China Strikes Back

AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, ethanol, Exports, International, NPPC, Pork, RFA, Soybean, Trade, Wine

From almonds to frozen edible swine offal, the majority of the 128 products on which China imposed retaliatory tariffs Monday are agricultural, making farmers bear the brunt of the reaction to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs.

“This is a tax on American farmers, brought about by protectionist trade policies,” said Farmers for Free Trade (FFT) Co-Chair Max Baucus. “American farmers appear to be the first casualties of an escalating trade war.”

U.S. exports of fruits, nuts, and wine will see a 15% tariff, while U.S. pork products were slapped with a 25% tariff, which National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) CEO Neil Dierks says is a significant blow to the industry. “China was the third largest value market, with more than $1 billion in U.S. pork being shipped there last year,” said Dierks. “We recognize that the U.S. and China are negotiating, and we are hopeful that the 25 percent tariffs on U.S. pork will be short lived.”

China added another 15% tariff on U.S. ethanol imports to an already-imposed 30% duty, making the total tariff 45%. “This one-two protectionist punch will ultimately harm Chinese consumers who are being denied access to the lowest-cost, highest-octane, and cleanest fuel on the planet,” said Renewable Fuels Association President and CEO Bob Dinneen. “But it will also hurt farmers in the U.S. who have worked to build value-added markets for their commodities here and abroad.”

In an interview with AgNet West, California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG) President John Aguirre says their industry will be severely impacted by a 15% tariff. “When you talk about U.S. wine exports, you’re really talking about California,” Aguirre said. “You’re looking at about a $197 million market for U.S. wine.”

Audio: Calif. Winegrape Growers president John Aguirre

The good news is that soybeans were not on the list announced Monday, since it could mean an overall drop in U.S. soybean exports of 40 percent, according to a study commissioned by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC). FFT has been sharing videos of soybean growers who are concerned about the possible trade disruption that would cause for their number one market, worth $14 billion annually. Watch one here:

American Lamb Board Sets Goal of 2 Percent Annual Growth

AgWired Animal, American Lamb Board, Lamb, Livestock, Meat

The American Lamb Board (ALB) has approved a new long range plan for 2018-2022 that sets a bold new demand growth goal.

The strategic objective of the plan is to increase demand for American Lamb by 2 percent annually over the next five years, for a total demand growth of 10 percent. Per capita consumption of lamb in the U.S. has remained steady over the past ten years at approximately one pound per person per year with nearly 20 percent of lamb consumption occurring during the spring holidays. Urban shoppers are the most likely to consume lamb with the highest consumption occurring on the East and West Coasts. In 2015, lamb demand was up 7 percent compared to 2014 and increased again in 2016 by 2.5 percent.

The Long Range Plan outlines Five Core Strategies to increase the demand for American Lamb.

• Grow awareness and increase usage of American Lamb among chefs and consumers
• Promote and strengthen American Lamb’s Value Proposition
• Improve the quality and consistency of American Lamb
• Support industry efforts to increase domestic supplies of lamb
• Collaborate and communicate with industry partners and stakeholders to expand efforts to address the first four strategies

“Using these core strategies, the ALB will create budgets and annual work plans to achieve the goals and initiatives set by the Long Range Plan. America’s lamb producers are excited about the work we’ll be doing over the next several years to increase the demand not just for lamb, but specifically for American Lamb,” says Ohio lamb producer Jim Percival, ALB chairman.

Click to see the full version of the Long Range Plan.

The Taste of Irish Dairy

jamie johansenAgribusiness, AgWired Animal, Alltech, Audio, Dairy, Food

Irish stew, fish and chips or bread pudding might be the first foods you think of when Ireland pops into your head, but for many it’s butter. And to be even more specific, Kerrygold. While in Dublin at the Alltech KEENAN Great Green Getaway, we visited Ornua, Home of Irish Dairy and Kerrygold. I have to admit I hadn’t experienced Irish butter before my debut trip to Ireland a few weeks ago, now my mouth waters just thinking about it.

“We are very proud that in the U.S., Kerrygold is the number three butter brand and the number one imported butter,” said Monique Kelleher, Ornua communications manager. “What makes Irish butter or Kerrygold unique is that we have a grassed-based farming system here in Ireland. We tell our customers the story of Irish dairy farms. The story of the brand is very much the quality of milk that goes into the butter and the fact that our cows can graze outdoors up to 300 days a year.”

Kelleher said the grass gives Irish butter the yellow color and unique taste. Global food trends are something Ornua keeps a close eye on. They have discovered the U.S. consumer wants to know the providence of their food and understand how it’s produced.

