A satellite view of Hurricane Matthew at 2:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 7, 2016. (NASA/NOAA GOES Project)

Smithfield to shutter major hog plant against Matthew

Chicago | Reuters — Smithfield Foods will shutter its hog processing facility, the world’s largest, on Saturday to protect employees in North Carolina from Hurricane Matthew, industry sources said on Friday, as farmers braced for the storm’s potential lashing. Matthew has fueled concerns about the safety of livestock and farm workers along the coast from […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Mexico reopens to all Canadian beef

Beef and beef products from Canadian cattle of all ages may again be shipped to Mexico under newly expanded access announced Friday. The announcement from Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay, on his first official visit to Mexico, follows up on a joint statement in June that Mexico was in the “final stages of due diligence” to reopen […] Read more



Mars buying out Buffett stake in Wrigley

Reuters — The candy maker Mars Inc. on Thursday said it would take full control of its Wrigley chewing gum business, acquiring the minority stake held by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Mars plans to combine Wrigley with its chocolate business, putting M+Ms, Snickers, Skittles, Lifesavers, Starburst fruit chews, Doublemint and Extra gum and Altoids […] Read more


Toronto MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith’s bill to tighten animal cruelty legislation in Canada has been voted down in the Commons on second reading. (NErskine-Smith.liberal.ca)

Bill to tighten cruelty laws downed in Commons

A federal private member’s bill meant to tighten animal cruelty laws in Canada — alarming farm organizations and energizing animal welfare groups en route — has gone the way of most private members’ bills. Bill C-246, introduced in February by Toronto Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith and given first reading, died Wednesday in the House of […] Read more

(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Burdensome supplies slam lean hog futures

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell sharply on Wednesday, with some contracts posting new lows, led by profit-taking and seasonally rising hog numbers, traders said. Cooler fall temperatures in the Midwest and highly-nutritious new-crop corn are causing pigs to grow faster. The U.S. Department of Agriculture data on Wednesday showed […] Read more


steaks

High pressure beef processing

Research on the Record with Reynold Bergen

In high pressure processing (HPP), food is sealed in water-resistant packaging, placed in a water-filled container, and exposed to very high hydrostatic pressures (up to 87,000 psi) for three to nine minutes. High pressure is harmful or deadly to many pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, so HPP can improve food safety and extend shelf life. But […] Read more

(Olymel.com)

Olymel ham consolidation spurs more plant upgrades

Meat packer Olymel’s plans to consolidate its ham production work has led to a new round of plant upgrades. Olymel, the protein arm of Quebec agricultural co-operative La Coop federee, announced Wednesday it has budgeted $3 million in “redevelopment” work for its Beauce-region hog slaughter plant at Vallee-Jonction, about 60 km southeast of Quebec City. […] Read more


(EC.europa.eu)

EU’s Juncker seeks to win over Austria on CETA

Strasbourg | Reuters –– European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed optimism on Wednesday that EU governments would agree a contentious free trade deal this month ahead of a meeting with a skeptical Austrian chancellor. Juncker said the EU needed to ensure that a deal agreed with Canada two years ago entered into force in a […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle post biggest daily percentage gain in a year

U.S. livestock: Live cattle post biggest daily percentage gain in a year

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures surged about three per cent on Tuesday to their best one-day performance since October 2015, sparked by short-covering and technical buying, said traders. Prior to Tuesday’s open, CME live cattle contracts displayed a Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 27. A RSI below 30 suggests a […] Read more