Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures rose on Friday. A robust slaughter pace and concerns about reduced cattle supplies fueled buying and resulted in higher equities and energy markets. 

• Meanwhile, drought in the southern plains has scorched grazing pastures and triggered a larger-than-normal cull of the breeding herd. So, expect beef cattle supplies to tighten – and stay that way – in the coming years.

Additionally:

• The USDA confirmed that the fed cattle slaughter on...

Recent research conducted at the Institute of Virology and Immunology in Mittelhäusern, in collaboration with the University of Bern, has revealed that the hygienic status of pigs plays an important role in the development of African swine fever (ASF). So, remind your pigs to wash their hands (hooves, actually)! Seriously though, these results will eventually contribute to vaccine development.

• The complexity of the ASF virus explains the lack of a safe and effective vaccine. For the same reas...

During the pandemic, the USDA provided producers with $31 billion for various commodities through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). But after reviews, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that over half of the producers didn’t provide full support for their payments – which were potentially improper.

• The CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) included GAO’s monitoring of responses, payments, and implementations. 

But the problem is that, con...

Congress is very likely to extend the mandatory livestock price reporting program, but there’s still uncertainty regarding livestock marketing reform.

• Reforms in cattle marketing are still being pushed, but some wonder if there are 60 votes to pass the full Senate.

The White House wants $1.5 billion in funding for ag-related crop and livestock disasters, but it’s expected that farm-state lawmakers will eventually add billions to the aid package – but this might not happen until a later omn...

The US and the UN are working together to address Russian complaints that sanctions are hindering its food and fertilizer shipments – even though there’s been no disruption to Moscow's exports of the commodities.

• The UN, Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia agreed on July 22 on a package deal to restart Ukraine's Black Sea grain and fertilizer exports and facilitate Russian shipments.
• But even though it’s been stressed that Russian foods and fertilizers aren’t subject to sanctions imposed over the wa...

They may not be Earth’s mightiest heroes, but they’re the US’ brightest line of defense when it comes to agriculture. Infectious disease experts from 18 federal agencies and academic institutions met to discuss working together to combat the viruses, bacteria, and other emerging pathogens that threaten the nation's agricultural economy, food supply, wildlife, and public health.

• That was the first membership meeting of RAV3N – Research Alliance for Veterinary Science and Biodefense BSL-3 Netwo...

Having effective biosecurity protocols is critical, especially with ASF not too far away from our borders. While they may be commonly found on large scale facilities, many small farmers may not have many practices in place. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Andréia Arruda about some of the work she has been doing teaching proper biosecurity practices to producers, show pig breeders, and even children.

Meet the guest:

Dr. Andréia Arruda is originally from Brazil, where she graduated as a...