AFBF Marketbasket Survey Shows Food Price Increase

AFBF, AgWired AgNewsWire, AgWired Animal

The American Farm Bureau Federation’s Fall Harvest Marketbasket Survey shows a three percent increase in the total cost of 16 food items over last year’s prices. Foods costing more include bacon, chicken breast, and sliced deli ham, as well as orange juice and flour. The cost of bacon rose the most, up 19 percent to $5.24 per pound. AFBF’s Director of Market Intelligence Dr. John Newton explains the increase.

“Bacon was up significantly because of the lower inventory and higher prices of pork bellies. We saw a rally in wholesale bacon prices this summer and fall which is being reflected at the retail level,” Newton says. “Bacon is a sexy food item in restaurants and everywhere else, creating an inventory decline and thus a price increase.”

Newton says supply and demand for chicken is also tight, driving prices higher. Lower supplies of oranges are impacting the cost of orange juice, which could be further impacted by recent hurricanes in citrus growing areas. The informal quarterly survey did show four items decreasing in price: eggs, ground chuck, bagged salad and potatoes. The survey shows the farmer’s share of the $51.13 marketbasket would be approximately $8.00.

Pork Checkoff’s Asian Trade Mission Offers Insight

Jamie JohansenAg Group, Export, Food, Pork, Pork Checkoff, Trade

Three National Pork Board officers and two members of the senior leadership team have returned from an Asian trade mission centered around elevating U.S. pork as the global protein of choice. The team representing the Pork Checkoff toured Japan and China from Sept. 5–16, visiting with pork processors, distributors and retailers, as well as importers and traders.

“Pork is the No. 1 most consumed protein in the world, and that was certainly obvious as we toured parts of Japan and China,” said National Pork Board CEO Bill Even. “It is important for us to see firsthand how pork is raised, processed and promoted in Asia. The Asian customer and consumer culture is unique, and we need to understand the global motivation to purchase U.S. pork.”

The U.S. is facing record-breaking pork production in 2017. The Pork Checkoff is committed to grow demand, not only in the U.S., but also among top customers in Asia. In terms of pork volume (pounds), China/Hong Kong and Japan are currently the No. 2 and 3 export customers of the U.S. Combined volume in these areas is 534,953 metric tons (or about 1.18 billion pounds). In terms of pork value (U.S. dollars), Japan is No. 1 and China/Hong Kong is No. 3, with a combined value of nearly $1.6 billion of exports, both according to the most recent (through July) USMEF data.

“Marketing pork comes down to building long-term relationships and having a safe, dependable, high-quality product that is presented well to the buyer,” said Pork Board President Terry O’Neel, a producer from Friend, Nebraska. “Consumers are encouraged to experience U.S. pork through fun events and social activities.”

Learn more here.

Alltech Talks Farm of the Future LIVE

jamie johansenAgribusiness, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Alltech, Audio, Consumers, Farming, Food, Technology, Video

Alltech hosted a live video event on the future of agriculture and technology with a panel of agribusiness experts discussing and debating their thoughts on the future of the agricultural industry, new consumer demographics and demands, ag technology, big data, nutrigenomics and precision nutrition.

Continue to follow the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #FarmingTheFuture. Great questions were posed, thought-provoking answers were given and all conversation made us start imagining the farm of the future.

Panelist Included:
– Aidan Connolly, chief innovation officer and vice president of corporate accounts at Alltech.
– Mary Shelman, former director of Harvard Business School’s Agribusiness Program.
– Professor Michael Boehlje, distinguished professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and the Center for Food and Agricultural Business at Purdue University.
– Dr. Karl Dawson, chief scientific officer at Alltech.

Cargill Expands Animal Feed Business

Jamie JohansenAgribusiness, Cargill, Feed, Nutrition

Cargill has closed on its agreement to purchase the assets of Southern States Cooperative’s animal feed business, including seven feed mills and its portfolio of products, brands and customer and supplier relationships. The other segments of Southern States Cooperative’s business – retail, farm supply, energy, and agronomy – are not part of the transaction.

“The combination of CFN U.S. and Southern States Cooperative’s animal feed business will help us grow with customers and best meet their ever-changing needs,” said Mark Lueking, U.S. managing director, Cargill Feed and Nutrition. “We are excited about this growth opportunity to further demonstrate our commitment to the U.S. animal feed industry.”

The acquisition strengthens Cargill’s distribution and go-to-market capabilities in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the U.S., and provides a pathway for continued growth across the region. In addition to the acquisition, Cargill has completed a long-term supply agreement with Southern States for Cargill to supply its retail stores with Southern States branded feed.

“We believe that our combined business will provide unique benefits to our members and customers,” said Jeff Stroburg, President and CEO of Southern States Cooperative, Inc. “We’ve brought together two best-in-class feed companies to develop solutions to meet their needs. We look forward to growing the Southern States feed business with Cargill as our partner.”

SMART Farmer Emily Buck

AgWired AgNewsWire, AgWired Animal, AgWired Precision, Audio, SMART Farmer, USFRA

Emily Buck farms with her husband and daughter near Columbus, Ohio where they raise soybeans, corn and wheat and also have a small sheep operation. Her main role on the farm, beyond helping with crops, is to manage the 40 ewes.

Off the farm, Emily is a university researcher and professor of agricultural communication at Ohio State University, which gives her the opportunity to also raise future agricultural advocates. In addition, she serves as one of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance’s (USFRA) Faces of Farming & Ranching.

