South American steer price have fallen to their lowest level since early 2013, with seasonal conditions forcing additional cattle to market and placing downwards pressure on prices.

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Global wheat and feed grain supplies are forecast to reach record levels in 2013-14, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.

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Australian Merino breeders have three updated, producer-driven, profit indexes that recognise the breed’s versatility and new market opportunities. The new sheep indexes, developed from responses to an Australiawide producer survey, aim to improve sire selection for three different production systems and target markets.

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AS AGRICULTURE Minister Joe Ludwig outlined the federal government's plan for Australian agriculture to the Beef Crisis Summit in Richmond, Queensland, his message was met with scepticism.

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TONIGHT'S federal budget has delivered a new $99.4 million Farm Household Allowance as part of the National Drought Program Reform.

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TRIBUTE has been paid to the Australian beef industry in Melbourne this evening for helping to save millions of lives worldwide.

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AUSTRALIAN Agricultural Company chief executive David Farley says Australia's chances of becoming Asia's food bowl are being jeopardised by political disinterest in agriculture and the dismal state of current trade agreements.

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Total national cattle throughput decreased 18% week-on-week, with the majority of states yarding lower numbers. Cattle supply in Queensland dropped 8%, with Warwick reducing 25% on last week as young cattle dominated the selling pens. Consignments across NSW were 22% lower, with Gunnedah dropping 47%, while Scone declined 41%. However, despite some rainfall at Goulburn, numbers lifted further on last week. Throughput across Victoria was back 34%, as numbers at Wodonga more than halved. Supply at both Killafaddy and across SA was relatively unchanged on last week, while WA’s Muchea improved 43%.

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BRANDING – everybody talks about it, but how do you do it effectively? The key to Australian Agricultural Company’s (AACo) success, according to general manager marketing Jason Strong, is the overarching message – and underlying AACo brand – presented across the company’s various beef brands.

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A new alliance between two major airlines is tipped to benefit Australian beef exporters.

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OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott has delivered a stinging attack at the Federal Labor government’s mishandling of the Australian livestock industry and snap live cattle exports suspension on Indonesia almost two years ago.

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AMERICAN legislators have introduced new regulations making it illegal to withhold video footage of animal cruelty and thus impede investigations.

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NINE in 10 farmers say they are hurting from a lack of supermarket competition.

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CONTINUED dry conditions have resulted in many Victorian sheep surviving on hand feeding alone.

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The value of Australian lamb export for the first quarter of 2013 totalled a record high $271 million (Australian Bureau of Statistics) ­– up 9% on the first quarter of 2012 and 20% on the five-year average. The surge in returns was on the back of record first quarter export volumes, underpinned by higher production as increased lambs came to the market as seasonal conditions deteriorated.

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According to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics data, first quarter lamb slaughter reached a new record in 2013, of 5,328,000 head, up 14% on the 2012 March quarter and 13% on the five-year average.

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QUEENSLAND Liberal MP Warren Entsch is seeking to export 150,000 head of Australian cattle into Papua New Guinea (PNG) using a share of AusAID funding, to help resolve the current emergency cattle feed crisis.

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JIM FARRAN manager of Yiddinga, the host property for the 2011 drop of the Elders Balmoral Sire Evaluation Field Day has had a ringside view of the performance of the sires involved in the trial.

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NATIONAL bodies representing the sheep and goat supply chains are calling for the continuation of the current mob based tracing scheme under the National Livestock Identification System (NLIS).

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The strong demand for organic beef and the quantity of conventional cattle on the market at present has increased the gulf in prices between the two products.

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Target 100 put the industry’s sustainability credentials on the agenda of 2,200 city intellectuals at the TEDx ideas festival held at the Sydney Opera House last week.

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THE Australian Agricultural Company has sold a 19,404ha (48,000 acre) portion of its Goonoo aggregation at Comet on the Central Highlands. A statement issued by AACo to the ASX this morning says the land has sold for $23 million.

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The RSPCA has backed an investigation into the deaths of 46 heifers at a state government research station. The cows were found dead at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's Swan’s Lagoon property near Ayr earlier this month.

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South Australian-based Thomas Foods International (TFI) - with processing plants located at Murray Bridge and Lobethal in SA, Tamworth NSW and Wallangarra Qld and formerly known as T&R Pastoral - claims the paper-based system doesn't work effectively and, above all, lacks integrity.

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In its latest quarterly report, Marfrig reports an increase in net revenue of 28 per cent for the period compared to the same quarter of 2012. The company announced the closure of four poultry plants at Seara Brasil and two Marfrig Beef plants in Argentina as well as a restructuring of the feedlot structure in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

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Brazilian beef exports during April reached their highest volume since 2007, totalling 95,200 tonnes swt – an increase of 37% year-on-year. Underpinning the increase in shipments was a recover in exports to Iran and Egypt, assisted by a decline in export prices. Russia and Hong Kong remained as major destinations.

