Latest News From Industry

The Meat Institute said properly prepared beef remains safe to eat and called for USDA and the CDC to provide worker safety guidance specific to beef processors to ensure workers are protected from infection.

The livestock industry needs a comprehensive, cohesive plan to address the virus. Producers, their employees and veterinarians need clear answers and support from U.S. agricultural leadership, moving forward.

USDA is now ordering all dairy cattle must be tested prior to interstate travel as a way to help stop the spread of HPAI H5N1. This comes a day after FDA confirmed virus genetic material was found in retail milk samples.

A lone juror stood between rancher George Kelly and innocent. “It is what it is, and it will be what it will be. Let me go home, okay?”

APHIS announced it has shared 239 genetic sequences of the H5N1 avian flu virus which will help scientists look for new clues about the spread of the virus.

Fairlife is known for its value-added dairy products, such as ultra-filtered milk, protein shakes and lactose-free milk. Soon, the company will be producing these popular products at its upcoming facility in N.Y.

American Wagyu Association names Jerry Cassady as new Executive Director effective May 1.

Darren Schmadeke is leading the Endovac sales team as it builds new opportunities for the company's products.

More than 200 meat and poultry plants were recognized by The Meat Institute at the 2024 Environmental, Labor and Safety+ Conference in New Orleans for their positive environmental impact efforts.

More than 120 guests attended the National Institute for Animal Agriculture conference to discuss gaps in animal agriculture technology and innovation and identify solutions to improve today’s food system.

As long as the beef market is hot, the key for producers will be maintaining the right number of lactating cows going through the parlor and ensuring the right number of replacement heifers can keep that pipeline full.

It’s not sharks, wolves, or bears that kill the most people—it’s wild pigs, and the numbers are trending up.

The language barrier is often a challenge for dairies, as the owner and employees don’t always speak the same language. Now that barrier is extended as K’iche’ is becoming more well-known on U.S. dairy farms.

Cherry County Neb. remains the U.S. County with the most beef cows, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. South Dakota has seven counties ranked in the Top 33 while Texas has five.

Now, along with undergraduate students, current high school seniors who have experience raising and caring for small or large livestock, equine and/or poultry, are eligible to apply.

In an effort to prevent domestic cattle from being exposed to Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV), 17 states have restricted cattle imports from states where the virus has infected dairy cows.

Steve Troxle, state commissioner of agriculture, said he is waiting for more diagnostic information from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and will work collaboratively with North Carolina dairy farmers.

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners is making the name change, as it more accurately reflects the issue.

Kay Russo, DVM, Novonesis technical services manager for dairy and poultry, emphasized the situation is rapidly evolving and more clarity will come with time as researchers learn more.

Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, says the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza impacting beef cattle in the state's panhandle – where dairy cows have been infected – is minimal.

Mexico will increase surveillance and reinforce inspections of U.S. livestock imports after bird flu was found in dairy cattle.

Is the U.S. pork industry prepared for a Japanese encephalitis virus outbreak? Here's how a newly developed diagnostic test could help.

Livestock producers and veterinarians are urged to practice good biosecurity practices to prevent transmission of the disease. Five states have also issued restrictions on dairy cattle movement.

The livestock industry continues to grapple with the first confirmed cases of HPAI in cattle, while federal and state agencies continue to assure consumers there's no concern about the safety of the U.S. milk supply.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and USDA food safety experts, properly prepared beef is safe to eat and is not a food safety risk to humans.

USDA says genetic sequencing revealed the mystery illness impacting Texas dairies is the same strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that's been in the U.S. The virus is carried by wild waterfowl.

In affected cowherds, the illness impacts nearly 10% of the animals, causing reduced feed consumption and a 10% to 20% decline in milk production. 

While HPAI has been detected in predatory mammals that prey on infected birds, this is the first identified case of HPAI in domestic livestock in the U.S.

Firefighters were dispatched to National Beef's 6,000-head per day facility in Liberal, Kansas, Wednesday evening.

Weeks after the smoke has cleared from the wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory is alerting livestock owners to watch their surviving livestock for respiratory issues.

Most if not all injuries caused by livestock can be prevented. Livestock producers can reduce the risk of injury by studying animal behavior, by using proper handling techniques, and by using equipment correctly.

New rules would provide animal drug sponsors with predictable requirements for the labeling of prescription and over-the-counter new animal drugs, as well as new animal drugs for use in animal feeds

Professor at Texas A&M's Large Animal Teaching Hospital leads a team of volunteers in caring for the 18,000 livestock animals at the annual event.

In a near decade-long effort to create giant sheep hybrids in the U.S. with the goal of selling the trophy species to captive hunting ranches, the defendant violated federal wildlife trafficking regulations.

Animal nutritionist studies precision livestock management technology to develop cost-effective and noninvasive methods of monitoring feeding behaviors that can make operations more efficient.

Dr. Angela Baysinger, DVM, passed away on March 8. Baysinger was well known throughout the pork industry for her contributions to veterinary medicine and empowering those around her every day.

Growing, lactating cows have greater nutrient requirements and smaller rumens than mature cows making it difficult for them to meet their nutrient needs with the same diet as the cow.

Edgewood Locker got its start in rural northeast Iowa in 1966. The business now spans over three generations, and it's largely thanks to Joan Kerns who helped start the family business that's now seen phenomenal growth.

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photographer Sam Craft was in the Texas Panhandle documenting the aftermath of the largest wildfire in Texas history, and the aid and support for fire victims.

After burning for more than six days, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma was only 15% contained Sunday morning. Drifting sand now poses a threat to rural roads.

Nebraska officials say a mower ignited a wildfire that burned roughly 110 square miles of central Nebraska grasslands.

While the Smokehouse Creek Fire rapidly became the state's largest in history, four other wildfires are burning in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle area. (Additional images contained in story.)

Donations of hay, feed, fence supplies, cow feed and milk replacer are needed to support livestock owners impacted by the wildfires that have scorched ranchland across a large portion of the Texas Panhandle.

Devastating wildfires are burning in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle region and the Smokehouse Creek Fire has already become the second largest in Texas history, consuming at least three-quarters of a million acres.

Since 2011, dairy cows evaluated using genetic testing has doubled every five years to exceed 1 million annually. That reduced sire generation interval to the point where genetic improvement is at the biological limit.

The feedlot inventory as a percentage of the total inventory has increased over time, and the declining number of feeder cattle means there are not sufficient feeder cattle to maintain feedlot inventories this year.

As cows transition from a controlled winter ration to grazed grass, the rumen has to adapt to the differing and more-variable forage source.

Higher prices for beef calves are incentivizing dairy producers to breed crossbred bull calves

In recent years, agricultural employers consistently emphasized talent acquisition, but there has been a noticeable shift towards prioritizing retention as the primary focus in 2024.

Chris Szydel began working as a milker at Pagels Ponderosa nearly 30 years ago. Today, he's the herd manager of both the Pagel Ponderosa and Hilltop Farm dairies and oversees three different parlors and 65 employees.