Pork

Emphasizing Nutrition in Medical Education is Welcome and Overdue, Meat Institute Says

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:30:20 GMT

The Meat Institute applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement urging leading medical education organizations to provide more comprehensive nutrition education and training.

“Americans trust their doctors for advice, including advice on nutrition,” Meat Institute President and CEO Julie Anna Potts said in a release. “This initiative should make nutrition and medical advice synonymous for the well-being of the patient and the consumer.”

Potts believes this initiative can help counter confusing and misleading information about nutrition, including the vital role of meat and poultry in health dietary patterns.

“Meat and poultry products provide consumers with a convenient, direct and balanced dietary source of all essential amino acids,” the Meat Institute said earlier this year. “Per serving, meat, poultry and fish provide more protein than dairy, eggs, legumes, cereals, vegetables or nuts. Protein is critical for developing, maintaining and repairing strong muscles; is vital for growth and brain development in children; and is essential to prevent muscle loss during aging.”

In February, Meat Institute President Vice President of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Susan Backus said a modified Healthy U.S.-Style Dietary Pattern risks the potential for unintended consequences for nutrient and energy intakes.

“Americans need to improve their eating patterns to promote health,” Backus pointed out. “Considering dietary choices based on taste and cultural preferences, health and economic status, and food availability will be key to improving the dietary habits of Americans. A recommendation to reduce, limit or avoid nutrient dense products like meat and poultry will have significant unintended nutritional consequences across all life stages.”

Potts said improving nutrition education for medical professionals is “welcome, commonsense and overdue.”

Rural America is Facing a Mounting Labor Crisis

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 17:16:30 GMT

The American labor market is reaching a critical turning point that could tighten labor availability in rural industries and slow growth across the U.S. economy. A new quarterly report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange warns that demographic shifts and recent policy changes may start impacting businesses as soon as late 2025.

From livestock and crop operations to food processors and rural cooperatives, this labor shortage is becoming especially noticeable in the heart of America’s farmland. Many producers are already struggling to fill roles, and the challenge is expected to intensify in the coming months.

“Barring an unforeseen change in labor force participation rates or immigration policies, the pool of available workers is set to shrink sharply in the next few years,” says Rob Fox, director of CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. “The problem will be even more serious in states with slower population growth in the Upper Midwest, Corn Belt and Central Plains.”

Demographic Pressures Mount

Fox says the warning signs have been building for years. Labor force participation has steadily declined, birth rates have dropped and immigration policy has become more restrictive.

Between 2022 and 2024, nearly 9 million immigrants arrived in the U.S., driven by global humanitarian crises and relaxed federal rules. While that influx temporarily eased labor constraints, Fox says it only masked deeper, long-term trends.

U.S. fertility rates have fallen from 2.12 children per woman in 2007 to 1.62 in 2023, meaning fewer young people are entering the workforce just as the last of the baby boomers retire. In addition, labor force participation has slipped from a peak of 67% in 2000 to 62% today. Nearly 2.5 million working-age Americans have left the labor force in the past eight months alone.

“There is no single reason people are stepping away,” Fox explains. “It’s a combination of rising caregiving responsibilities, job skill mismatches, mental health challenges and higher disability rates. These are complex issues that won’t be resolved overnight.”

Shrinking Workforce Hits Agriculture Hard

The effects are already being felt across rural America. Farms, food processors, equipment dealers and cooperatives are struggling to find and keep the workers they need to maintain daily operations. Seasonal labor has become harder to find and full-time positions, especially those requiring specialized skills or long hours, are increasingly difficult to fill.

In regions with slower population growth, such as the upper Midwest and central Plains, the challenge is even more acute. These areas often lack the population inflows that help offset workforce losses elsewhere in the country.

While labor has been tight for several years, Fox warns that conditions are poised to deteriorate further.

“What we are facing is not just a cyclical labor issue; it’s a structural one,” he says.

Border encounters have dropped sharply since August 2024, signaling a steep decline in immigration. Combined with rising political pressure to increase deportations, the agricultural labor pool could shrink even more in the months ahead.

“Immigration has long been a key pillar supporting the rural workforce,” Fox notes. “Without a steady flow of new workers, farms and agribusinesses will have to get creative, either by increasing wages, automating tasks or changing how they manage production.”

Technology Offers a Path Forward

In response, more agricultural businesses are turning to technology to help offset the labor gap.

“The key to addressing labor scarcity always lies in innovation,” Fox says. “AI and robotics are no longer limited to the factory floor. They are increasingly being used in fields, dairies and food plants.”

A recent Gallup poll found that nearly one in five workers already uses artificial intelligence in some form each week. At the same time, the cost of robotics has dropped by nearly half in the past decade, making automation more accessible for a broader range of farms and agribusinesses.

CoBank’s report notes that many farm supply customers are using new tools to increase efficiency, improve decision-making and free up time for employees to focus on higher-value responsibilities.

Planning for What Comes Next

As producers look toward 2026, a combination of labor constraints, volatile input costs and shifting policy landscapes will continue to shape decision-making. Fox thinks adaptability will be essential.

“Technology will be critical to agriculture’s future,” he says. “AI and robotics can help farmers do more with fewer workers, boosting efficiency and margins. But investment decisions must be made carefully, especially in this uncertain economic environment.”

Until clearer policies emerge on trade, labor and energy, rural America will need to prepare for continued pressure.

“This is a pivotal moment,” Fox concludes. “Farms that plan ahead, embrace innovation and stay flexible will be best positioned to succeed.”

The Smell You'll Never Forget: A Calf Infested with New World Screwworm

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 16:41:22 GMT

“The stench…it’s like roadkill stewed in infection,” explains Jose Santiago Gallardo Espinosa, a cattle producer from Chiriqui, Panama, describing an animal that has been infected with New World screwworm (NWS). “You’ll smell it before you see it.”

He goes on to describe the appearance. “That little dehorning scrape you didn’t worry about? Now, it’s a fist-sized hole pulsating with maggots. Not on top, under the skin. Hundreds of cream-colored worms with screw-like spines, eating your cow alive.”

It’s a Plague in Panama

Gallardo is a Panamanian livestock production specialist and animal science professional with a diverse and practical background in cattle production, agricultural policy and international ranch management. He currently serves as the technical assistance team manager at Cooleche, R.L., where he leads strategic initiatives in cattle production and technical outreach.

“⁠This ain’t ‘just flies.’ We’ve buried calves eaten alive in 48 hours,” Gallardo stresses. “Post-calving cows are sitting ducks, I found one last week with maggots deep in her vulva, she was trembling as she tried to nurse her calf.”

An animal health professional treating an animal in Panama that has been infected by New World Screwworm.

(Jose Santiago Gallardo Espinosa)

To catch NWS and stop the spread, Espinosa encourages daily wound checks including navels on newborns, vulvas on fresh cows, sheaths on bulls, branding cuts and tagging nicks. Some red flags include a wound that swells overnight or oozes cloudy fluid and a milk tank mysteriously dropping.

“Treat every scratch like a ticking bomb,” he says adding if you find one with a wound acting a little strange, you should “peel back skin edges, and if you see rice-grain maggots with dark spines — sound the alarm.”

He says more than 6,500 cases have erupted across Panama, marching north through Central America like a plague.

“For years, our U.S.-Panama barrier kept NWS at bay,” Gallardo says. “We’d see maybe 25 cases a year — it was a nuisance, not a crisis. Then 2023 hit, and overnight our pastures became war zones.”

He says the reality in Panama is rainy season is maggot season.

“Here, in Chiriquí’s dairy country, it is the perfect storm,” he says. “Rainy season humidity of 90%, 85°F heat and flies everywhere. A single-infected cow bleeds $10/day in lost milk — its life or death for small dairies.”

NWS in Nicaragua

Ernesto José Sequeira Enríquez, an agronomist from Camoapa, Nicaragua, says NWS was eradicated from Nicaragua in the 1990s. He says he first encountered it during an internship in Brazil where he experienced the serious challenge the fly causes.

“When cases began appearing here again last year, I was able to use what I learned in Brazil to prepare veterinary supplies and train people on prevention and treatment,” he explains.

(Ernesto José Sequeira Enríquez)

He says it’s essential to enforce a daily inspection routine, checking every animal carefully for open wounds.

“When you find an infected animal, you’ll typically see a bleeding wound,” Sequeira says. “If the infestation has progressed, there will be a strong, foul smell due to tissue damage and the presence of larvae.”

He encourages U.S. producers to be prepared with sufficient supplies of veterinary medicines and insecticides for both treatment and prevention and to adjust management practices to reduce risk. For example:

When dehorning, branding or ear tagging, apply insecticide spray to the wound immediately.
Ensure proper care of newborn calves by disinfecting the navel with iodine solution as soon as possible, since that is the most common entry point for infestation.

“Although complete control of screwworm is not possible, taking preventive measures significantly reduces the economic and productivity impact of it,” he says. “Early detection and consistent preventive practices are critical to minimizing losses.”
Sequeira stresses a producer’s eyes and hands are their best tools to fight NSW.

“My warning to U.S. ranchers is this isn’t just a Panama problem,” he summarizes. “Newborn calves are maggot magnets. If you lose one calf to a navel infestation, you’ll never sleep again. Make inspections sacred — no excuses. Report fast and hide nothing.”

It’s Endemic in Brazil

Marcelo Costa is a veterinarian, professor and cattle business consultant in Brazil and Paraguay. In 1999, Costa was taught embryo transfer at Camp Cooley in Franklin, Texas. He then returned to his family’s third generation ranching operation where they started Camp Cooley Brazil.

“I have been dealing with screwworm all my life since it is endemic in Brazil,” Costa says. “Screwworm-infected animals happen all months of the year.”

A wound in the animal skin full of screwworm and new fly eggs in the skin borderline

(Marcelo Costa)

Like others, he has experienced finding infected animals with bleeding, foul-smelling wounds. He says animals show discomfort and may not follow the herd as normal.

“Newborn calves are usually the more attacked category because of the navel’s wet and bloody tissue,” he says. “If a screwworm infects the navel, it may open a door at the site for more severe infections that may cause diarrhea, pneumonia and other diseases.”

Costa stresses how much NWS costs producers beyond animal loss and decreased productivity.

“One of the biggest problems with NWS is the increased labor with vigilance and animal treatment,” he summarizes.

Guatemala Producers Are Learning to Cope with NWS

“Screwworm came to teach us the times are changing, and that any type of production is possible and open to any complication,” says Oscar León, a livestock production specialist and agricultural business administrator from Guatemala City, Guatemala. “Brazil learned how to cope with it, and Guatemala is in the process of it. The U.S. is not exempt from it, unfortunately. But with the adequate measures and prevention techniques, one can learn and teach others. We can make the impact less harmful on our production and wallets.”

