Feedstuffs in Focus

With milk protein values near all-time highs, increasing milk protein is one way dairy producers can improve income over feed costs. A solid nutritional strategy will not only increase milk protein, but also improve producer profitability. Cornell University professor Mike Van Amburgh is an expert in rumen function, nitrogen metabolism and fiber digestibility. With the rise in milk protein value,...

A combination of hot temperatures, dry conditions and poor forest management practices have resulted in another year of devastating losses for farmers and ranchers in the West. Wildfires have already burned through millions of acres and continue to rage, with rains not expected for weeks . Smoke alone has caused substantial crop and soil damage as well as respiratory issues for livestock.  In this...

The coronavirus pandemic resulted in delays and extended shutdowns at numerous packing plants, all the while straining the pork industry as market hogs had to be held in facilities longer than expected. To minimize sorting losses and keep as many pigs in market condition as possible, the feed industry stepped up to help hog producers adjust their rations. The goal was that of reduced growth rates...

What has COVID-19 meant for the dairy checkoff? Where is the dairy industry and dairy checkoff heading in these pandemic times? In this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus , Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead talks with Barb O’Brien, president of DMI and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.  We are more than seven months into a pandemic that has interrupted the daily operations of schools, food services...

Fluid milk consumption among children is vital, as adequate consumption of dairy products, especially during childhood, has beneficial health outcomes later in life. These benefits include reduced risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, obesity and cancer in adulthood. Milk consumption among children has been declining for decades, so understanding and fulfilling the needs of children is crucial to re...

Rural voters played an important role in the 2016 presidential election and appear poised to do so again in 2020. According to a recent Farm Futures survey , three-quarters of U.S. farmers say they will vote to reelect the President despite ongoing trade disruptions, falling grain prices and rising farm bankruptcies. One former U.S. Senator says farmers were not always a reliable voting bloc for t...

The University of Idaho’s Center for Agriculture, Food & the Environment – or CAFE – took a major step forward this spring with the launch of design and planning for a $22.5 million research dairy near Rupert. The dairy is scheduled for completion in 2023 and to begin milking cows by 2024. The dairy will house 2,000 cows and allow researchers to better integrate animal and plant agriculture, s...

The role of animal feed as a vehicle for the transport and transmission of viral diseases was first identified during the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) epidemic in North America.  Since that time, various feed additives have been evaluated at the laboratory level to measure their effect on viral viability and infectivity in contaminated feed using bioassay piglet models. While a valid fir...

Activated medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) support feed biosecurity as they can weaken some viruses lurking in feed before they even enter the pigs' system. According to Stacie Crowder, monogastric product manager with PMI Nutrition , a good place to start is with a tool that does more than one job such as medium-chain fatty acids. Multifaceted, MCFAs work in more than one way to protect pigs...

Class III milk prices whipsawed between $12 and $24 per hundredweight from May to July as the effects of COVID-19 continued to work its way through the supply chain and on consumer demand for dairy products. Now five months after widespread adoption of stay-at-home orders and other pandemic mitigation strategies, what is the outlook for the dairy industry in the remaining months of a tumultuous 20...

The egg industry saw drastically different impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic when liquid egg prices decreased from $0.25 to $0.08 per pound while dried egg price decreased from $2.15 to $2.02 per pound. Meanwhile shell egg prices increased from $0.79 to $1.79 per dozen. Liquid egg producers saw dramatic price impacts despite being denied assistance under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (C...

From endearing bleats and “bahs” to their eco-friendly way of life and nose-to-the-ground work ethic, goats are ideal partners for energy company ComEd. In this episode, Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead talks with Emily Kramer, Manager of Vegetation Management for Commonwealth Edison, about ComEd’s “Goatternship” program. The program, now in its second year, involves some 200 goats taking their pl...