Learn more about Emily in this edition – SMART Farmer Podcast with Emily Buck, Ohio farmer

Subscribe to the SMART Farmer podcast

Learn more about USFRA and SMART Farm

Outcome-Based Grazing = Flexible Management on Public Land

Jamie JohansenUncategorized

According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) launched a demonstration program allowing stakeholders in the grazing community an opportunity to achieve rangeland health goals on public land while allowing greater flexibility in livestock management decisions. The program focuses on responsive outcome-based grazing on public lands.

Six to twelve “Outcome-Based Grazing Authorizations” will be identified by the BLM in the first twelve months, and the selected permittees will participate in the demonstration program. Participants will actively implement a responsive grazing management plan to achieve habitat and vegetation goals on public land. The program will examine the effectiveness of a more flexible approach to livestock grazing on public land.

“Previously, ranchers have been held to a process and prescription method that tells them how to manage their land,” said Dave Eliason, Utah rancher and president of the PLC. “It’s irrational to think government officials can make a more informed decision than those who live and work on the land. When responsive management decisions fall into the hands of those who best understand it, the land, animals, and ecosystem thrive.”

“The livestock industry is thankful for the leadership of Secretary Zinke in establishing a demonstration program that allows flexibility in the ability to manage conditions on the ground,” said Craig Uden, president of the NCBA. “This decision ensures our public lands are managed in an efficient and sustainable way.”

Permittees, Lessees, rangeland ecologists, and other stakeholders are eligible for the program. Interested participants should contact their local BLM office. Project proposals will be accepted through Oct. 13.

USDA Trade Mission Heading to Brazil

AgWired Animal, Alltech, ethanol, Exports, Trade, usda

A USDA Foreign Agriculture Service trade mission to São Paulo and Recife, Brazil, is underway this week with leaders from 24 U.S. agribusinesses and trade organizations looking to expand their agricultural exports and further develop their business relationships in Brazil.

“Brazil holds significant untapped market potential for U.S. exporters,” said Mark Slupek, deputy administrator of the Office of Trade Programs for USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. “The country’s growing population and rising per-capita income, coupled with the fact that Brazilian consumers have a high regard for U.S. products and brands, make this a market well worth exploring for American exporters.”

Last year, Brazil purchased nearly $1.4 billion in agricultural and related products from the United States. Top U.S. exports to Brazil in 2016 included ethanol, wheat, prepared foods and dairy products.

The delegation traveling to Brazil represents a range of U.S. products, from prepared foods and specialty food ingredients to bulk commodities and ethanol. Companies and organizations represented on the trip include Alltech, United Dairymen, U.S. Rice Federation, U.S. Grains Council, and all three ethanol industry groups.

Animal Ag Bites 9/25

kelly marshallAgWired Animal, Animal Bites

  • The 47th Annual American Gelbvieh Association National Convention will be held December 7-9, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency Wichita in Wichita, Kansas. Early registration ends October 31.
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released a safety communication concerning the use of Micotil 300 in cattle and sheep.
  • If you haven’t registered for the 2017 Angus Convention November 4-6 in Forth Worth, Texas, now is the time.  Registration is $125 through September 30.
  • The Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board has approved a plan to invest $38 million into programs that promote beef, research, consumer communication, industry information, foreign markets, and producer communication in 2018.
  • Mary Doerschuck of Okawville, Illinois has joined Brookside Agra as Product Restoration & Compliance Manager.
  • The Regional Marketing Ambassadors for the 2018 Cattle Industry Convention & NCBA Trade Show have been selected. They are: Heidi Crnkovic, Arizona; Callie Taylor, West Virginia; Markie Hageman, Alabama; Katie Zoromski, Wisconsin; Carrie Meeks, Indiana; Katie Schlock, Oregon; Blaire Strohn, California; and Jaclyn Wilson, Nebraska.
  • The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY) has created it’s sixth video highlighting environmental stewardship in the poultry and egg industry.  This newest edition features USPOULTRY’s Family Farm Environmental Excellence Award winners, Bullard Farms in Stedman, North Carolina.
  • Smithfield Foods, Inc. has joined the Global Harvest Initiative to help advance sustainable solutions to feed a growing world.

ASI Accepting Nominations for Annual Awards

Jamie JohansenAg Group, ASI, Sheep

The American Sheep Industry (ASI) has created a new award centered around innovation.

President Mike Corn said, “We have brilliant and dedicated people and organizations in the sheep business that do impressive things with sheep production or lamb and wool processing and marketing. We wanted to test the interest in a new award that would recognize innovations in the sheep business. ASI awards have traditionally recognized service and media coverage associated with the organization, so this Industry Innovation Award is an exciting addition.”

Nominations for the accolade – as well as ASI’s traditional awards – are now open. The deadline for nominations is Nov. 13.

Senate Ag Committee Hears from USDA Nominees

AgWired Animal, AgWired Energy, AgWired Precision, Audio, Government, usda

Nine months into the Trump Administration and the Senate Agriculture Committee just held a hearing this week on the first two nominees to help out Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at the USDA.

The committee heard from Stephen Censky, long time CEO of the American Soybean Association nominated to be Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; and Indiana Director of Agriculture Ted McKinney, nominated for the new position of Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs.

Both farm boys with a long history of service in the agriculture industry, the two nominees are not controversial and are expected to be approved whenever the Senate gets around to it.

Here are opening statements from the two nominees at the hearing on Tuesday: Censky and McKinney opening statements