(Oscar León)

León currently manages his family’s cattle operations and leads LAVAT S.A., a company that imports and distributes innovative animal health and nutrition products tailored to the needs of the Guatemalan livestock sector.

He explains it is important for producers to look for and treat any open wound or bruise as they are the first indicators.

“If an open wound smells like the scent of rotten meat, you will find the presence of screwworms feeding off live tissue,” he says. “Prevention and early timing are the best ways to treat screwworm. Make sure to take your time, observe your cattle, search for a bruise or wounds and treat them properly.”

He also stresses the importance of making sure everyone who works in the farm or ranch is aware of NWS and knows how to react if an infection is found.

Educating U.S. Producers

Chris Womack, a veterinarian and rancher from San Angelo, Texas, says he remembers helping his dad treat calves with NWS infestations.

“I can still remember the smell,” Womack says. “I thought it was cool because I was a little kid, and we dug maggots out of the calves. I can still smell it like it was yesterday, and it was horrible to look at them.”

Womack shares a historic context of NWS, which he says means “man-eater,” on the “Registered Ranching” podcast with Tucker Brown.

Womack also describes the emotional toll on the producer when faced with NWS.

“If you’re a steward of an animal and it has half of its head rotting off, or its abdomen is a gaping wound because the maggots are eating it up, or it gets in their ear and they’re walking around in circles with brain damage because they got meningitis, well, it’s devastating.”

Womack summarizes NWS isn’t just an agricultural issue, it’s a human health concern. Historical accounts and recent data from Panama show NWS can affect humans, particularly vulnerable populations like homeless individuals or those in areas with limited medical access.

Womack says the experiences with NWS during his childhood is the reason he is a veterinarian today. He says there is a generational ignorance in the U.S. regarding NWS, and that is something he is committed to fixing.

“The only way we can overcome ignorance is education,” he stresses.

Your Next Read: Breaking: Mexican Border Closed Again as New World Screwworm Comes Within 370 Miles of the U.S.

3 Factors Fueling Americans' Obsession with Protein

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 15:30:43 GMT

Meat is having a moment, and the craze for more protein is benefiting protein across the board. The fact cattle prices continue to crush records is proof of that, as well as the robust demand for pork.

“I am still bullish of dairy. I’m bullish of beef. I’m bullish of pork and poultry,” says Dan Basse, AgResource Company . “I think as you think forward, I see the next two or three years as being the years of protein. It’s that side of the fence in agriculture that’s going to do very well.”

Basse’s optimistic outlook on protein hinges on one major factor: consumers’ ability to pay for it.

“I’m still bullish of protein, until we see the labor force start to shrink in the United States, and I start to see disposable income coming down. Again, there’s not a period looking backward in history that I can find where disposable income on a personal basis has risen this quickly from 2020 to 2025,” he says.

“Meat protein, not just pork or not just beef, but meat is having a moment. I’m an economist, so I have concerns on the macroeconomic front, but it is exciting to be in an era where the public’s desire for meat protein is growing,” says Glynn Tonsor, a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University.

People Are Eating More Protein Than Ever Before

Cargill’s 2025 Protein Profile found people are eating more protein than ever before. The report found 61% of consumers report increasing their protein intake in 2024, which is up from 48% from 2019.

According to Cargill, the shift in shoppers’ preferences toward whole, minimally processed foods, is giving protein a chance to shine.

“It’s really important to remember the U.S. public wants meat protein,” Tonsor says. “There are a lot of signs. We are in a pro protein environment. I don’t think there’s issues. I actually think there is a celebration about the taste and the eating experience and so forth for all the major proteins.”

A Slight Shift in May’s Monthly Meat Demand Monitor

Tonsor also authors what’s called the Monthly Meat Demand Monitor (MDM) , which tracks U.S. consumer preferences, views and demand for meat. The first half of the year, the MDM continued to show consumers’ growing demand for protein, but in the report in May, it did show a slight shift.

“The biggest takeaway from the MDM would be we have two conflicting patterns,” says Tonsor. “One is the public really wants meat protein, but the macroeconomic environment is giving us some pause. So, we continue to see strong signals people want protein. Taste is leading that decision, so that’s good and very supportive, but we also see lots of uncertainty on the macro-economic front. So, trade discussions, elevated unemployment, inflation concerns and so forth. Those are not supportive of meat demand, so those are the two trends that are fighting the way out.”

Tonsor points out the May MDM showed a pullback in consumers eating away from home, like in restaurants, but showed a boost in retail demand, which would be grocery stores.

“But part of that is a substitution away from restaurants,” he says. “And that’s across the board. It’s not just pork or beef or chicken. It’s all of them that we track, so I do think it is a headwind that is growing here in 2025.”

Tonsor says if confidence in the economy rebounds, and tariff discussions ease, the restaurant piece of meat demand could quickly recover, especially considering we’re entering the summer months, where meat demand is typically higher.

3 Major Drivers Behind the Protein Craze

And even with the pause in restaurant demand in May, Tonsor says the push for consumers to eat even more protein doesn’t seem to be going away, and it’s being driven by three major factors.

“More people are having meat as an ingredient rather than center of the plate. So, it’s coming across as more convenient. It’s an input,” Tonsor says. “Also younger folks in particular are quite physically active, and their demand for protein and that broader lifestyle is elevated.”

Those two factors are strong drivers of meat demand, especially in the younger crowd. But another supportive piece of the growing demand for protein is related to weight loss drugs.

“We have a GLP-1 effect, so Ozempic, Mounjar and so forth, in the MDM, we put out a report earlier this year, showing maybe 15% of the U.S. public is using the GLP-1,” Tonsor says. “That’s a higher end, but that’s what we estimate. And if you are on those products, you’re actually consuming beef, pork and chicken more frequently.”

He says all of those things add up to support the growth in meat demand.

“It’s the income and the future status of my finances is mainly the only headwind at the moment, and that’s why I keep reiterating that concern,” Tonsor says.

Demand is What’s Pushing Cattle Prices to New Highs

It’s not just the hog industry that’s benefiting from the strong demand, both domestically and with exports

Cattle prices continue to crush records. But according to one veteran cattle analyst, it’s not historically tight cattle numbers pushing prices higher, it’s the strong demand.

“This price increase that we’re experiencing in the industry is demand-driven,” says Randy Blach, CEO of CattleFax. “Our per capita supplies were flat last year. They’re going to be flat again this year. And yet we’ve had a market that’s gone from a $1.75 to $2.25. That’s all been demand driven with what we’ve seen throughout the industry.”

The incredible demand is pushing beef demand to its highest level in nearly 40 years.

“Beef demands that are a 37-year high,” he says. “And I think when people think about demand, obviously quality has been the key to that. We’ve seen the quality of the animals being produced has increased substantially.”

As record-high cattle prices also push the cost of beef higher, that would push consumers to eat more pork and chicken in the past. But it’s a trend Tonsor is not largely seeing this time around.

“We see some of that, but not nearly as much as you might think. So, there’s less of that adjustment than historically we would have seen,” Tonsor says. “This is 100% Glynn’s opinion, but I think habits are a little stickier. Persistence of an item in your meal is a little sticker than in the past. Meat is an ingredient, not just the center of the plate. Higher beef prices have not elevated chicken demand as people have expected, and I think it’s because the consumer substitution effects, they exist, but they’re not as strong as they were 20 years ago.”

As consumers crave more protein, it’s a bright spot for all of livestock with many hopeful this isn’t just a trend but a permanent fixture on consumers’ plates.

Pig Fat Cell Production Could Transform Lab-Grown Meat

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 14:47:40 GMT

Lab-grown fat cells offer promise for cultivated meat, according to research from The Roslin Institute . A source of fat cells from pigs has been developed in the lab that offers scientists and food manufacturers a promising tool for the large-scale production of cultivated meat without the need for genetic modification.

“We didn’t simply develop a tool, we made a very special discovery,” says Tom Thrower, lead researcher at The Roslin Institute. “The fact that these cells not only grow indefinitely but also retain their ability to become fat at such high efficiency is something we have never seen before in livestock stem cells. It opens the door to new possibilities in cultivated meat and beyond.”

Researchers say the development could address the challenge of generating realistic, sustainable animal fat — a significant hurdle in the cultivated meat industry as the new cells are capable of efficiently producing fat tissue with consistency.

Stem cells turning into fat cells over a span of 40 days. Accumulated fat is shown in green.

(The Roslin Institute)

“The cells, known as FaTTy, are formed from early-stage stem cells which develop into fat and can grow indefinitely in the lab without losing the ability to reliably produce fat cells,” the Roslin Institute reports. “In contrast, most animal stem cells quickly lose this capability, making large-scale use impractical.”

This helps meet the need for fat as a key component in delivering the flavor and texture consumers expect from meat, the article says.

Researchers grew stem cells derived from five piglets and discovered cells from one of the piglets was able to reproduce hundreds of times without the need for gene editing. The results also showed that the fat produced closely resembled native pig fat in its composition, with slightly higher levels of healthier monounsaturated fats.

“These fat cells have the potential to be a game-changer in the field of cultivated meat and will help make this a reality in the very near future,” says Xavier Donadeu, principal investigator at The Roslin Institute.

This research was published in NPJ Science of Food .

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Researchers Close in on Alpha-Gal Syndrome Meat Allergy Mystery Linked to Ticks

Thu, 01 May 2025 15:49:26 GMT

Is wild-habitat disruption to blame for the increasing U.S. prevalence of Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a tick-borne allergy to animal meat? A University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill modeling study is helping close in on this mysterious meat allergy that is on the rise.

An assistant professor in the infectious diseases division at the UNC School of Medicine and assistant professor of epidemiology in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, Ross Boyce, is collecting information from a network of sources to strategically determine where and how to battle ticks and other insects that can change a person’s life for the worse with one bite, UNC reports.

Using a dataset of 462 AGS patients with confirmed AGS from UNC Health and models based on environmental factors, such as landcover and topography, the team assessed whether the risk of AGS is linked to habitat fragmentation often seen in open spaces and areas of low-density development in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.

What is AGS?
Bites from the lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum) or the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis, also called deer ticks) can trigger AGS. Alpha-gal is a sugar molecule found in most mammals. After eating mammalian meat, people who become allergic to alpha-gal may experience an hours-long delay in symptoms, which include hives, swelling of lips, face, tongue or throat, stomach pain and nausea, UNC reports. It can also cause restricted breathing and death.

