From the editors of Feedstuffs
Vaccine mandates and OSHA: What do you need to know? (video)
As an employer, what do you need to know about the vaccine mandates? Are you reporting COVID incidents to OSHA? When should you be and when are you okay not reporting? Gary Huddleston, Director, Feed Manufacturing & Regulatory Affairs with the American Feed Industry Association, recently sat down with us to walk us through what OSHA has done around COVID to date. He also provided some guidance on what feed facilities should be doing to prepare and comply.
2021 a record-breaking year for U.S. agricultural exports
The American agricultural industry posted its highest annual export levels ever recorded in 2021. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the final 2021 trade data published by the Department of Commerce shows that exports of U.S. farm and food products to the world totaled $177 billion, topping the 2020 total by 18% and eclipsing the previous record, set in 2014, by 14.6%.
The United States' top 10 export markets all saw gains in 2021, with six of the 10 – China, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines and Colombia – setting new records. Worldwide exports of many U.S. products, including soybeans, corn, beef, pork, dairy, distillers grains and pet food, also reached all-time highs. China remained the top export destination, with a record $33 billion in purchases, up 25% from 2020, while Mexico inched ahead of Canada to capture the number two position with a record $25.5 billion, up 39 percent from last year.
Read more
Infrastructure plan funds crucial Lock & Dam 25 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will target $829.1 million investment in lock and dam modernization projects along the Upper Mississippi River with funding made available in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. A significant priority for soybean and grain farmers was the $732 million designated to complete the design and construction of the Lock and Dam 25. Read more
Powerful microscopy sheds light on FMD virus replication
The imaging of vanishingly tiny structures created by the foot-and-mouth disease virus could one day help scientists develop new treatments for infected animals. In a new study published this week, biologists from Leeds in collaboration with colleagues at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, observed the interaction between components of the virus in test tube experiments under biosecure conditions. Read more Study examines companionship motivation of young calves A new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada), scheduled for publication in the January 2022 issue of JDS Communications, examines young dairy calves’ motivation to seek companionship from other calves. Read more
Arginine, creatine boosts pig birth weight in Texas A&M study
A Texas A&M University research team working with two amino acids, arginine and methionine, and the metabolite creatine in pigs is making great strides to improve the overall litter weight and health of individual piglets.
The team, with Fuller Bazer, Ph.D., Regents Fellow, Distinguished University Professor, Presidential Impact Fellow and holder of the O.D. Butler Chair in Animal Science, as lead, was recently granted a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant for $650,000.
Nearly 4 million tons of cottonseed to be available for cattle producers Dairy and cattle producers can expect to see an increase in whole cottonseed supply this year. According to the USDA’s December cotton and wool outlook report, cotton production is estimated at 18.3 million bales, a 25% increase from the 2020 crop year. Whole cottonseed supply is estimated to be about 1 million tons more than last year.
With the increase in the 2021 U.S. upland cotton crop, producers will see increased availability of whole cottonseed to incorporate into their cattle rations.
“The increase in whole cottonseed availability is mainly coming out of Texas. They had a favorable growing season compared to last year, which has increased production. When compared to the previous year, Mid-South and Southeast production has remained steady,” Larry Johnson, gin consultant and owner of Tactical Risk Advisors explains. Read more
Click to learn more about Feedstuffs 365