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JBS SA (JBSS3), the world’s biggest beef producer, is counting on steak-hungry consumers in Japan and other Asian nations to help propel total exports past $10 billion for the first time this year.

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Cattle producers in Quebec and eastern Canada will see a drop in their carcase disposal and handling costs thanks to the opening of a biomass boiler plant at the Sanimax rendering facility in Lévis.

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Canada plans to develop a list of U.S. products it will target in retaliation for Washington’s country-of-origin labeling law and separately has announced stepped-up food safety protocols for that country’s meat processors.

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Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) has backed new rules and requirements for beef outlined in the Safe Food for Canadians Action Plan which the organisation says will further strengthen Canada’s food safety system.

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Pig producers have been protesting this week about their business losses as pig prices have failed to cover rising feed prices.

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A final deal on European farm policy for the next seven years will shortly be decided by European leaders. Their decision will profoundly effect our environment and the production of the food we eat.

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There has been no let-up in the fodder crisis. Grass growth remains slow as wet and cold conditions dominate. While the immediate problem of feeding stock appears to have eased somewhat in the southeast and on the free-draining soils in the midlands, the situation has reached crisis point for farmers operating on marginal land - stock should be re-housed but, with no forage, options are limited.

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What an eventful half-year it has been for farming. For a sector that was considered a sunset industry in the boom years, it has seldom been out of the headlines since the start of 2013.

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Efforts are intensifying to co-ordinate the importation and distribution of subsidised forage as demand shows no sign of diminishing.

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Quarantine measures have been imposed in the east of the country following the confirmation of a foot and mouth disease outbreak in the village of Akshoka.

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Mexico has slaughtered 55,000 birds in Puebla due to a reported H7N3 avian flu outbreak in the state, said the Mexican Secretary of Agriculture in a press release.

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Plans to boost the productivity and profitability of the pork sector were unveiled by Agriculture Minister, Enrique Martinez, at the National Pig Agenda meeting last week.

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Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Michelle O’Neill has established a taskforce to support farmers affected by the continuing poor weather.

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Northern Ireland’s farming sector has welcomed the recommendations contained within the report from the Agri-Food Strategy Board, which foresees an industry generating sales of some £7 billion annually by 2020. This represents a 60% increase on current turnover levels.

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President Hifikepunye Pohamba last Friday declared a national emergency due to the devastating drought that has already killed 4 000 large and small stock.

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Top shearer David Fagan will be the special guest at the Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand's national Golden Fleece competition in Mosgiel this week.

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FARMERS and lifestylers planning to raise calves this season should find plenty to interest them at the Beef+Lamb New Zealand and DairyNZ dairy rearing seminar.

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New Zealand cannot explain, at least publicly, what the paperwork problem is with meat exports to free-trade partner China that has stranded consignments of beef and lamb on wharves there for at least a week. Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy stayed strictly on message today, insisting that relations with China are good and that NZ officials are working round the clock to sort out the problem.

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Red tape changes in both China and New Zealand are behind problems with New Zealand’s meat exports to China, according to Prime Minister John Key who says there is nothing sinister about the border hold-ups.

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Farmers truly value the Chinese market for lamb and hope the issue blocking exports will be resolved soon, president and trade spokeman Bruce Wills says.

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A fall in Russia’s tariffs as mandated by its accession to the World Trade Organisation last year have so far failed to come into full effect.

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DAIRY FARMER'S daughter Laura Paterson, of Barbeth Farm, Cumbernauld, has been selected as one of the ten finalists for Miss Scotland 2013

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In NORMAL times, this is the changeover period in the sheep trade, with the supply of hoggs from the previous year drying up and new lambs coming on to the market.

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Increasing customs duties on imported chicken would result in chicken prices rising by between 30 per cent and 50 per cent, Association of Meat Importers and Exporters chief executive David Wolpert warned on Friday (17 May).

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The results show underlying sales ahead by five per cent excluding a contribution from Kingston Foods, which was acquired on 29 June 2012. Operating profit before impairment up was up by seven per cent at £50.0 million compared to £46.7 million in 2012.

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A Rumenco beef cattle feeder, specifically designed to thwart access by badgers to livestock feed supplements, has been given the thumbs up by the South West TB Advisory Farm Advisory Service (SWTBFAS).

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Butchers around the country are gearing up for a busy bank holiday BBQ weekend, despite weather forecasts ranging from sunshine to snow!

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Dog owners are still not acting responsibly enough to prevent a high number of injuries and deaths to livestock according to the National Sheep Association.

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The forum, which replaces the current Halal Steering Group, will meet twice a year and be open for anyone involved in halal lamb or beef production

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After the wash-outs and mud-baths of the 2012 season, no-one will be watching the long range weather forecasts this summer more anxiously than the organisers of agricultural shows.