AGS has a particularly high incidence in the mid-Atlantic region. The number of suspected cases rose from 24 in 2009 to more than 34,000 in 2019. The only way to positively know a patient has the allergy is to test for antibodies that their bodies developed to fight the infection. Most people with AGS need to refrain from eating meat such as beef, pork, lamb, venison and rabbit.

“Reports of AGS have grown rapidly since its first report in 2009 and are likely to continue to increase as awareness of AGS and incidence of tick-borne disease more broadly increases,” the authors explain. “These increases are likely to be exacerbated by shifts in land use, resulting in more human-tick interactions throughout the southeastern U.S.”

Although clinical and laboratory diagnostics for AGS are becoming more readily available, the epidemiology of AGS, and tick-borne disease in general, apart from Lyme disease, is not well described.

AGS Risk Factors
The models identified low population density and open-space development as risk factors for AGS. Two models predicted a strong east-to-west risk gradient across the mid-Atlantic region, which largely reflects the environmental transition from mountains to coastal plains, while a third model predicted a much more uneven distribution.

“Understanding environmental risk factors associated with AGS diagnosis is a critical first step for determining at-risk populations, and here we show evidence supporting the hypothesis that AGS is associated with landcovers often correlated with the presence of Am. americanum,” the authors say.

Although the distribution of alpha-gal cases throughout the U.S. do not align exactly with the known distribution of lone star ticks, researchers say this suggests potential environmental confounders and/or ascertainment bias. However, estimating incidence and geographic case distribution is complicated by limited reporting as AGS is not generally reportable at the federal level and low healthcare provider awareness of the condition.

“AGS incidence, like all TBD (tick-borne disease), is largely driven by human behaviors that increase human-tick interactions, e.g., land use change, as opposed to tick population dynamics,” the authors wrote. “Anthropogenic land use change, such as forest fragmentation and urbanization in particular, have been linked to increased TBD risk.”

This study suggests the need for personal protection measures for individuals residing in, or entering, these at-risk areas.

These findings were published on April 23 in PLOS Climate .

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Millennials and Protein Craze Boost Meat Sales to Record High

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 13:42:11 GMT

Despite the extreme inflationary pressure on income now, consumers continue to lean into their love for meat in 2024.

“2024 was the strongest year on record for meat, with growth for beef and chicken, pork, lamb had a really good year, bison, veal, you name it,” says Anne-Marie Roerink, owner of 210 Analytics, who conducted the 2024 Power of Meat study . “It was just an all-around fantastic year, and it really underscored that despite consumers having that pressure on income and being in the non-stop balancing act on what to spend their money on, meat won one big.”

How Did Meat Win?
When times are tough, people start to cook at home more often, Roerink says. A part of the dollar that came out of food service restaurants went into the retail grocery store space. She says part of the dollar might end up back at restaurants. But, that’s not a bad thing for the meat industry. The balance between retail and restaurants tends to be a good thing.

“For years, we worried about whether millennials were going to be meat and poultry consumers like the generations before them. The answer is a resounding yes,” Roerink says.

Millennials, especially the older half of this age group, are starting to come into their income potential.

“Many millennials now have children,” she adds. “And those children are starting to be the age where you think you go to the grocery store for the entire week, and about two days later, your pantry, fridge and freezer are empty.”

The retail meat industry sold 500 million more packages in 2024 than they did in 2023. Roerink says 62% of that 500 million-package growth was driven by millennials.

“That’s been a key finding for all of us,” she says. “Millennials do approach meat and poultry a little bit differently, so that’s going to mean more change in years to come.”

Another reason why the meat industry is doing so well is Americans’ massive focus on protein.

“If you walk around the store, from your mac and cheese to your Skippy peanut butter, protein call-outs are everywhere,” Roerink explains. “But at the same time, this is going hand in hand with some people saying, ‘I want fewer ingredients in the things that I buy. I want a more natural form of food.’ That combined focus on protein with more wholesome foods has really put meat and poultry back into driver’s seats as well.”

What Do Millennials Really Want?
Roerink says millennials are focused on convenience more than ever. This is largely attributed to their life stage – running around and balancing time between family and work like generations before them.

“They have more focus on sustainability and animal welfare,” she adds. “With their approach and values relative to meat and poultry, I think we’re going to see some different needs in terms of transparency. They truly do want to hear from the producers. They want to understand what kind of life the animal had, how you approach water management and everything else.”

She says it may sound crazy, but consumers do want to know how their food is produced. And if they don’t hear it from the producer, they may dream up their own descriptions, she points out.

“Often times when we think about our meat category, we use industry terms. We approach it from a scientific angle,” Roerink says. “This means nothing to consumers. They want to know more, but we need to speak in a language that makes sense to those consumers.”

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Lallemand Animal Nutrition Awards $14,000 in Scholarships

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 15:49:25 GMT

The Lallemand Animal Nutrition Scholarship Committee awarded five scholarships to up-and-coming students and established scholars within agriculture. This is the tenth year the company awarded the scholarships, which reward students for their exceptional achievements and dedication to the field of agriculture.

“We are proud to support the next generation of agricultural leaders,” says Jeff Ast, commercial director for Lallemand Animal Nutrition, North and South America. “This unique program seeks both undergraduate and graduate students because our judging panel recognizes that dedication to agriculture can be found at all educational levels.”

The five students receiving scholarships are:

* Mary Lewandowski, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay

* Sydney Wyman, who is majoring in animal science at Morehead State University

* Michael Starnes, a graduate student studying food safety at Texas Tech University

* Grant Fincham, who is pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

* Mikayla Schlosser, a dual-degree veterinary student at the University of Minnesota, pursuing both a doctorate in veterinary medicine and a doctorate in population medicine

Students’ Future Goals

Mary Lewandowski – Undergraduate student recipient Lewandowski hails from a sixth-generation, 50-cow dairy farm in Bevent, Wisc. She recently graduated from Northcentral Technical College with associate degrees in agribusiness and dairy science. Lewandowski aspires to bridge the gap between consumers and agriculturists through a career in agricultural advocacy.

Sydney Wyman – Undergraduate student recipient Wyman has been immersed in the livestock industry her entire life, growing up in a small town in the Sierra Nevada mountains. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition and eventually become a dairy nutritionist.

Michael Starnes – Graduate student recipient Starnes already holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and has interned with the National Farmers Union in Washington, D.C. With a long-term goal of working in food safety legislation, his current research at Texas Tech University focuses on Salmonella and E. coli mitigation strategies in beef and pork.

Grant Fincham – Doctoral student recipient Fincham grew up on a 200-cow Holstein dairy farm in northeast Kansas. He holds a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Fincham is focusing on dairy cattle whole animal energy utilization in his doctoral program.

Mikayla Schlosser – Veterinary medicine student recipient Schlosser’s passion for poultry production and commitment to global food security drive her studies and career aspirations in population medicine. She is deeply committed to advancing the sustainability and security of global food systems.

For more information about Lallemand Animal Nutrition and the Lallemand Scholarship program, visit www.lallemandanimalnutrition.com.

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What The Trump Administration's Mass Deportation Plans Could Mean for Agriculture

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:47:42 GMT

Farmers and food industry leaders are warning that President-elect Donad Trump’s plans to deport millions of immigrants could devastate agriculture — an industry in which immigrants make up a good chunk of the workforce.

Nearly half of all farmworkers are undocumented, and industries such as dairy and meatpacking plants are especially vulnerable to labor shortages.

“Admittedly, there are some people who slip through,” says Scott VanderWal, vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “Perspective employers are required to take documentation that appears to be legal and valid. There are times when that’s not the case and then ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] comes in and cleans house, the workers disappear and go wherever they take them and the employers are left without help.”

While the H-2A visa program has grown, it only covers seasonal work and cannot replace year-round jobs at meat processing plants and on dairy and pork farms.

“Our packing plants need labor. Many of our farms use temporary visa labor — educated, skilled individuals work on our sow farms,” says Lori Stevemer, president of the National Pork Producers Council. “We have been experiencing an increased number of denials over the past year, which really makes it a challenge to find workers. The H-2A visa doesn’t work well when we have animals that need care 24/7, year-round.”

Experts say mass deportations would disrupt food production, raise prices and jeopardize the stability of U.S. agriculture.

Deportation falls under the Department of Homeland Security. President-elect Trump has selected South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to lead that agency.

“With Governor Noem at the helm, she’s going to bring common sense to that discussion and make sure we don’t close businesses, make sure we get everyone in line, get the workforce in line and then make sure we’re following our country’s rules,” says Hunter Roberts, secretary of South Dakota’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, farm groups continue to urge for reforms to immigration policies or a guest worker program to secure a stable workforce.

“At the same time as controlling the border, we need to overhaul our labor system,” VanderWal says. “We need to make H-2A apply to your own workers or come up with a decent program that will help.”

We need some type of H-2A visa reform to allow those workers to stay year-round, Stevemer adds.

Even then immigration is likely to continue to be a political hot potato in 2025, and labor shortages will continue to top the list of challenges for agriculture.

Lab Cultivated Meat Making News in Florida and Other States

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 18:11:38 GMT

A federal judge has rejected the request of a California-based company for an injunction against the new law banning the sale and manufacturing of cultivated meat in Florida, according to a news source.

A 21-page decision denying the preliminary injunction motion was made on Friday, Oct. 11, by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, citing the “ban imposes an inconsistent ‘ingredient requirement’ by prohibiting the sale or distribution of food products that contain cultivated chicken meat as an ingredient.” He wrote UPSIDE Foods could not identify a law or regulation “that creates a federal ‘ingredient requirement’ with respect to ‘cultivated meat.’”

The law makes it a second-degree misdemeanor to sell or manufacture cultivated meat, often known as lab-grown meat, a. The manufacturing process includes taking a small number of cultured cells from animals and growing them in controlled settings to make food.

Florida made news in May for becoming the first state to ban the sale of lab grown meat.

Michigan farmer introduces cultivated meat ban legislation
In June Michigan lawmaker and state cattle association member Jim DeSana introduced legislation to ban lab-grown meat from being sold in Michigan. His legislation defines “cultivated meat” as “a meat or meat product that was produced from cultured animal tissue produced from in vitro animal cell cultures outside of the animal from which the cells were derived.”

“Eating real meat is healthy,” DeSana said.

DeSana, who is currently serving his first term as a lawmaker, decided to run for office after his son was prevented from competing on a rowing team during his senior year due to covid.

He also introduced a resolution to enshrine the right to hunt in Michigan’s constitution.

“This is about protecting our ranchers and about protecting the integrity of our food supply,” said DeSana, R-Carleton. “This is also about protecting your right to provide food for yourself and your family.”

