corn Belt. Corn made a modest weekly gain after falling two per cent last […] Read more
U.S. grains: Futures slump on weather, China gloom
USDA moves to build vaccine stockpile for bird flu return
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday it has put out a request for proposals to help the nation’s veterinarians have access to bird flu vaccines for poultry this fall, in preparation for the potential return of the fast-spreading avian influenza virus. The agency’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog supplies, post-holiday slump cool CME futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. livestock futures remained mostly sluggish on Monday at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as traders wrestled with strengthening grain prices, tight supplies of market-ready cattle, and visions of a glut of hogs straining U.S. slaughterhouse capacity in the coming months. Livestock futures trading was relatively light on an historic day at […] Read more
U.S. bird flu causes egg shortage, emergency measures
Chicago/New York | Reuters — As a virulent avian influenza outbreak continues to spread across the Midwestern U.S., some egg-dependent companies are contemplating drastic steps — importing eggs from overseas or looking to egg alternatives. A spokeswoman for Archer Daniels Midland said that as egg supplies tighten and prices rise, the food processing and commodities […] Read more
Wal-Mart urges meat suppliers to curb antibiotic use
Chicago | Reuters — Wal-Mart Stores is pressing meat, seafood, dairy and egg suppliers to reduce the use of antibiotics, becoming the first large retailer to take a stand against the excessive use of drugs in raising farm animals. The guidelines announced on Friday would limit suppliers to using antibiotics to treat and prevent disease, […] Read more
Bird flu outbreak hits Nebraska
Reuters — The fast-spreading avian flu virus was confirmed for the first time in Nebraska, at a commercial egg-laying farm that housed a flock of 1.7 million chickens, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday. The case in Dixon County, Nebraska, brings the number of states affected by the outbreak to 16, and the […] Read more
H5N8 avian flu found in Indiana
Reuters — A strain of avian flu that until now had been found only in the western U.S. has cropped up in Indiana, bringing the total number of states affected by the virulent outbreak to 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday. The eastward spread of any strain of the highly contagious H5 virus […] Read more
Tyson to end use of human antibiotics in U.S. chickens by 2017
Chicago | Reuters –– Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. poultry producer, plans to eliminate use of human antibiotics in its chicken flocks by September 2017, one of the most aggressive timetables yet set by an American poultry company. The Arkansas-based chicken and meat company also said Tuesday it is working on ways to curtail such […] Read more
Minnesota declares state of emergency over avian flu
Chicago | Reuters — Minnesota declared a state of emergency on Thursday over a fast-spreading strain of avian flu that has led to the extermination of more than 7.3 million birds in the country. It followed Wisconsin’s action on Monday. The highly pathogenic H5N2 strain of bird flu has been identified on 46 Minnesota farms […] Read more
U.S. could use vaccines being developed to fight bird flu in poultry
Chicago | Reuters — Faced with a deadly bird flu outbreak that has infected millions of chickens and turkeys, the U.S. Agriculture Department could turn to what it has always seen as a last resort: readying and deploying a vaccine to fight the disease. Up to now, USDA has said it would prefer not to […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