Listen to my complete interview with Monique to learn more about the Kerrygold brand and how Ornua brings the unique taste of Irish dairy to the world. Interview with Monique Kelleher, Ornua

View and download photos from the trip here: Alltech KEENAN Great Green Getaway Photo Album

Great Green Getaway Coverage Sponsored by Alltech & KEENANKeenan logo

Animal Ag Bites 4/2

carrie muehlingAgWired Animal, Animal Bites

  • Various forms of robotic milking are helping sustain small to medium sized dairy farms amid broader industry consolidation and improving labor efficiency for some larger operations according to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division. A brief video synopsis of the report, “Automatic Milking Systems: Keeping Smaller Dairies in the Game” is available here and the full report is available at CoBank.com.
  • The March Dairy Market Report is now available. Driven by a $2.00/cwt. drop in the U.S. all-milk price, the monthly margin under the Margin Protection Program (MPP) fell by $2.27/cwt. over the two months from November to January, to just over $8.00/cwt. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, enacted earlier this year, made significant changes to the MPP and created additional risk management options for farmers.
  • Rose Acre Farms, the nation’s second largest egg producer, has contributed $200,000 to Purdue University’s new animal sciences complex dedicated yesterday on the school’s campus. Rose Acre Farms employs several alumnae from Purdue University’s Department of Agriculture and Animal Sciences and works with the institution on research projects involving agriculture and animal welfare.
  • Dairy checkoff scientists who work onsite at McDonald’s headquarters have helped the chain launch new items that continue its commitment to elevate dairy and provide customers with great-tasting menu choices. Scientists working for Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff, collaborated with members of McDonald’s culinary team to create McDonald’s Signature Crafted Recipes sandwiches and the Egg White Delight McMuffin, which will now feature sharp white cheddar cheese slices that are more than 30 percent larger than the pasteurized process version previously used. McDonald’s also launched limited-time-offer McCafe Turtle Coffee Beverages, which join a McCafé lineup that offers dairy in 90 percent of its items.
  • Eggs in Schools conducted an in-depth interview with school nutrition dynamo April Liles, R.D., S.N.S., who brings a spirit of fun and creativity to the school nutrition program at the Waltham Public Schools in Waltham, Mass. Liles’ advice is presented in a series of blog posts designed to share best practices with school nutrition professionals seeking tried-and-true methods to help increase Average Daily Participation. Find all of the blog posts at aeb.org/blog/eggs-in-school-blog.
  • Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture and the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) have announced an agreement establishing mutual recognition of the value and importance of each organization’s work and a commitment to foster an increased level of collaboration. In the agreement, USRSB agreed to recognize the role Field to Market plays in defining sustainable production for feed commodities utilized in beef production. In the same way, Field to Market agreed to recognize USRSB’s role in defining sustainable beef production.

The Global Promotion of Irish Food & Drink

jamie johansenAgribusiness, AgWired Animal, Alltech, Beef, Dairy, International, sustainability

While traveling Ireland with Alltech and KEENAN we stopped by Bord Bia Irish Food Board to learn more about the role they play in promoting Irish food and drink worldwide.

One of the prize projects they have developed is Origin Green, a program centered around food sustainability. The unique national concept brings in industry, the state and stakeholders within the industry to all work together. Mary Morrissey, Bord Bia Sr. Manager Food & Beverage Division, said, “It starts at the farm level. The next stage up is the manufacturing level and recently we’ve added the final end of the leg, retailers and foodservice operators.”

Just like farming and ranching in the U.S., Ireland is faced with the need to prove sustainability. This program is doing just that. “On the farm, it is about setting a standard and auditing farmers at either the beef or dairy assurance scheme and then moving on to the manufacturing and further up the supply chain.

Origin Green’s 280+ verified members now account for over 90% of Ireland’s total food and drink exports, a fourth consecutive year of growth. And their over 500 participating companies’ account for 95% of total food and drink exports, highlighting the ongoing and sustained commitment of Irish food and drink manufacturers towards sustainability and Origin Green.

Listen to my complete interview with Mary to learn more about Origin Green and how they are marketing Ireland’s brands internationally: Interview with Mary Morrissey, Bord Bia

Alltech KEENAN Great Green Getaway Photo Album

 

Great Green Getaway Coverage Sponsored by Alltech & KEENANKeenan logo

 

Easter Eggs Are Up in Farm Bureau Survey

AFBF, AgWired Animal, Eggs, Food

Your Easter basket is just a little pricier this year, according to the lastest American Farm Bureau Federation Spring Picnic Marketbasket Survey.

Higher retail prices for several foods including eggs, orange juice, meat products, bagged salad, shredded cheddar and vegetable oil contributed to the overall increase of two percent compared to last year. The informal survey showed the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare one or more meals was $51.05, up $1.02 from a year ago. Of the 16 items surveyed, nine increased and seven decreased in average price.

AFBF director of market intelligence John Newton says eggs are 37 percent higher than a year ago. “U.S. egg exports were up nearly 50 percent in 2017 while egg production remained flat,” which led to the strong rise in retail egg prices, he said, noting that bird flu outbreak in South Korea contributed to the increase in U.S. export volumes.

Orange juice prices are up 24 cents or 7.5 percent this year, thanks to Hurricane Irma which contributed to Florida citrus growers harvesting the smallest crop in 70 years.

Several foods showed modest retail price decreases from a year ago: whole milk, white bread, chicken breasts, toasted oat cereal, apples, potatoes and flour.