In this episode, Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead talks with Dr. Scott Dee of Pipestone Applied Research about a demonstration project conducted to evaluate viral survival in feed.  A demonstration project is a new way of taking what has been learned in the lab and running a trial under more real-world conditions. In this case, Dee took samples of soybean meal, conventional and organic, lysine, ch...

Summer grilling season is in full swing, even with the shadow of COVID-19 putting something of a damper on spirits and the size of backyard gatherings. For the pork industry, as consumers fire up the grill, it’s a chance for packers, processors and producers to work through a backlog of hogs created by plant closures necessitated by the spread of the novel coronavirus. In this episode, we talk wit...

The U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement – what some policy watchers have referred to as “NAFTA 2.0” – went into effect July 1. Economists and ag policy groups generally hailed NAFTA and its successor agreement as huge wins for farmers and food producers with Mexico and Canada serving as the largest export markets for U.S. farm products. Former U.S. secretary of agriculture Tom Vilsack serves as the presi...

For shell egg producer, MPS Egg Farms, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant struggles to meet demand, keep grocery store shelves stocked and make sure employees are kept safe. In this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus, Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead talks with Sam Krouse, vice president of business development at MPS, to get his perspective on egg industry challenges brought about by COVID-19. The egg i...

While all segments of the agriculture industry have felt pain from COVID-19, perhaps no single segment has felt it quite as acutely as the pork industry. From the agony of euthanizing animals due to packing plant closures to the lingering stress of low prices, the nation’s swine producers have been dealt an incredibly raw hand in 2020. What does the outlook for hog prices and pork values hold in t...

It’s been a tough row to hoe for cattle producers this year, as COVID-19 disrupted the normal flow of beef through the foodservice and retail channels, with restaurants largely closing and grocery stores struggling to meet panic-fueled demand in a relatively short period of time. Cutout values skyrocketed but prices paid for cattle fell as plants slowed line speeds or shutdown altogether as worker...

All segments of the agriculture industry have been impacted in some way by COVID-19. From supply chain disruptions to altered consumption patterns; eating at home instead of at restaurants, for example.  The animal protein segments have been particularly hard-hit with reduced slaughter capacity driving down prices at the farm level despite higher prices at retail. In this episode we hear from Etha...

The interconnectivity between animals, people and the environment is important and influential when it comes to how the public views animal agriculture overall.  In this episode, Feedstuffs editor Sarah Muirhead talks with Dr. Candace Croney, director of the Center for Animal Welfare Science at Purdue University, about One Welfare and how when entities do not work together harmoniously, gaps and v...

Nate Franzén, president of the agri-business division for First Dakota National Bank, had some optimism coming into 2020 as producers were positioning themselves to be viable in a lower commodity market and saw some hope on improved trade relations.  Although that all changed with the introduction of COVID-19 to the market, the financial fundamentals remain the same.  “I always go back to the fund...

It’s time for livestock and poultry producers to better connect with consumers on the issues and more actively engage and communicate with consumers as to why they do what they do, according to David Ortega, associate professor in the department of agricultural, food and resource economics at Michigan State University, and Danielle Ufer a doctoral candidate at Michigan State.  In this episode of F...

The entire meat supply chain was buffeted by COVID-19. From major disruptions in foodservice consumption to panic buying at retail, the ripples of pandemic-related demand shocks were felt acutely in the early days of the crisis. And then as employees at packing plants fell ill in greater numbers, the supply-side shocks to the system only exacerbated an already frustrating situation for producers,...

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on the economy, many businesses have been forced to furlough staff or close their doors altogether. Even companies able to stay afloat during this time have experienced financial setbacks from which they will take years to recover. While government subsidies are available for many businesses, available funds run out quickly and can take weeks or...

During the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Outlook forum in late February, Feedstuffs policy editor Jacqui Fatka sat down with Corwin Heatwole, founder and CEO of Shenandoah Valley Organic , a relatively new organic poultry producer in the Mid-Atlantic region.  A sixth-generation poultry farmer, Heatwole sought out a way to revolutionize the profitability and the structure of his own f...