Ohio legislation introduced to regulate imitation protein products

In Ohio, House Bill 661 was legislation introduced earlier this summer that regulates imitation meat and egg products. It was introduced by State Representative Roy Klopfenstein (R- Haviland) and State Representative Jack Daniels (R- New Franklin).

“Addressing this false perception that the manufactured protein products have begun to create in the agricultural industry will ensure that Ohioans can safely purchase agricultural food animal products without having to decipher a label,” Klopfenstein said in a release.

The measure will also prevent school boards from purchasing misbranded meat and egg products and alternatives to protect students.

“This bill will not only protect farmers from losing business to lab-grown, manufactured products, but it will also help customers not be misled by false advertising,” Daniels said.

The bill would classify imitation meat or egg products as “misbranded” if the label includes an “identifying meat term,” such as beef, wing or cold cut. A product would not be considered misbranded if it had a word such as imitation, fake or vegan in a uniform size directly by the meat term.

House Bill 661 awaits committee assignment.

Nebraska could become the next U.S. state to ban cultivated meat

In September, Nebraska’s Governor Jim Pillen signed an executive order to limit the sales of cultivated meat.

Pillen agreed to create “strict guidelines when it comes to state agencies and its contractors from obtaining lab-grown meat”, according to a statement.

He has also directed the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) to initiate a rulemaking process to make sure that any lab-grown meat products sold in stores are “properly labelled” and are not marketed next to natural meat on the same shelves.

Iowa became the third state in the country to pass legislation regarding lab-grown meat
Beginning July 1, lab-grown meat and plant-based imitation meat and egg products had to be labeled with words such as fake, lab-grown, meatless, imitation or vegan, if sold in Iowa stores. The labeling requirements also apply to meat alternatives made with insect protein.

Alabama also passed a law banning the sale of the cell cultured alternative meat product in May 2024.

Investments Made to Strengthen Food Supply Chain, Increase Competition, and Lower Food Costs

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:42:18 GMT

“The Biden-Harris Administration and USDA are advancing a sustainable vision of agriculture that prioritizes the needs of hardworking producers and small businesses and keeps rural communities strong,” announced Secretary Vilsack in a USDA release. “Thanks to historic resources from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, USDA is working to give farmers and ranchers a fairer chance to compete in the marketplace, which will increase local food options and lower costs for American families.”

The investments are part of USDA’s efforts to create a more competitive agricultural system, advance President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda, and support the Administration’s Action Plan for a Fairer, More Competitive, and More Resilient Meat and Poultry Supply Chain, which dedicates resources to expand independent processing capacity. Together these actions help to lower food costs by spurring competition and strengthening supply chains.

Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program

USDA is partnering with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund to provide more than $83 million in grants to 24 independent processors in 15 states under the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP). The funding, made available through President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, will help build new processing plants, create hundreds of jobs, give local producers and entrepreneurs better business opportunities, and give consumers more options at the grocery store. For example:

Simla Frozen Food Locker Co. LLC is receiving a $450,000 grant to build a new facility across the street from their existing facility in rural Colorado to expand their processing capacity. The company processes, beef, hogs, chicken, turkeys, lamb, goats, and wild game. This project will allow the family-run business to receive USDA inspection and sell locally-produced proteins into wholesale markets such as restaurants and grocery stores. The company expects to serve 160 additional producers and create four full-time jobs through this project.

McRez Packing International LLC is receiving a $390,000 grant to refurbish a previously mothballed industrial facility in New York to expand processing capacity. The company is a new small processor of cattle, hogs, chicken, turkey, sheep, and goats. Their target customers are local, underserved farmers and dairy and beef producers. The project is expected to serve up to 2,500 new producers and create 110 full-time jobs.

North State Processing LLC is receiving a $10 million grant to build a new facility in Hamlet, N.C., to process cattle, ostrich, emu, water buffalo and alpaca. A new processing company created by local and experienced North Carolina producers, the company anticipates serving 37 producers and creating 54 full-time jobs through this project.

NF Packing Inc. is receiving a $1.4 million grant to build and equip a new processing facility for its start-up business in Walworth County, Wis. The company anticipates serving 75 producers and creating 20 full-time jobs as a result of this project.

USDA’s Rural Development has provided 59 awards totaling over $291.4 million through MPPEP to expand processing capacity and strengthen the food supply chain. MPPEP is funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

Local Meat Capacity Grant Program

USDA is awarding $26.9 million to 33 projects in 23 states through the Local Meat Capacity (Local MCap) grant program to expand processing within the meat and poultry industry. This announcement builds on the first round of $9.5 million awarded to 42 projects announced in March 2024.

This second set of awards through Local MCap is for both Equipment Only and Processing Expansion project types. Simplified equipment only projects fund projects from $10,000 to $250,000 to purchase processing equipment such as meat grinders, stuffers, and smokers. Processing expansion projects are eligible to receive between $100,000 and $5 million to increase processing or rendering capacity through activities such as facility upgrades, equipment purchases, and training.

White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Ga., is a family-owned meat company that will use a Local Meat Capacity grant to support the cost of converting its poultry processing facility into a dual use facility that can also process lambs, goats, and hogs. It is anticipated this will expand their livestock processing capacity by 30%.

Nordik Meats is a small, independently owned meat processing facility in Southwest Wisconsin. The business will use a Local Meat Capacity grant to purchase a grinder, a meatball maker, and packaging equipment to expand processing capacity and serve an additional 50 local producers. The equipment will provide local producers with the ability to create new value-added products for local consumers, maximize the value of their animals, utilize byproducts, and increase animal harvest. Nordik Meats will increase the number of livestock processed annually by 100% over two years, implement new processing technologies, train 12 existing staff, hire four new employees, and benefit 350 local small family farms.

Seven Hills Food Co. in Lynchburg, Va., is a full-service meat packaging company and a wholesaler of premium meat products sourced from small local family farms. The company will use a Local Meat Capacity grant to make plant enhancements to address bottlenecks currently hindering plant capacity while adding rendering capacity, new value-added products, and a farmer liaison for coordinating expanded production. This will support producers and meat companies in achieving the necessary scale, product quality, and efficiencies to access institutional and wholesale accounts.

In April 2023, USDA announced up to $75 million available for Local MCap to fund innovative projects designed to build resilience in the meat and poultry supply chain by providing producers with more local processing options and strengthening their market potential. This grant program is targeted to support meat and poultry processors with smaller-scale projects, with a goal to increase processing availability and variety for local and regional livestock producers. The program is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and is authorized by the American Rescue Plan.

To date, the Biden-Harris Administration has invested a total of over $700 million in 48 states and Puerto Rico for projects that help to expand the nation’s independent meat and poultry processing capacity.

Meat Industry Urges Harris to Stop Using Meat As a Scapegoat And Distraction For Root Cause of Inflation

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 15:15:22 GMT

Today in Raleigh, North Carolina, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to propose several economic measures aimed at addressing key voter concerns such as housing and grocery costs. Her proposals include:

• Federal ban on price gouging: Harris plans to introduce a federal ban on price gouging in the food and grocery sectors, particularly targeting the meat processing industry, which she claims is highly consolidated and contributes to rising grocery prices. Harris has declined to detail what her administration would consider “excessive” price gouging and how they would go about targeting companies, appearing to leave much of those decisions to FTC discretion. Calling out companies for running up the price of some food products polls well with swing-state voters and is supported by progressive groups. Several factors have made grocery prices volatile since the pandemic, including supply chain disruptions and a big shift in consumer buying patterns.
• Price controls: The vice president also envisions new price controls on groceries, and expanding limits on out-of-pocket prescription drug prices to all Americans. Harris says she would push the government to negotiate additional drug savings faster, and cap the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for all Americans. Jason Furman, a Harvard economist who worked in the Obama administration, warned about potential market disruptions that such pricing policies could unleash. If prices don’t rise as demand grows, companies might be less inclined to increase supplies. “This not sensible policy and I think the biggest hope is that it ends up being a lot of rhetoric and no reality,” he told the New York Times.
• Housing initiatives: She will propose tax incentives to facilitate the creation of 3 million new housing units over four years, surpassing previous initiatives. This includes unspecified tax advantages for builders focusing on entry-level buyers and affordable rental properties, as well as a $40 billion fund to assist local governments in financing housing developments.
• Down payment assistance: Harris is set to propose providing up to $25,000 in down payment support for first-time homebuyers, a plan that her campaign suggests could benefit over 4 million buyers.
• Tax relief on tips: Harris will advocate for eliminating federal taxes on tips, a proposal also supported by former President Donald Trump.
• Tax credits: Harris’ plan would expand the child tax credit to $3,600 from $2,000 per dependent, with a $6,000 credit for newborns. She also proposes expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit for childless low-wage workers and increasing subsidies for those who purchase insurance on federal health exchanges.

These proposals are part of her broader economic agenda aimed at reducing costs for consumers and addressing inflationary pressures, which remain a significant concern for voters despite a generally strong economic performance.

Of note: Harris’ price-gouging initiatives are unlikely to pass in Congress due to insufficient support. Her plan mirrors stalled legislation from Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), which has faced strong opposition from Republicans.

Meat Industry Speaks Out

The meat industry has strongly rejected Harris’ pointing to meat prices at the center of food inflation.

“It’s time for this administration to stop using the meat and poultry industry as a scapegoat and a distraction for the root causes of inflation and the significant challenges facing our economy,” National Chicken Council Interim President Gary Kushner said in a statement.

The Meat Institute issued the following statement from Meat Institute President and CEO, Julie Anna Potts, in response to news reporting of a Harris Campaign proposal to place a federal ban on price gouging:

“Consumers have been impacted by high prices due to inflation on everything from services to rent to automobiles, not just at the grocery store. A federal ban on price gouging does not address the real causes of inflation.

“The Harris campaign rhetoric unfairly targets the meat and poultry industry and does not match the facts. Food prices continue to come down from the highs of the pandemic. Prices for meat are based on supply and demand. Avian Influenza, a shortage of beef cattle and high input prices like energy and labor are all factors that determine prices at the meat case.

“Prices that livestock producers receive for their animals are also heavily influenced by supply and demand. Prices for cattle producers especially are at record highs, surpassing the 2014-2015 previous record highs. Today, well into 2024, cattle prices remain at record levels because the US has the lowest cattle inventory since Harry Truman was President.

“Major meat companies have reported losses during the Biden-Harris Administration, with some closing facilities and laying off workers.”

— Donald Trump held a press conference yesterday where he labeled Harris’ plan as “communist” and warned efforts to control grocery prices would lead to “food shortages, rationing, hunger, dramatically more inflation.”