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Although the DAPP continues to break new ground rising by 0.33p to stand at 162.79p, flagging up further significant shortages in the British pigmeat supply chain, prices stood at stand-on on Friday (17 May), writes Peter Crichton.

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In its report for the first quarter of 2013, MHP reports chicken production up 15 per cent compared to the same period last year and it predicts a strong harvest this year, weather and plant health permitting. MHP S.A. (Mironovskiy Hleboproduct; MHP), one of the leading agro-industrial companies in Ukraine, focusing on the production of poultry and the cultivation of grain, has announced its financial results for the first quarter 2013 ended 31 March 2013.

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May is Beef Month and I, for one, am ready. May is the month when people fire up their grills. May is the time when demand for those steaks and burgers snaps out of the winter doldrums with people venturing outside to take advantage of the renewal of spring. For those in agriculture, May also marks the beginning of a new growing season and the prospects of a renewed and hopefully more abundant feed supply. Here at ISU, record numbers of agricultural students will walk across the graduation stage, pack their bags and head off to a new life and career. May is a month of change and a month of new beginnings.

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At first glance, the life of the herd bull looks pretty easy. Work 2-3 months of the year and get the rest of the year for rest and relaxation. However, things aren’t quite that simple. The bull’s year should be thought of as three seasons: 1) Pre-breeding and conditioning for at least 2 months; 2) Breeding season for 2-3 months; and 3) Post breeding recovery for 4-8 months.

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It sprang to life selling patent medicines in post Civil War Atlanta, then grew into the quintessential American corporation selling soft drinks to the world. And so we ask… What is the secret in Coca-Cola’s secret formula?

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If you want an objective view of energy, ask an economist, who can tell you what to expect to pay at the pump in the coming years, and why, as well as what to expect from medium- and long-term economic growth and what the real drivers will be. These are questions that are crucial to a pending decision by the US government over natural gas exports, and while we know where big oil stands versus its manufacturing rivals—it's the economist who can set things straight.

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Placements in feedlots during April totaled 1.75 million, 15 percent above 2012 and in line with analysts' expectations, which ranged from an increase of about 5 percent to 22 percent above last year's levels. Net placements in March were 1.68 million head, USDA said Friday.

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Scottsbluff City Council in Nebraska is due to discuss an application by Future Food Energy to build a meat processing plant in the town

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Last week wholesale beef prices hit $208.18 per hundredweight, the fourth record level in two weeks as pent-up demand from a delayed grilling season met concerns about future beef supplies. Analysts contacted by Meatingplace expect more records ahead

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Fans of Oscar Mayer and the brand’s “Grandpa Frank” TV ad character can create, direct and star in their own video commercials as the result of a unique collaboration with a mobile application called Montaj.

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National Hog Farmer has been following the developing story behind the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) multiple disclosures to anti-agriculture activist organizations of thousands of records including the personal information of agriculture producers.

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The launch of a vaccine to tackle Schmallenberg virus (SBV) in sheep and cattle was welcomed by the Farmers’ Union of Wales animal health and welfare committee chairman Catherine Nakielny today.

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Economic relationships between Ireland and Britain are deep-rooted. 40% of total Irish exports are consumed in the British market, making it our largest trading partner. Ireland is the fifth largest market for British exports - Britain does more trade with Ireland than with Russia, China, India and Brazil combined.

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The government held its first ministerial meeting Tuesday on strengthening the agriculture and fisheries sector ahead of Japan's entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations in July.

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Scientists in Kenya have launched research of a vaccine to be used against African swine fever. The study is still at an early stage where scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are identifying antigens and best-bet delivery systems to be used.

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A quota of 3,000 tonnes of poultry meat has been agreed on imports of frozen, chilled and fresh products.

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Finished steers went for 225p/kg last week, up 5p/kg on the week before with quotes bunching around 300-310p/kg and penalties of £150 per head for non quality assured cattle, according to market analysts at the Livestock and Meat Commission Northern Ireland.

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beef Last time Marie Taylor went to buy some Wagyu steaks, the New World supermarket butcher said the marbled meat was too expensive to stock at $125/kg and it was all being exported. She investigates what the country’s taxpayers will get for their new $11 million investment in a PGP involving the super-expensive, and delicious, marbled grass-fed beef.

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China has overtaken Britain as the biggest market by value for New Zealand’s sheep meat industry.

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New Zealand meat exports held up on Chinese wharves by a bureaucratic blockade may have been delayed partly due to Chinese efforts at curbing counterfeit meat sales, Prime Minister John Key has suggested.

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Red tape changes in both China and New Zealand are behind problems with New Zealand’s meat exports to China, according to Prime Minister John Key who says there is nothing sinister about the border hold-ups.