Click for the details from AFBF.

New Toy KEENAN MechFibre365 Mixer Wagon

carrie muehlingAgWired Animal, Alltech, Audio, KEENAN

Farm toy enthusiasts can add a new implement to their collections with the KEENAN MechFibre365 Mixer Wagon.

“What we normally see is if the real thing sells in the real world, then we see a similar thing in the toy,” said Natalie Frow, European Brand Manager for Tomy Britains. “So we work together with them, we get the 3D data with them, we work with our engineers in China and we produced prototypes which we then adapted to make it look like the real thing.”

KEENAN invited local school groups to the company’s headquarters in Dublin for factory tours to celebrate the release of the toy, which will be available beginning in April from KEENAN and toy retailers throughout Europe, primarily in the United Kingdom.

Listen to Jamie’s interview with Natalie here: Interview with Natalie Frow, Tomy Britains

Alltech KEENAN Great Green Getaway Photo Album

 

Great Green Getaway Coverage Sponsored by Alltech & KEENANKeenan logo

 

Animal Ag Bites 3/26

carrie muehlingAgWired Animal, Animal Bites

  • The 2018 World Pork Expo will mark its 30th anniversary by presenting the world’s largest pork-specific trade show with more exhibit space and featuring more U.S. and international companies than ever before. Presented by the National Pork Producers Council, the world’s largest pork-specific trade show takes place Wednesday, June 6, through Friday, June 8, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Online registration is now open.
  • Directors of Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative have elected a new president and vice president. Brody Stapel, who farms at Double Dutch Dairy along Lake Michigan in Cedar Grove, Wis., was elected president at a meeting March 7. His election as president comes after John Pagel, who had been Edge’s president, passed away in late February as the result of a plane crash. The board also elected Todd Doornink as vice president. Doornink, who farms at Jon-De Dairy in Baldwin in northwestern Wisconsin, has been on the board since 2011.
  • Join Dr. Shelby Roberts, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Alltech Center for Animal Nutrigenomics and Applied Animal Nutrition, for a live webinar on Tuesday, March 27 at 2:00 ET, to take a closer look at calf gut health and the importance of nutrition during the first weeks of the calf’s life. Reserve a spot now via this link. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, you can register via the link to receive the recording.
  • Award applications for the 12th annual National Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Awards now are being accepted. The 2019 National BQA Awards recognize five winners in the areas of beef, dairy, marketing and education. Find the application and nomination requirements here. Applications are due by June 1, 2018.

Evaluating Aptimmune Vaccine in PRRS Viremic Pigs

Carrie MuehlingAgWired Animal, Aptimmune, Audio, PRRS

At the 2018 Aptimmune Scientific Symposium, Dr. Andy Kryzer of Fairmont Veterinary Clinic in Fairmont, Minn., shared an evaluation of the Aptimmune vaccine in Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) viremic piglets.

Kryzer said the study trialed the vaccine at weaning only versus weaning and two weeks post weaning to see if the approaches were equally effective at reducing PRRS viremia and improving average daily gains through the nursery phase.

“Ultimately, the result is we saw fewer light weight pigs in the vaccinate groups versus the control, however we weren’t able to continue the trial through the finishing phase so ultimately would like to do that work to see how does this vaccine perform on the pigs through the finishing,” said Kryzer. “Does the difference that we see at the end of the nursery actually hit the first cut out of the barn?”

Kryzer noted that in this project there was a fairly low prevalence of PRRS – less than 20 percent of these pigs were positive.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dr. Kryzer here: Interview with Dr. Andy Kryzer,
Fairmont Veterinary Clinic

2018 Aptimmune Scientific Symposium Photo Album

Swine Vets Excited About Barricade Vaccine

Carrie MuehlingAgWired Animal, Aptimmune, Audio, PRRS, Swine, Vaccine

Three different trials on Minnesota hog farms resulting in encouraging evidence for the success of Aptimmune‘s Barricade vaccines. Dr. Chris Sievers, associate veterinarian at the Swine Vet Center in Minnesota presented on the trials at the 2018 Aptimmune Scientific Symposium.

“The exciting thing with Aptimmune is we have a vaccine that’s killed that’s showing some effectiveness,” said Sievers. “I should mention all of these were in heterogeneous challenges. It’s a different virus in the vaccine than what we had in the sow farm, and that’s a first for a killed vaccine. So not having to take a modified live product into some of our sow farms, that’s what we’re really excited about here and continue to look at the opportunity that holds.”

The trials included vaccinating sows in the face of a Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus break, which reduced the abortion rate and helped to reduce off-feed events. Another study vaccinated weaned pigs. One trial showed a small reduction in mortality and the other showed a three percent reduction in mortality, which is significant.

Sievers said the success in small trials will lead to larger studies that will result in more comprehensive data.

Listen to Chuck’s interview with Dr. Sievers here: Interview with Dr. Chris Sievers, Swine Vet Center

2018 Aptimmune Scientific Symposium Photo Album