— Do food price controls work?
While food price controls can offer short-term benefits in specific situations, such as during acute supply disruptions, they are generally seen as economically unsound in the long term. They tend to create more problems than they solve by distorting market mechanisms and leading to shortages. Most economists recommend targeted income support and structural economic policies as more effective alternatives for addressing food price inflation.

— The Biden administration has previously raised concerns about potential price gouging in the food industry, particularly in the context of rising grocery prices. However, these charges have not been proven. Vice President Kamala Harris has been vocal about the issue, emphasizing the role of corporate price gouging in driving up grocery costs, particularly in the meat industry, which she claims has seen significant price increases. The administration has proposed measures to address these concerns, including advocating for a federal ban on corporate price gouging. This proposal aims to hold large corporations accountable for maintaining high prices on essential goods. Despite these claims, the economic community remains divided on the issue. Many economists argue that the primary drivers of recent price increases are supply chain disruptions, changes in consumer behavior, and increased demand due to government stimulus measures, rather than corporate practices. Some economists have criticized the administration’s focus on price gouging as a political maneuver rather than a substantive economic policy.

— Fed study: Corporate price gouging not a significant factor in U.S. inflation surge. Earlier this year, a study published by economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco concluded that corporate price gouging has not been a significant factor in the recent surge of U.S. inflation. The study, led by researchers Sylvain Leduc, Huiyu Li, and Zheng Liu, found that while there were spikes in markups for specific sectors like motor vehicles and petroleum products, the overall markups for U.S. goods and services have remained relatively stable. This suggests that rising corporate profits and price increases were not the primary drivers of inflation during the post-pandemic recovery.

The study contradicts the narrative that corporate greed, often referred to as “greedflation,” is a major cause of inflation. Instead, it attributes the inflationary pressures to supply chain disruptions, a decrease in labor supply, and a surge in consumer demand during the recovery period. The easing of inflation is credited to improvements in supply chains, increased immigration, and reduced demand due to higher borrowing costs as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates.

— Several recent U.S. presidents have attempted to implement price controls, with varying degrees of success and consequences.

• Richard Nixon: Wage and Price Controls (1971-1973): President Richard Nixon is perhaps the most famous for implementing wage and price controls in the early 1970s. In August 1971, Nixon imposed a 90-day freeze on wages and prices to combat inflation, which was part of a broader economic strategy that included taking the U.S. off the gold standard. These controls were initially popular and appeared to be effective in curbing inflation temporarily. However, once the controls were lifted, inflation surged again, leading to economic distortions and shortages. The controls were largely seen as a failure in the long term, as they did not address the underlying causes of inflation and led to economic inefficiencies.

• Gerald Ford: President Gerald Ford did not implement new price controls during his administration. Instead, he focused on ending existing controls. In response to the economic issues of the mid-1970s, Ford proposed ending price controls on domestic oil as part of his broader energy policy. This was part of a compromise with Congress, which allowed for a gradual phasing out of these controls over a forty-month period. Ford believed that removing price controls would stimulate domestic oil production and align with his free-market philosophy. However, this decision was contentious, with Democrats worried about potential long-term price increases and conservative Republicans dissatisfied with the compromise. Ultimately, Ford’s administration focused more on tax and spending policies, such as the “Whip Inflation Now” (WIN) campaign, which aimed to combat inflation through voluntary measures rather than mandatory controls.

• Jimmy Carter: President Jimmy Carter, facing high inflation, introduced a program of voluntary wage and price controls in 1978. This approach was part of a broader anti-inflation strategy that included government restraint and efforts to reduce the federal deficit. The voluntary nature of the controls, however, led to skepticism about their effectiveness. Critics argued that voluntary controls were insufficient to curb inflation, which continued to rise during Carter’s presidency. In addition to voluntary controls, Carter also dealt with energy price controls. In response to the energy crisis and rising oil prices, he gradually deregulated oil prices starting in 1979, while also proposing a windfall profits tax to address public concerns about oil company profits. Despite these efforts, inflation remained a significant issue throughout Carter’s term, contributing to economic instability and public dissatisfaction.

Ag Economist Talks Trends To Watch In The Livestock Industry

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 18:46:20 GMT

After a tough couple of years in the livestock industry, Scott Brown, an ag economics professor at the University of Missouri, says there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. He recently joined the Top Producer podcast to share what he believes is on the horizon for beef, dairy and pork producers.

Rebuilding In Beef
Brown shares the current state of the beef industry began forming in 2020. And after three years of drought in cattle country, as well as significant liquidation, there’s a supply shortage.

“I think it’s taken us longer than maybe we typically would have thought to get some rebuilding to happen,” Brown says. “You add on top of that costs have just continued to go higher, so the prices we need for cattle to generate the interest to grow herds are very different today than just a few years ago. A lot of that’s at play.”

He expects to hit 2026 before there is significant growth in the country’s beef cattle herd.

“At some point, there will be enough profitability to get more beef cows back in the herd,” Brown says. “I think the operations will also continue to get bigger on the cow/calf side.”

Improvement In Pork
Coming off of a year Brown likens to 1998 for pork producers, he says the financial side is showing signs of improvement.

“By April, we were starting to see hogs that might have been in the black again for the first time in several months,” Brown says. “There’s still a lot of them that have probably a reasonably deep financial hole to climb back out of given how tough 2023 was, but it’s good to see some positive news on the pork side.”

He adds productivity has been phenomenal and anticipates international demand to play a large role in the future.

“Even though we’ve been losing sow inventories in the country, productivity has more than offset some of that and suppliers continue to run fairly high,” Brown says. “The pork industry generally has been really good about getting international demand to grow in some new places. Central America, Mexico and now some smaller Central American countries are now taking some pork from us. That’s a great longer term move for the pork industry.”

Expanding Demand In Dairy
Like the pork industry, Brown says dairy experienced a tough 2023 due to low prices.

“Dairy markets are the most demand inelastic markets we have in agriculture. But when supplies out strip that demand just a little bit, we can get some fairly low prices. I think that happened in 2023,” he says. “Cheese has been one of the most important demand-side factors. How do we continue to expand that side?”

Looking ahead, Brown says prices have improved in dairy and at the same time, lower prices for corn and soybeans are helping producers as well.

Hear more on the Top Producer podcast .

McDonald’s Says No More Meatless Burger in U.S. and Hints That McRib Will Return

Wed, 03 Jul 2024 18:47:00 GMT

Looks like McDonald’s has given up trying to sell meatless beef burgers in the U.S. The fast-food giant recently announced it has no plans to continue promoting its plant-based burger option, the McPlant.

McDonald’s president Joe Erlinger spoke at the Wall Street Journal Global Food Forum in Chicago at the end of June, saying the brand would discontinue the McPlant after it performed poorly in U.S. test markets. The chain had tested the McPlant in California and Texas since it had developed the meatless alternative with Beyond Meat in 2021. Peas, rice and potatoes were the ingredients in the patty, which included the standard fixings of a sesame seed bun and toppings of tomato, lettuce, pickes, onions and American cheese.

Initial testing had shown some success in Texas, Iowa, California and Louisiana, but after expanding to 600 locations in San Francisco and Dallas, sales dropped from 500 burgers per week to 20 burgers a day, according to analyst Peter Saleh.

While McDonald’s has seen overseas sales better, the U.S. market doesn’t support meatless options at the popular chain.

“I don’t think the U.S. consumer is coming to McDonald’s or looking for McPlant or other plant-based proteins from McDonald’s now,” Erlinger said at the conference. Furthermore, salads, which were removed from the menu during the pandemic, will not be reintroduced to the menu because customers aren’t showing a demand for them either.

In terms of protein, the company will look at more chicken options as they are popular and cost less for them and the consumer.

According to Business Insider, the company revealed in February its chicken category represents $25 billion in annual systemwide sales, which is on par with its beef business.

Erlinger hinted that another protein option would be back on the menu again in 2024—the boneless pork dipped in tangy barbecue sauce, better known as the McRib.

It first appeared on the menu in 1982, and has been off and on the menu several times.

Additionally, bagels were added back to the breakfast menu in April in about 1,200 stores and may be available nationwide again later this year.

Bagels were first introduced to McDonald’s in late 2019, but were cut when the menu was simplified during the pandemic.

Customers in California, Pennsylvania, Nashville, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Florida, Tennessee, Iowa, West Virginia, California, North Carolina, Ohio, Alabama and New York have seen them return.

There are four varieties, which all feature egg and cheese. Three of them also include meat—bacon, sausage or steak—and the steak bagel also adds grilled onions.

Florida Becomes First State to Ban the Sale of Lab-Grown Meat

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:26:14 GMT

The first bill banning lab-grown meat was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on May 1. According to SB 1084, the bill prohibits the manufacture for sale, sale, holding or offering for sale, or distribution of cultivated meat in the state.

In a press conference in Hardee County, which is one of the top five cattle-producing counties in the state, the Governor spoke about the importance of supporting rural economies and agriculture.

“We’re fighting back against an ideology that ultimately wants to eliminate meat production in the U.S. and around the globe,” DeSantis said. “In the state of Florida we’ve put down the marker very clearly; we stand with agriculture. We stand with the cattle ranchers. We stand with our farmers because we understand it’s important for the backbone of the state. It’s important for our culture. It’s important for our heritage so the bill that I’m going to sign today is going to say basically take your fake, lab-grown meat elsewhere. We’re not doing that in the state of Florida.”

Joining the Governor during the conference were Wilton Simpson, commissioner of agriculture; Dale Carlton, president-elect of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association; Pat Durden, president of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association; and Sen. Jay Collins who worked on the bill.

In his remarks, Simpson said that food security is national security.

“It doesn’t always rise to the height of national security, but think about if there were no groceries just for one week in the grocery store, you would have total chaos in this country, and if that’s not national security, I don’t know what it is,” he said. “We get up every day thinking how can we have the most safe, affordable, abundant food anywhere in the world, and Florida is going to do its share of growing that product. We work hard every day to give our farmers the tools they need to accomplish these things.”

Both cattlemen expressed appreciation for the Governor and the legislature for protecting Florida’s cattle industry by signing this bill.

There has been an ongoing debate across the country in regard to cultivated meat products. Currently, lab-grown meat is only approved to be sold in the U.S. and Singapore. Italy was the first country in the EU to ban lab-grown meat, a decision made in February 2024.

Pork and Beef Industries Advocate for Clear Labels for ‘Fake Meat’

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 17:09:38 GMT

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) recently introduced the “Fair and Accurate Ingredient Representation on Labels Act of 2024.” The legislation aims to boost transparency and clarify labeling requirements for plant-protein and cell-cultured protein products so consumers have the full picture when buying groceries for themselves and their families, according to a release .