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Another 6,000 cattle have been slaughtered due to tuberculosis so far in 2013, new Defra figures have shown.

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FARMERS clear of cattle TB could benefit hugely from a new herd health information idea recommended by the the industry-led Risk-Based Trading Group (RBTG) in England.

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A parliamentary inquiry has revealed more robust scientific data and a standard model to measure carbon sequestration is needed to help the beef and lamb sector meet the twin challenges of sustainable food production and reducing its environmental impact.

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Leading UK poultry company Moy Park has been named ‘Processor of the Year’ at the UK Pig and Poultry Marketing Awards.

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Minneapolis-based Bellisio Foods, the country's third-largest producer of frozen entrées, announced Wednesday it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Overhill Farms, which also makes prepared frozen foods.

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2011 is the most recent year for statistics on the growth of the organic industry worldwide, but here's an update.

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House of Raeford will close its turkey slaughter facility in Raeford, N.C., in July.

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Back in 2009, voters in Ohio created the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. This board, after careful study by a diverse group of livestock representatives and consumers, established standards for Ohio livestock care that are being followed by producers.

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The world's largest retailer saw its profits grow by 1% in the first quarter, narrowly missed Wall St. predictions.

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US farmers may end up achieving record-fast corn plantings this week thanks to a break in the rains which have dramatically slowed sowings – seeding an area potentially twice the size of Austria.

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Among the health benefits of beef, a well-chewed steak is good for your teeth and gums, and one nutrient even protects tooth enamel and bones.

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The rise in prices for agricultural land slowed somewhat to start the year in parts of the U.S. Farm Belt, new reports showed, signaling a boom in land values might be moderating as commodity prices cool and incomes for farmers are expected to weaken.

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Cattle Call

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A new report from Technomic Inc.’s MenuMonitor service supported the notion gleaned from several new-product introductions and tests at major quick-service chains that breakfast sandwiches continue to rise in popularity.

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ConAgra Foods in Waterloo is the city's first plant facility to be named a Blue Zones Worksite.

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Macroeconomic trends are pushing the geographic center of the domestic cattle herd to the North and West, and with overcapacity in the traditional packer strongholds in the Southern Great Plains, the next year or so may see more plants shut down in that region, says Glynn Tonsor, assistant professor of agricultural economics at Kansas State University.

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Less-than-ideal yet drier weather this week allowed U.S. farmers to begin catching up their corn planting pace that had fallen to a record low when the week began, an agricultural meteorologist said on Friday.

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Federal Reserve officials are deeply engaged in debating when to begin dialing back an $85 billion-a-month bond buying program, but don't appear near consensus on when to pull the trigger.

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US farmers may end up achieving record-fast corn plantings this week thanks to a break in the rains which have dramatically slowed sowings – seeding an area potentially twice the size of Austria.

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Kroger Co. is still shopping for acquisitions, but it’s pretty picky about what it buys.

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Total U.S. red meat and poultry production in 2014 is projected to be above 2013 as higher pork and poultry production more than offsets declines in beef production, according to USDA’s latest World Supply and Demand Estimates report.

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If you are not left wing by the age od 18 you have no balls, if you are not right wing by the age of 25 you have no brains.

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Gwaltney unveiled a redesigned logo and new packaging for its line of hot dogs, bologna, lunchmeats, sausage and bacon products — the first redesign in more than 20 years, according to the company.

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The organic food industry is likely to get a checkoff in the next farm bill.

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Applegate Farms has reduced the amount of packaging in its organic bacon items by 37 percent. The 37 percent reduction in plastic is due to reduced packaging size and packaging weight.

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Smithfield Foods Inc. named the Milan, Missouri, plant in its Farmland subsidiary as the third hog plant the company will convert to slaughtering only hogs that have been fed ractopamine-free feed rations as part of its effort to serve export markets where the additive is banned.

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Smithfield Foods will weather challenging market fundamentals on a path to long-term earnings growth, a Wall Street analyst said following a presentation by company Chief Executive C. Larry Pope to investors.

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A House Energy and Power Subcommittee hearing Thursday was supposed to focus on the EPA's proposed 2014 budget, but Republicans on the committee used the occasion to also make connections between EPA and the current scandal involving the Internal Revenue Service's treatment of conservative groups.

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A voice vote in the U.S. House Agriculture Committee this week amended the House version of the farm bill to prohibit states from enacting laws that place conditions on the means of production for agricultural goods that are sold within its own borders but are produced in other states.

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President Obama fired acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller on Wednesday, two days after claiming it was an "independent" agency.

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Consumers bought beef, pork and poultry less frequently in 2012 than they did in 2007, fewer people are willing to pay a premium for branded product than they were before the Great Recession hit, and those who are willing to pay more are placing a premium on taste.

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