Animal Ag Bites 12/2

carrie muehlingAgWired Animal, Animal Bites

  • Online cheese sales are experiencing major growth. By the end of 2019, IRI data shows that e-commerce sales will surge past $440 million. The 54% annual growth in online sales over the past four years signals that shoppers are embracing the convenience and variety available when ordering cheese online. Find tips on how to serve Wisconsin Cheese, including seasonal recipes, cheeseboard inspiration, cheese and wine pairing guides and more on WisconsinCheese.com.
  • Leading regional dairy council Dairy MAX recently launched its two redesigned websites, DairyMAX.org and DairyDiscoveryZone.com, to invigorate target audiences’ knowledge of dairy and support dairy sales.
  • A new educational program hosted by the American Feed Industry Association will focus on biosecurity as it pertains to foreign animal diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, African swine fever and avian influenza. The program, “Biosecurity in the Face of Foreign Animal Disease – What the Feed Industry Needs to Know,” will take place on Jan. 29, 2020, in conjunction with the 2020 International Production & Processing Expo, taking place Jan. 28-30 in Atlanta, Ga.
  • Securing zero-tariff access to China for U.S. pork would be an economic boon for American agriculture and the country, according to the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). Based on an analysis by Iowa State University Economist Dermot Hayes, NPPC says unrestricted access to the Chinese chilled and frozen market would reduce the overall trade deficit with China by nearly six percent and generate 184,000 new U.S. jobs in the next decade. NPPC launched a digital campaign to spotlight the importance of opening the Chinese market to U.S. pork as trade negotiations continue. For more information, click here.
  • R-CALF USA hosted its 20th Anniversary Convention in Deadwood, SD on August 15-16, 2019. The convention proclaimed success boasting approximately 400 attendees; the organization’s largest convention in its 20-year history. An additional 800 guests viewed the convention through online streaming.
  • Up to five regional Stockmanship & Stewardship events will be coordinated throughout the United States by the producer education team at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in 2020, thanks to sponsorship from Merck Animal Health. Additional funding and support for the program is provided by the Beef Checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance program.