“Consumers deserve to be able to easily understand what products they are putting in their grocery cart,” Marshall said in a release. “It’s pretty simple: if food is represented as meat or poultry but is either lab-grown or made from a plant protein, it should be prominently displayed on the label. Distinguishing between a ‘black bean burger’ and an actual beef burger shouldn’t be hard. But, as other meat alternatives with misleading names continue to appear on shelves, we need to do more to ensure the transparency of imitation meats versus the real farm-raised meats.”

Backed by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and other livestock and poultry organizations, the legislation would define “imitation” and “cell-cultured” meat and poultry. The USDA would oversee the labeling of such products and work with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to maintain inspection standards, NPPC explained in Capital Update.

The labels must include terms like “imitation” or similar language, accompanied by a clear disclaimer for products not containing meat or poultry. In the case of cell-cultured meat and poultry, they would require labeling representing lab-grown food sources.

“America’s farmers and ranchers work hard every day to bring a high-quality, wholesome product to market. We’re not afraid of a little competition, but it is unfair for lab grown or plant-based fake meat products to trade on beef’s good name,” National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Todd Wilkinson, a South Dakota cattle producer, said in a release. “This bill is especially important for ensuring that consumers recognize lab grown products that may be coming to market in the future. Consumers deserve to know how their food is made and to understand that lab-grown products made in a bioreactor are not the same as the high-quality beef raised by farmers and ranchers.”

NPPC said it wants consumers to have the ability to make informed decisions about the products they choose, especially with protein products.

“Accurate meat labeling at the grocery store benefits all consumers, regardless of dietary preferences,” NPPC President Scott Hays, a pork producer from Missouri, said in a release. “Labeling an imitation product as pork undermines the hard work that pork producers, like me, put in every day to deliver a reliable and affordable protein source.”

This bill is co-sponsored by Representatives Don Davis, Roger Williams, and Jonathan Jackson.

Read More:

Is There Room at the Table for Meat and Alternative Proteins?

Tyson CEO Confesses Company Culture Was Lazy After Pandemic

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:24:18 GMT

“We got fat and lazy,” Tyson Foods Inc.’s leader candidly shared about his company’s underperformance in an interview on Tuesday following the opening of Tyson’s new $300-million plant in Danville, Va., Bloomberg reported.

CEO Donnie King made comments about the company getting “really comfortable” and “inefficient.”

When prices for pork, beef and chicken surged due to demand and supply disruptions during the pandemic, profits boosted for some companies such as Tyson. When demand dropped, America’s biggest meat company was hit hard, the article said.

Tyson’s fiscal year ended in September, and the company’s adjusted net income plunged 85%, the lowest in more than a decade, with profit margins largely trailing those of publicly traded rivals, Bloomberg reported.

S&P Global Inc. dropped Tyson’s credit rating Tuesday to BBB — the second-lowest investment grade rating — and cited “inefficient production assets” among the factors that contributed to the company’s underperformance in recent years. Corrective measures and investments in more productive assets will help drive profit improvement, particularly in the chicken business, the agency said.

Although the company isn’t where it needs to be, King told Bloomberg they are well on their way to being there again.

King was named head of Tyson in June 2021. He first joined the company in 1982. After leaving in 2017, he rejoined Tyson in September 2020.

Tyson will continue expanding capacity to meet growing demand for branded products, such as its Ballpark sausages and Hillshire hams, King said in the article, which typically command higher margins than commodity meat cuts.

USMEF Strategic Planning Conference Wraps Up with New Leadership and Logistics Insight

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 15:42:36 GMT

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) successfully concluded its Strategic Planning Conference on Friday, Nov. 10, in New Orleans, La.. marking the occasion with the election of a dynamic new officer team. Randy Spronk, an esteemed pork and grain producer hailing from Edgerton, Minn., has assumed the role of USMEF Chair, succeeding outgoing Chair Dean Meyer, a grain and livestock producer from Rock Rapids, Iowa.

Spronk, recognized for his leadership roles at the National Pork Producers Council and Minnesota Pork Producers Association, as well as being the president and managing partner of Spronk Brothers Holding, is set to steer USMEF towards new horizons. His extensive background includes participation in various trade missions, underlining the importance of collaboration within USMEF to facilitate the global export of U.S. beef, pork, and lamb.

Expressing his enthusiasm, Spronk said, “It’s phenomenal to see how different organizations work together through USMEF to export U.S. beef, pork, and lamb worldwide. We bring all the sectors together into one room and discuss trade. What are the obstacles? What are the things we’ve done right?”

Spronk emphasized the “Three Ds” in his address to USMEF members: diversification of export markets, differentiation of high-quality U.S. red meat, and the need to expand global demand. Stressing the significance of market diversification, Spronk highlighted its role in maximizing export value and ensuring the U.S. meat industry’s resilience against dependence on a few major destinations.

Market diversification, Spronk explained, is the key to maximizing export value and ensuring the long-term growth of U.S. meat markets. Spronk also underscored the importance of differentiation, particularly in terms of sustainability, noting, “I think we have a strong story to tell on sustainability, and it can help differentiate us because of how responsibly we produce our feed and livestock. It’s a story that nobody else in the world can replicate.”

In addition to Spronk’s appointment, the new USMEF officer team includes Steve Hanson, a cattle rancher from southwestern Nebraska, as Chair-Elect; Jay Theiler, executive vice president of corporate affairs for Agri Beef based in Boise, Idaho, as Vice Chair; and David Bruntz, a farmer and cattle feeder from Friend, Neb., as Secretary/Treasurer.

The conference also provided valuable insights into transportation and logistics affecting U.S. pork, beef, and lamb exports. Mark Szakonyi, executive editor for the Journal of Commerce, highlighted the Federal Maritime Commission’s progress in implementing the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, while Greg Shimonek, director of key accounts for Americold Logistics, shared information on expanded rail transportation options for refrigerated food products.

The USMEF Spring Conference is scheduled for May 22-24 in Kansas City, where members will reconvene to continue discussions on advancing the U.S. meat industry’s global presence.

Plan Your Budget-Friendly Cookout: AFBF Reveals Insights on 2023 Independence Day Food Prices

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 19:17:27 GMT

Families can expect to pay $67.73 to host an Independence Day cookout for 10, the American Farm Bureau Federation reports , based on the 2023 American Farm Bureau Federation marketbasket survey.

While prices have decreased 3% year over year, the grocery bill is still 14% higher than prices just two years ago, AFBF explains, with 2023 coming in as the second highest on record over the last 10 years. Additionally, higher prices at the store are not only a challenge for consumers, producers know it’s not been great for their operations either.

“The slight downward direction in the cost of a cookout doesn’t counter the dramatic increases we’ve seen over the past few years. Families are still feeling the pinch of high inflation along with other factors keeping prices high,” says Roger Cryan, AFBF chief economist. “Don’t assume farmers come out as winners from higher prices at the grocery store either. They’re price takers, not price makers, whose share of the retail food dollar is just 14%. Farmers have to pay for fuel, fertilizer and other expenses, which have all gone up in cost.”

The AFBF marketbasket survey shows increased costs of hamburger buns (up 17% for a package of eight), beef (up 4% per pound of ground beef) and homemade potato salad (up 5%), while decreased prices have been seen in chicken breasts (down 9%), lemonade (down 16%) and cookies (down 10%).

AFBF reports several factors have contributed to cost increases, including a shrinking cattle herd due to implications of drought and high feed prices that have driven beef prices up, as well as higher potato prices caused by poor weather and a drop in production. Overall, processed food, like bread, has seen price increased due to general inflation.

Here’s a list of common summer cookout favorites, their prices and change year over year, provided by AFBF.

Individual Prices, AFBF 2023 Summer Cookout
- 2 pounds of ground beef, $11.54 (+4%)
- 2 pounds of chicken breasts, $8.14 (-9%)
- 3 pounds of pork chops, $14.37 (-6%)
- 1 pound of cheese, $3.53 (no change)
- 1 package of hamburger buns, $2.26 (+17%)
- 2 ½ pounds of homemade potato salad, $3.44 (+5%)
- 32 ounces of pork and beans, $2.44 (-3%)
- 16-ounce bag of potato chips, $4.53 (-4%)
- 13-ounce package of chocolate chip cookies, $3.90 (-10%)
- ½ gallon of ice cream, $5.29 (+3%)
- 2 pints of strawberries, $4.56 (+3%)
- 2 ½ quarts of lemonade, $3.73 (-16%)

While some prices seem high, when considered in a global context, AFBF says Americans spend a smaller percentage of their income on food than any other country.

“While the increased costs are difficult and have made it more challenging for some families to put food on the table, it’s important to remember that America still has one of the most affordable food supplies in the world, which is due in part to strong farm bill programs,” says Zippy Duvall, AFBF president. “As we all celebrate the holiday, we encourage members of Congress to consider the contributions of the farm bill to our security and independence by ensuring a safe and abundant food supply.”

Read More:

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USDA Launches Effort to Strengthen Validity of Animal-Raising Claims

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 19:50:02 GMT

USDA announced on June 14 that it is implementing a multi-step effort aimed at strengthening the substantiation of animal-raising claims.

This action builds on the work USDA has already done to protect consumers from false and misleading labels and to implement President Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American economy, USDA said in a release.

Animal-raising claims, such as “grass-fed” and “free-range,” are voluntary marketing claims that highlight certain aspects of how the source animals for meat and poultry products are raised, USDA explains. These claims must be approved by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) before they can be included on the labels of meat and poultry products sold to consumers. FSIS updated its guideline on these claims in 2019.

“Consumers should be able to trust that the label claims they see on products bearing the USDA mark of inspection are truthful and accurate,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a release. “USDA is taking action today to ensure the integrity of animal-raising claims and level the playing field for producers who are truthfully using these claims, which we know consumers value and rely on to guide their meat and poultry purchasing decisions.”

FSIS has received several petitions, comments, and letters from a wide range of stakeholders asking the agency to reevaluate its oversight of animal-raising claims, specifically, how they are substantiated. In addition, the veracity of “negative” antibiotics claims (e.g., “raised without antibiotics” or “no antibiotics ever”) has come into question, the release said.

Responding to a request for a statement, NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs Ethan Lane said, “Labeling claims provide value back to cattle producers across the country who go the extra mile to distinguish their product for consumers. NCBA supports efforts by the Agricultural Marketing Service to continue creating producer opportunities to add value and distinguish their products in a way that consumers can trust. We will also work with FSIS to ensure the agency is meeting its separate and distinct food safety mandate.”

