Researcher Assesses the Use of Metals on the Resistance and Virulence of Avian Pathogenic E. coli 

USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the University of Georgia in which a researcher assessed the use of metals on the resistance and virulence of avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC). The research was made possible in part by an endowing Foundation gift from Mar-Jac Poultry and proceeds from the International Poultry Expo, part of the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE). The research is part of the Association’s comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry...

Crop Conditions Decline as Dry Weather in Corn Belt Lingers, Futures Jump

Corn plantings are now completed and emergence in the latest Crop Progress report continues to progress, currently at 93%. This is up from both the five-year average and year-ago progress of 87%.

Corn condition ratings are as follows: 10% excellent, 51% good, 31% fair, 6% poor, and 2% very poor. The 61% in good to excellent condition compared to 72% the year prior at this time and 64% last week.

Global supply concerns along with the decline in good to excellent corn conditions are lifting corn futures...

Great Plains Drought Hits Hay Crops

The market for hay is overshadowed by wheat and other crops hit by a drought in the Great Plains, but it can have a similar impact on food prices.

Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas are typically among the top 10 hay-producing states, according to U.S. Agriculture Department data, and swaths of each state are experiencing extreme drought, according to the National Drought Mitigation Center, a project from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the USDA and other partners.

This year's average seasonal price for all types of alfalfa and grass hay...

Cargill Expands Retail Feed Operation with Plans for New Facility in Washington State 

The trend for ranching and farming, especially rural lifestyle farming, is not showing any signs of slowing down. According to the Department of Agriculture, the number of lifestyle farms continues to hold strong at nearly 800,000 in the U.S., making up nearly 40% of all farms across the country.1 With this trend and the need for more animal feed, Cargill is building a new facility in Granger, Washington, solely focused on producing feed for current and potential ag retail locations in the region...

USSEC Launches Development of U.S.-China Soy Value Chain Innovation Center

The soy industry plays a key role in trade relations between China and the United States. To deepen cooperation throughout the supply chain, USSEC is developing the U.S.-China Soy Value Chain Innovation Center, or SIC, in Henan, a province in Central China, with soy checkoff support. A hybrid Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony was held on February 28, 2023, to mark this milestone.

“This MOU represents a remarkable and unprecedented success in deepening agricultural cooperation between the U.S. and China,” says Xiaoping Zhang, USSEC regional director...