In the wake of mounting questions over its popular growth feed additive for cattle, Merck’s animal health unit said it is launching a five-step plan to reach out to cattle packers and suppliers in the next 30 days to address questions concerns over Zilmax. Among other steps, the New Jersey-based Merck Animal Health said it […] Read more
Merck to study cattle industry use of Zilmax
U.S. slaughterhouse workers, truckers fuel deadly piglet virus spread
Questionable hygiene practices among meat processing plant employees, freight truck drivers and others who work at hog slaughter houses are aiding in the spread of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus across the United States, according to research conducted by the University of Illinois staff. PEDv is spread most commonly by pigs ingesting contaminated feces. The virus, […] Read more
Piglet virus spreads to North Carolina’s hog farms
A swine virus deadly to piglets has been discovered on two hog farms in North Carolina, an official in the No. 2 hog-producing U.S. state said Tuesday. Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) was found at a sow farm, where piglets are born, and at a finishing farm where hogs are fattened up for slaughter, said […] Read more
Piglet virus spreads to 13 U.S. states
A swine virus deadly to young pigs, one never before seen in North America, is spreading rapidly across the U.S. and proving harder to control than previously believed. The virus now has spread to 13 states — with more than 100 positive cases to date — since it was first diagnosed in the United States […] Read more
U.S. pork industry hunts for hog diarrhea virus
The sudden and widespread appearance of a swine virus deadly to young pigs — one never before seen in North America — is raising questions about the biosecurity shield designed to protect the U.S. food supply. The swine-only virus, the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), poses no danger to humans or other animals, and the […] Read more
PFGBest boss gets 50 years’ jail for fraud
A U.S. judge on Thursday sentenced the founder of Peregrine Financial Group (PFGBest) to 50 years in prison for looting hundreds of millions of dollars from the brokerage, saying his customers would probably never recover the money they lost. Russell Wasendorf Sr., who had tried to kill himself just before the fraud was uncovered last […] Read more
Iowa farmland sale hits new record high at $21,900 an acre
As the Midwest struggles with the ripple effects of this year’s devastating drought, farmland prices in Iowa hit a new record high on Thursday when an 80.47-acre parcel sold for $21,900 an acre, the auction firm that handled the sale said Friday. The parcel is located in Sioux County near Boyden, Iowa, about 42 miles […] Read more
ABC News seeks federal venue for “pink slime” lawsuit
ABC News sought on Wednesday to move to federal court a meat processor’s defamation lawsuit over reports about lean finely textured beef, a product that critics have labeled "pink slime." Lawyers for the network filed to transfer the case, brought last month by Beef Products Inc., the leading producer of the product, from of a […] Read more
Ego too big to fail, PFG founder admits 20-year fraud
Russell Wasendorf Sr., arrested on Friday, confessed to a 20-year fraud at his now-bankrupt Iowa brokerage, saying business troubles and his "big" ego left him no choice: "So I cheated." In the dramatic conclusion to a week-long saga that has shaken trader confidence in the trillion-dollar U.S. futures markets, authorities released parts of a detailed […] Read more
U.S. beef processor shuts plants over “pink slime”
Beef Products Inc., the top producer of ammonia-treated beef product dubbed "pink slime" by critics, said Monday it had halted production at three of its four plants in three states for 60 days from Monday. Rich Jochum, corporate administrator for the South Dakota-based company, said that the temporary closure could become "a permanent suspension." "This […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