In partnership with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), FSIS will conduct a sampling project to assess antibiotic residues in cattle destined for the “raised without antibiotics” market. The results will help inform whether FSIS should require laboratory testing results be submitted for the “raised without antibiotics” claim or start a new verification sampling program.

FSIS will also issue a revised industry guideline to recommend that companies strengthen the documentation they submit to the agency to substantiate animal-raising claims. The agency plans to strongly encourage use of third-party certification to verify these claims, USDA said. These actions will be used to guide potential rulemaking on animal-raising claims.

Read More:

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Rural Revival: Why 3 Pig Farmers’ Wives Quit Teaching and Bought a Coffee Truck

‘Girl on Fire’ Sells Pig for $111,000 in Parker County Livestock Auction

Americans Love Meat and Say It's a Healthy Choice

Wed, 24 May 2023 20:30:22 GMT

A majority of Americans regularly eat meat and believe that it’s a healthy choice, according to an exclusive Newsweek poll of 1,500 U.S. voters conducted by Redfield and Wilton Strategies. They also don’t think the meat industry is bad for the climate.

The poll showed 35% of people strongly agreed with the statement that it’s healthy to eat meat, with 41% selecting “agree” and 17% selecting “neither agree nor disagree.” Only 4% said that they disagreed, and a further 1% said that they strongly disagreed.
In addition, 81% of people eat meat at least once a week, and 10% said that they ate it only once or twice a month. Only 4% and 3% of the respondents said that they rarely or never ate meat, respectively.
The poll showed 55% would not feel safe eating lab-grown meat and 57% would not eat it. Although 30% of people said that they believed lab-grown meat provides a realistic alternative to meat produced from animals, 51% said they did not and 19% said they didn’t know.

“Despite the great strides made by the vegetarian and vegan movements over the past few decades, most Americans aren’t going to give up their meat-based diets anytime soon,” the Newsweek article said.

A World Without Livestock Doesn’t Work

Anna Dilger, professor of meat science at the University of Illinois, responded to the article’s biased slant on meat.

“A world without livestock is simply a world that doesn’t work,” Dilger says. “People would have a hard time meeting their nutritional needs. To lament that Americans ‘refuse to quit eating meat’ is misguided and doesn’t recognize the scientific support for meat as part of a healthy diet.”

The Dublin Declaration of Scientists on the Societal Role of Livestock reaffirms that livestock and meat consumption are instrumental for dietary health, play a key role in the overall sustainability of our food system and is a key pillar of economic prosperity around the world, she points out.

“Farming systems would be unsustainable as livestock play a key role in using marginal lands to produce food and in recycling by-products from other parts of the food system. In many places around the world, livestock forms the basis of healthy financial systems. As one of the few assets that women can own in some societies, livestock are a means towards gender equality and economic development,” Dilger adds.

A nutritious diet consists of eating a variety of foods, including meat, says Kara Behlke-Ungerman, vice president of nutrition, health and wellness transformation at the National Pork Board.

“If we look at proteins globally, pork is at the center of human nutrition as the most culturally applicable protein, delivering a sustainable source of nutritional value across life stages, across meal occasions, to the widest range of cultures and socio-economic levels,” Behlke-Ungerman says. “Pork makes it easy to eat a plant-forward diet as it is the perfect “carrier” of under-consumed vegetables and nutrients that help us eat better. This means when pork is on the plate, it brings with it the nutrients and food groups we sometimes struggle to eat enough of.”

A recent article in a peer-reviewed edition of the scientific journal Animal Frontiers pointed out meat’s critical role in society.

“Animal-source foods are superior to plant-source foods at simultaneously supplying several bioavailable micronutrients and high quality macronutrients that are critical for growth and cognitive development. Dietary recommendations to eliminate animal-source foods from diets ignore their importance, particularly the great need for these foods in diets of the undernourished in the Global South,” Adegbola Adesogan, director of the University of Florida’s Global Food Systems Institute, said in a release.

The peer-reviewed evidence reaffirms that the most prominent global study which claimed that consumption of even tiny amounts of red meat harms health (the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Risk Factors Report) is fatally scientifically flawed and should be retracted, added Alice Stanton of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland in a release.

“In fact, removing fresh meat and dairy from diets would harm human health. Women, children, the elderly and those of low income would be particularly negatively impacted,” Stanton said.

What Meat Product is Your State Most Hungry For? Data Shows Top Meat Volume Growth

Wed, 03 May 2023 16:44:19 GMT

When it comes to meat, what is your state most hungry for?

In a recent CoBank webinar featuring experts from Circana, Inc., data shows meat eaters across the nation are looking for variety and are open to trying new things, whether that’s experimenting with different cuts on the grill or air frying something typically cooked in other ways.

From chicken wings and thighs to pork shoulder to beef chuck and brisket, Melissa Rodriguez, principal in client insights at Circana, Inc., notes that the trends have a geographic component, creating “pockets” of consumer preferences.

According to data ending in March of this year, Rodriguez shares the following map, highlighting the top meat volume growth across the U.S. by state.

(Farm Journal)

Rodriguez notes that consumers are looking for variety, including different meat sources and cuts of meat. Unfortunately, when looking at the meat department as a whole in the start of 2023, consumers have been found to buy less fresh meat by volume.

Specifically, 91% of shoppers said the cost of groceries is much higher than one year ago, with 24% also claiming to buy less meat and poultry.

(Farm Journal)

While all meat options show a decrease in volume to start 2023, chicken has declined the least and has actually increased in total dollars of growth.

In the first quarter of 2023, Rodriguez suggests chicken reaped the benefits of retailers showcasing chicken breast as the “go-to” meat.

Circana estimates the net volume change, as a result of consumers switching protein choices, led to an increase in chicken purchases, pulling some market share from beef, pork and turkey. However, Rodriguez explains the volume increase in chicken is minimal.

Overall, shoppers continue to purchase across all proteins, she notes, but it’s more concerning that consumers are purchasing less.

So, how will the meat case re-attract consumers?

Along with decreased prices and inflationary pressures, Rodriguez says there are many opportunities in protein for the remainder of the year.

She believes relating to the consumer and connecting the various generations, including Boomers, Millennials and Generation Z, back to the meat case will be key. This includes education on how to prepare the different meats available, whether it be on the grill, the smoker or other cooking appliance, Rodriguez suggests.

Social media, especially through video content, may be a great driver to get consumers back to the meat case, she says, and the industry needs to be part of the conversation.

Convenience will also be a driver in 2023, helping consumers make mealtime easier and quicker in their homes.

As a whole, Rodriguez explains that there will likely be shifts and changes within the grocery stores in the coming months, where some aisles and departments “win” and others “lose.”

As a producer, what can you do to help be part of the conversation and encourage consumers to favor the meat case?

How Rendering Works: Boiling Down the 'Invisible Industry'

Mon, 01 May 2023 13:19:35 GMT

While everyone looks forward to the main course, there’s an entire industry focused on the “leftovers.”

Known as the “invisible industry” and the “original recycling,” rendering serves as an invaluable piece of the animal agriculture industry and provides a wide range of products.

According to the North American Renderers Association (NARA), nearly 50% of every meat animal is considered waste, including bones, fat, blood, feathers and some internal organs. However, through the process of rendering, animal byproducts take on new life to be used as ingredients in pet and livestock feed, biofuels, fertilizers and many household products, including soap, paints, glue and rubber.

With the inaugural National Rendering Day on April 21, Anna Wilkinson, vice president of communications for NARA, joined AgriTalk host, Chip Flory, to further explain the importance of rendering, especially when it comes to the environmental footprint.

“Not everybody understands rendering,” Wilkinson explains. “So, when a consumer buys a product that uses rendered material, we want them to know that they can feel confident that they’re making an environmentally responsible choice.”

While the national day of celebration was created with the hope of bringing awareness to rendering, Wilkinson says it’s also a great way to show appreciation for those in the rendering industry, recognizing the important work they do.

According to NARA, renderers collect 56 billion pounds of raw materials every year in the U.S. and Canada, which are then recycled into 10 billion pounds of fat and oil products and 9 billion pounds of protein products annually.

“Rendering really deserves to be a part of the reduced food waste and sustainability conversation,” Wilkinson notes. “It really is a circular process, and we feel we can help educate on why that is.”

(Farm Journal)

The rendering process returns 3.7 billion gallons of clean water to rivers and streams, and reduces greenhouse gases, according to NARA, by avoiding carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gas emissions from natural decomposition like in a compost pile or landfill. Specifically, the process of rendering sequesters five times the amount of GHGs than what is produced, and rendered biofuel products produce 80% less carbon emissions than the alternative petroleum diesel, NARA says.

(Farm Journal)

While the environment and sustainability are key benefactors of rendering, it’s also important to note that the industry is financially stable and economically provides $10 billion annually, helping contribute to food security through the production of livestock feed and fertilizers, as well as supporting thousands of full-time jobs with benefits, many in rural areas.

For more information on rendering, visit NARA’s website .

Texas A&M Meat Scientist Developing ‘No Nitrite-Added’ Cured Meats

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 14:22:25 GMT

Imagine your favorite cured meat like beef jerky, pepperoni or bacon without any added sodium nitrite from any source currently necessary for color and shelf life. Wes Osburn, Ph.D., is doing exactly that.

Osburn, associate professor in meat science in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Animal Science, has set out to find an innovative method to generate the nitric oxide and residual nitrite needed to cure meat and poultry products, but without the addition of natural or synthetic nitrite sources.

Conventional curing of most processed meat products involves adding sodium nitrite to meat to preserve it and reduce the potential growth of bacteria like Clostridium botulinum or perfringens during cooking and chilling.

Curing meat

Osburn has been researching the idea of a novel amino acid alternative curing system for meat for many years. In 2022, he received a $500,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant to determine the feasibility of adding amino acids to activate the nitric oxide synthase system.

Joining him in the research are Department of Animal Science faculty members Rhonda Miller, Ph.D., professor in meat science; Guoyao Wu, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, University Faculty Fellow and Texas A&M AgriLife Research Faculty Fellow in animal nutrition; Sapna Chitlapilly Dass, Ph.D., assistant professor in microbial ecology and microbiome interactions; and Chris Kerth, Ph.D., associate professor in meat science; along with Ranjith Ramanathan, Ph.D., professor in meat science, Oklahoma State University.

While curing meat with synthetic sodium nitrite is safe and efficient, the process has long been associated with cancer concerns. In response to these concerns, meat processors have developed “uncured” meat products that contain “no added nitrates or nitrites except those naturally occurring.”

This alternative curing system uses vegetable powder derived from celery as a natural source of nitrite to cure meat products. But these products may result in a detectable vegetable taste to the meat and a less favorable cured meat, or pink color, Osburn said.

