Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is aiming to allow farmers to spray the controversial herbicide dicamba next year, but with additional rules for its use, an official with the agency said on Tuesday. Reuben Baris, acting chief of the herbicide branch of the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs, said the agency […] Read more
U.S. EPA aims to allow dicamba use, with safeguards
Irma whips orange trees, shuts meat plants
Chicago | Reuters — Hurricane Irma stripped oranges from trees and prompted Tyson Foods to shut meat plants in Florida and Georgia on Monday to keep workers safe. Tyson, the biggest U.S. meat company, hopes to resume normal operations soon at chicken plants it shuttered in Cumming, Dawson and Vienna, Ga., and at a beef […] Read more
Monsanto presses against Arkansas’ dicamba limits
Chicago | Reuters — Monsanto Co. pushed Arkansas authorities on Thursday to reject a proposed April 15 cutoff date next year for sprayings of the agricultural herbicide dicamba, which has been linked to crop damage across the U.S. farm belt. The company further said that Arkansas’ plant board should allow farmers in the state to […] Read more
U.S. farmers confused by Monsanto’s Xtendimax instructions
Chicago | Reuters — With Monsanto’s latest flagship weed killer, dicamba, banned in Arkansas and under review by U.S. regulators over concerns it can drift in the wind, farmers and weed scientists are also complaining that confusing directions on the label make the product hard to use safely. Dicamba, sold under different brand names by […] Read more
Tyson posts better-than-expected profit, bets on chicken
Reuters – Tyson Foods Inc reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results on Monday, sending its shares up 5 percent, and said it would ramp up chicken production in the face of record demand from U.S. consumers. Tyson said it spent more money on advertising and marketing for chicken in the third quarter ended on July 1, bringing […] Read more
Canada, other countries raise meat inspection bar for Brazil
Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — Meat-importing countries from North America to Europe and Asia have tightened inspection standards for shipments from Brazil in a bid to protect consumers, following a probe into possible corruption involving inspectors. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said on Wednesday that the tighter inspection standards it enacted in April have resulted […] Read more
U.S. bans fresh Brazil beef imports over safety concerns
Chicago | Reuters — The United States halted imports of fresh Brazilian beef on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said, after a high percentage of shipments failed to pass safety checks. USDA had “recurring concerns about the safety of the products intended for the American market,” after increasing tests on Brazilian beef in March, […] Read more
Tyson to test new method to stun chickens
Chicago | Reuters — Tyson Foods will test a new way to render chickens unconscious before slaughter, the company said Wednesday, in the latest sign that heightened concerns about animal welfare are affecting U.S. meat processors. Within the next year, Tyson, the biggest U.S. chicken company, will launch a pilot program at two processing plants […] Read more
U.S. beef speeds to China by air as ban ends
Chicago | Reuters –– The first shipment of U.S. beef to China under a new trade deal went airborne on Wednesday, a Nebraska meat company said, just two days after Washington finalized details to resume exports, ending a 14-year ban. Greater Omaha Packing Co. said it shipped beef by plane to China from Nebraska, a […] Read more
JBS says Pilgrim’s Pride stake not for sale
Chicago | Reuters — Brazilian meat packer JBS SA’s core U.S. assets, including its majority stake in Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., are not for sale, the company said on Wednesday, a day after announcing a deal to sell Argentine operations. U.S. chicken company Pilgrim’s Pride is critical to JBS’ long-term strategy of pursuing business opportunities that […] Read more
Canadian Cattlemen Presents: Depth of Field
