Latest News From Hog Industry News

On Monday, February 5 the news of Bill Northey’s passing quickly spread through the agriculture industry, of which he dedicated his professional life to serving.

John Deere announces the release of its new 326 P-Tier telescopic compact wheel loader. The new telescopic loader offers 16-plus feet of reach while still being compact enough to work in barns or other tight spaces. 

Vikram Luthar’s leave is pending an ongoing investigation being conducted by outside counsel for ADM and the Board’s Audit Committee.

Less than 5% of new grads choose rural food animal practice. That needs to change to protect the U.S. food supply and public health. Contacting legislators is one way farmers and ranchers can weigh in and help.

Tyson Foods is deploying autonomous refrigerated box trucks to bolster Tyson routes in Northwest Arkansas. Operating 18 hours a day, these driverless trucks will deliver products to distribution and storage facilities.

The anti-farmer movement now underway by fringe extremist groups is not pro-animal. It is extremism promoting regressive policies that will chip away at America's historically stable -- and affordable -- food supply.

Oklahoma State University announced Dr. Jayson Lusk as the new dean and vice president of its Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Lusk will succeed Dr. Tom Coon in early August. 

Pork producers are still digesting the Prop 12 decision handed down by the Supreme Court but at this point they have more questions than answers.   

U.S. House Agriculture's Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday provided an opportunity for animal agriculture stakeholders to detail their priorities they hope to achieve from lawmakers actions.

After Tyson Foods reports anemic first quarter sales and downgrades its forecast, The Wall Street Journal editors wrote, “This doesn’t look like an antitrust conspiracy or market oligopoly.”

“For the next two years, I am intensely focused on… leading the passage of the next five-year Farm Bill, which determines our nation’s food and agriculture policies," says Sen. Stabenow.

The poet Ovid said, “Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.” This quote perfectly encompasses a key in business success: small habits done repeatedly truly do add up.

Ensure your farm business attracts and retains employees

There’s no question National FFA Convention be a bit overwhelming at first. The sheer magnitude of the event is a lot to take in. Here are six expert tips to make the most of your week in Indianapolis.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing regulations to prevent meat companies from retaliating against livestock and poultry farmers who speak out on practices such as price-fixing.

Of all the change Steve Malakowsky has witnessed in the past 25 years, the most important has been next-gen producers making their mark. He offers three things to consider before transitioning to the next generation.

After 30 years working in the field of rural mental health, Ted Matthews understands the factors that stress farmers and knows how to help them.

Purdue reported 23 fatalities related to grain bin entrapment in 2019. These stories haunted a city-dwelling film producer, Sam Goldberg, prompting him to share the dangers in putting food on the world's table.

Although the industry has come a long way when it comes to farm safety, about every three days, a child dies in an ag-related incident, and each day, 33 children are injured. Farm safety expert Barbara Lee weighs in.

Life on the farm is unpredictable at best – especially when many factors impacting your day are out of your control. Here's why it is important to be proactive when it comes to farm management. 

Rena Striegel, a consultant with Transition Point Business Advisors, detailed five steps toward strengthening the core of a farm business, speaking at Top Producer Summit in Nashville, Tenn.

What is the best way to fill current and future labor needs on your farm? Never stop recruiting.

November employment data was called disappointing despite the unemployment rate dropping slightly. Retaining workers has become difficult even as employers raised pay, which eventually gets passed along to consumers.

When Harry Martin escaped from slavery and enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, little did he know the legacy he was about to establish for generations to come when he returned home to Wayne County, N.C.

Livestock haulers secured a win in the Biden administration’s infrastructure bill, which the House approved last week. Provisions of Sen. Deb Fischer's HAULS Act are included in the bipartisan infrastructure framework.

Here are five bad habits to break to be a better farm leader.

What started off as a normal day on the farm for 13-year-old Kaden Wall on Nov. 3, 2020, ended in tragedy when Kaden’s life was taken too soon as a result of a freak farm accident. 

Students from across the country gathered in Indianapolis for the 94th-annual National FFA Convention on Oct. 27-30. But this year's convention held even more special meaning than usual.

Cases and deaths from COVID-19 among workers at the leading U.S. meatpacking plants were three times as high as previously estimated based on an investigation by the House Select Subcommittee.

USDA Secretary Vilsack announced that $700 million in competitive grant funding will be available through the new Farm and Food Workers Relief grant program to help farm and food workers with pandemic costs. 

It’s early. You haven’t had coffee. Everyone knows what needs to be done. You don’t have time. The excuses go on about why you don’t need a morning meeting for your team. But some suggest rethinking that choice.

For Blane and Kristi Olson of Elkhart, Ill., the decision to build a 2,400-head finishing barn was not so much about their livelihood but more about ensuring opportunities for their children in the future.

Who should be telling the story of agriculture? The Shark Farmer says it may not be who you first think.

The company says it will also provide $200 to fully vaccinated frontline team members.

U.S. ag is suffering from a labor shortage that could increase production costs and consumer food prices if not addressed through visa reform to provide better access to the foreign-born workers on which it depends.

Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork processor, has stopped slaughtering pigs in the United States' so-called ham capital, where the company was founded 85 years ago.

A 92-year-old Iowa woman showed the world you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it when she stepped back into the show ring during the National Swine Registry’s Summer Type Conference in Louisville, Ky.

Dermot Hayes, an ag economist at Iowa State University spoke with each of the six impacted managers about their contingency plans, some of which do have plans to add Saturday shifts and/or work longer mandatory shifts.

As part of #PORKWeek21, lawmakers joined AgriTalk to discuss the USDA’s recent decision not to appeal a decision to remove the provision allowing for faster line speeds at pork processing plants.

Join us for the pork industry’s most exciting week of the year. We will honor pork producers, provide opportunities to learn new things, celebrate industry advancements and report news from the World Pork Expo.

The National FFA Organization announces plans to hold an in-person convention this fall and will include a virtual program. Find out the details here.

How can you be ready, willing and able to lead your farm into the future? Start by developing a decision-making process.

“We know rural areas are different from urban areas, people are more spread out, it's not always as easy to travel to one location that's close to everyone to get a vaccine," Dr. Murthy says.

When a mental health crisis hits, Shannon Ferrell, Oklahoma State University ag law specialist, outlines seven resources to keep handy in the event you are the first responder to help someone in need someday. 

Look at the decision makers and leaders on your farm. Are they all around the same age? Do they all have the same experience level?

There’s nothing like the love of an animal to get you through hard times. Miriam King, 16, learned this lesson in the past year as her family battled not one, but two wars in the midst of a global pandemic.

It’s never just a barn. Maybe that’s why we empathize when we hear stories of farmers losing barns and livestock to fire. On March 26, the Limbach family lost their show barn and pigs to a devastating fire.

Veterinary technicians, podiatrists, dentists and paramedics are also being authorized to administer the vaccine.

A virtual FFA community can only fill the gap so far. I am grateful FFA has found solutions during the pandemic, but I believe the things FFA members have missed drive home the reasons why FFA is so important today.

Even though ag-related postsecondary enrollment was down, there were an increase in ag degrees awarded.