Knowing that nitrites and nitrates occur naturally in humans and in some foods, Osburn believes it is possible to add an amino acid, L-arginine, to the meat that activates the nitric oxide synthase, NOS, enzyme contained in it. The NOS enzyme converts L-arginine to nitric oxide, NO, and another amino acid, L-citrulline.

The nitric oxide molecule creates the characteristic cured pink color associated with cured meats. Also, two nitric oxide molecules can combine to form nitrite, which serves as an antioxidant and antimicrobial to enhance product shelf life and safety.

Osburn said he was listening to a medical doctor friend, Dr. Nathan Bryan, speak about the endothelial nitric oxide synthase, eNOS, system in the human body and how it uses L-arginine to generate nitric oxide, which enhances circulation and blood flow. That is when the connection clicked, and he wondered if the eNOS enzyme could be activated by adding L-arginine to generate nitric oxide and cure meat.

“It could be that this approach is actually a ‘natural curing process’ by adding an amino acid to an enzyme whose primary function is to generate nitric oxide,” Osburn said. “I’m not adding any nitrates or nitrites.”

Utilizing natural amino acids

Osburn said adding the amino acid L-arginine will activate the nitric oxide synthase system to naturally generate nitric oxide and nitrite to cure meat and poultry products.

This novel amino acid-based alternative curing method is expected to eliminate the need for direct or indirect addition of sodium nitrite in cured meat products. Their research will allow for a better understanding of the interconnected biochemical mechanisms contributing to the functionality of the NOS system.

The research team plans to develop processing and operating procedures for meat processors to effectively use the NOS system to cure meat and poultry products consistently and predictably.

Osburn said they must validate the process’s feasibility and ensure it works, as well as make sure it works across species and products within species under all kinds of conditions. He said it will take a while to run the research on the different types of cured beef, pork and poultry products.

“There are differences in the amount of the NOS enzymes within different muscle groups across various meat species,” he said. “This enzyme is closely associated with the mitochondria, so there tends to be more NOS enzyme in muscles used for locomotion. There are also differences in myoglobin content (meat color pigment), so if we can generate nitric oxide via the NOS enzyme, the cured meat color may vary.

“That’s what we are trying to deal with, developing a uniform cured pink color via our amino acid-based curing system so that it compares favorably with conventionally cured meats.”

Where’s the meat?

“The question we are still trying to answer is will the NOS enzyme generate sufficient amounts of nitric oxide to develop acceptable cured meat color and enough residual nitrite to ensure that the product is safe, regardless of whether it is summer sausage or pepperoni or some other product?” Osburn said. “Think about it, if we can make pepperoni through this process, there could be a huge economic impact since we consume a lot of pepperoni here in the U.S.”

He said he is developing a prototype amino acid-cured ham product that will be taken through a manufacturing sensory analysis for cured color pigment, volatile compounds, sensory and textural analysis and shelf life.

His research team is manipulating several factors, such as the arginine concentration, meat pH, temperature and time to determine optimal conditions for nitric oxide generation by the eNOS enzyme.

“We are in the second phase of our USDA-NIFA-funded grant,” Osburn said. “We are shifting from benchtop to pilot plant production, so it is the first time we are making a commercial cured meat product and evaluating all aspects of the product from color, shelf life, aroma and sensory properties. This information will provide more evidence to show interested companies that this system works.”

His research team plans to apply this new curing system to five cured products – restructured ham, beef jerky, bacon, fermented summer sausage or salami and poultry frankfurters – all products requiring different processing steps to validate that the amino acid curing system effectively cures different meat products.

Moving to the cured meat case

“If, based on the results of our research, the data indicates that our new curing system is comparable to conventionally cured products with respect to safety, shelf life and sensory attributes, then there is a great chance for industry adoption of this process,” Osburn said. “This new curing system must compete favorably with the current curing system. If we can’t get close to it, it’ll always be a novel thing. Companies may or may not want to get on board.”

Osburn said while he is getting a lot of interest from meat companies in the process, there is still a lot of research to be done, as well as some upcoming rulings by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will determine future labeling of current alternative or “uncured” meat products.

Robert Brummett, senior licensing manager at Texas A&M AgriLife Research’s Intellectual Property and Commercialization office, has worked with Osburn to seek intellectual property protection for the alternative meat curing process. A patent application was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO, in December 2020.

According to Brummett, the patent application is currently being examined by the USPTO, and that process may take an additional 18 months or longer to complete. In the meantime, Osburn and Brummett are actively seeking interest from companies to license rights in the technology and/or working with Osburn in furthering the research for use of the technology by industry.

Munching on Mealworms: The Next Meat-Alternative Snack?

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:44:12 GMT

While plant-based meat alternatives seem to have lost their hype, scientists are working to develop another protein alternative—mealworms.

Over 2 billion people across the globe consume insects as part of their diet, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, while the thought of eating mealworms, grasshoppers and beetles sounds rather unappealing to most people in the U.S.

A recent Science Daily article claims, “insects are edible and could be a healthful alternative to traditional meat protein sources.”

With the rising cost of animal proteins such as beef , pork and lamb, as well as environmental concerns, the project’s principle investigator, In Hee Cho, Ph.D., explains there has been an increased interest in eating insects.

Containing high amounts of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fiber and high-quality protein, insects can be considered both a nutritious and healthy food source, the article claims.

Yet, the idea of munching on a mealworm remains unappetizing for a majority of meat-eaters.

Meat-like Mealworms

Scientists have set out to understand the insect’s flavor profile, comparing aromas of its lifecycle in egg, larva, pupa and adult stages.

Through a variety of cooking techniques, the mealworms gave off a diverse range of aromas. For instance, raw larvae had wet soil-like, shrimp-like and sweet corn-like aromas, while roasted or fried larvae had shrimp-like and fried oil-like attributes and created flavor compounds similar to those formed when meat and seafood are cooked.

Additionally, the mealworms were cooked with sugar to create caramelization reactions, producing meat-like and savory flavors.

Though mealworms will not likely take down the livestock industry any time soon, Cho is hopeful that the study’s results “will contribute to the commercial development of meat-like and savory flavorings and seasonings, and will encourage the convenience food industry to include edible insects in their products.”

Beef jerky, pork rinds or mealworm mix? Someday that could be up to you to decide.

The ‘Beagle Brigade’ Receives Industry-Wide Support in Protection of U.S. Agriculture

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 05:28:31 GMT

Today, over 116 agricultural canine teams provide screening at border crossings, airports, cruise terminals, cargo warehouses and mail facilities, according to the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

To protect the U.S. agriculture industry, natural resources and food supply, canines are used at U.S. ports of entry to detect and prevent foreign animal diseases, such as foot and mouth disease and African swine fever, as well as invasive species, plant diseases and pests from entering the U.S.

Industry groups, including the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the National Pork Producers Council, have submitted a letter to U.S. Congress leaders in favor of passing the Beagle Brigade Act of 2022 (S. 3678/H.R. 8432), congressionally authorizing and funding the National Detector Dog Training Center.

The Center in Newnan, Ga., is the primary training facility for the so-called “Beagle Brigade,” where canines and the Agriculture Canine Teams of the CBP handlers are trained to sniff out contraband fruits, vegetables and meat products in international passenger baggage, mailed packages and vehicles entering the U.S.

“Healthy animals ensure consumers have safe food and allow American producers, their communities and the U.S. economy to thrive. That is why NPPC joined over 50 organizations spanning the entire agriculture sector in support of the Beagle Brigade Act of 2022,” says Terry Wolters, NPPC president and owner of Stoney Creek Farms in Pipestone, Minn.

See the full letter and list of supporting groups here .

Canines have been successful at several border detections in 2022, including:

• 230 pounds of prohibited pork bologna seized at Bridge of the Americas and Santa Teresa border crossings

• 120 pounds of prohibited fresh pork and poultry meat at the Laredo Port of Entry

CBP seizes more than 4,600 plants, meat and animal byproducts per day on average , NPPC reported in its Capital Update.

USDA Announces $700 Million in Grants to Help Ag Workers Impacted by COVID-19

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:55:16 GMT

USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced on Monday that $700 million in competitive grant funding will be available through the new Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant program to help farmworkers and meatpacking workers with pandemic-related health and safety costs.

Additionally, to recognize the essential role and costs borne by front-line grocery workers, $20 million of this amount has been set aside for at least one pilot program to support grocery workers and test options for reaching them in the future, USDA said in a release. The new program is funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and is part of USDA’s Build Back Better efforts to respond and recover from the pandemic.

“As we celebrate the social and economic achievements of our nation’s workers on Labor Day, we recognize that our farmworkers, meat packing workers, and grocery workers overcame unprecedented challenges and took on significant personal risk to ensure Americans could feed and sustain their families throughout the pandemic,” Vilsack said in a release. “They deserve recognition for their resilience and financial support for their efforts to meet personal and family needs while continuing to provide essential services.”

Vilsack said this grant program is another component of this Administration’s efforts to ensure assistance to alleviate the effects of the pandemic is distributed to those who need it most. It will provide relief to farmworkers, meatpacking workers and front-line grocery workers for expenses incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The financial support is intended to defray costs for reasonable and necessary personal, family or living expenses related to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as costs for personal protective equipment (PPE), dependent care and expenses associated with quarantines and testing related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Request for Application (RFA) will be announced in early Fall and will be open for 60 days. Additional information and technical assistance for applying to these grants and program updates will be provided by USDA when the application period opens, USDA notes in a release.

Funds will be awarded through grants to state agencies, Tribal entities and non-profit organizations serving farmworkers and meatpacking workers ranging from $5,000,000 to $50,000,000. USDA is setting aside $20 million for at least one pilot to provide targeted support to front-line grocery workers.

Eligible entities must demonstrate the capacity to reimburse farmworkers and meatpacking workers for up to $600 for expenses incurred due to the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The USDA encourages grant applications that demonstrate trusted communications networks with farmworkers, meatpacking workers and/or front-line grocery workers, as well as strong financial controls, USDA said. Applicants should show connectedness to hard-to-reach worker populations either directly or in partnerships with other local organizations. Applicants should be able to describe how they will partner with smaller organizations to facilitate financial relief to such populations.

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will offer technical assistance through one or more partners and webinars for applicants to help them understand the RFA, once it is published. For more information, visit www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/ffwr . Applications must be submitted electronically through www.grants.gov .

USDA said it will soon be announcing a separate $700 million suite of pandemic safety and response grants for producers, processors, farmers markets, distributors and seafood processors and vessels impacted by COVID-19.

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