From the editors of Feedstuffs
Rail companies, unions extend deal deadline
The group representing major railroad companies and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) representing 11,000 rail workers agreed Wednesday to extend the cooling off period originally set to expire November 19.
The National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which represents the nation’s freight rail carriers in national collective bargaining, says the December 4 deadline is subject to further extension if necessary to maintain alignment with other rail labor organizations. Four major unions agreed to coordinate the date on which they could potentially go on strike.
This extension eliminates the threat of a near-term freight rail service disruption. Previous reports indicated railroads could halt the transportation of certain goods – like fertilizer – in the next few days ahead of the previously anticipated November 20 rail strike.
A statement issued by BMWED says, “With this extension, there is absolutely no reason for the railroads to discontinue services or threaten to discontinue their services causing intentional economic harm to their customers and the U.S. economy.”
“There is now more than adequate time for the railroads to come to the bargaining table, engage in good-faith negotiations with us and reach a voluntary Agreement to provide all railroad workers with paid sick leave,” the labor union adds. Read more
Vision AI for livestock monitoring There's a new AI platform that allows the counting of livestock with 99.7% accuracy. The platform uses computer vision to gather data at the edge and uses an object-tracking algorithm to follow each animal as it crosses a certain point on the camera frame. In a recent segment of Feedstuffs 365, we talked with Plainsight CEO Carlos Anchia to learn more.
To view t interview
Critical role of animal protein highlighted at COP27
The Interamerican Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) convened its first-ever "Sustainable Agriculture in the Americas" pavilion at the UN Climate Summit (COP27) and partnered with the Protein PACT and other stakeholders to convene a total of nine events focused on animal agriculture's key role in sustainability solutions.
The Protein PACT events included a November 9 panel on sustainable livestock across regions and production systems, wherein National Pork Board Assistant Vice President Ashley McDonald shared U.S. pork's commitments to ethical principles, best practices, and documenting proof. The Pork Board and Pork Checkoff pioneered on-farm sustainability reports, which have been awarded $20 million in USDA Climate-Smart Commodities grant funding to expand measurement and implementation of climate-smart practices.
William Hohenstein, director of the office of energy and environmental policy at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), also gave a detailed presentation on mitigation and adaptation actions, including the significant incorporation of new technologies, innovation, and research.
“We are reaching all livestock farmers in the country, with more than 70 projects, valuing 3 billion dollars across all the states. This includes beef, pork, poultry, and dairy producers,” said Hohenstein. Read more
White House hones in on U.S. food and ag security
President Biden has signed a National Security Memorandum to strengthen the security and resilience of the U.S. food and agriculture sector. The memorandum builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing work to ensure Americans have access to safe, affordable food, that U.S. producers are able to get their goods to market, and that the U.S. food and agricultural system is better prepared for threats that may harm the health of crops and livestock and cause shocks to the cost or availability of food. The memorandum instructs top government officials to identify threats and coordinate with federal, state, local, and tribal governments to develop responses. Read more
FFAR grant develops additional African swine fever vaccines
With no commercially available vaccine for African swine fever virus (ASFV), the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) recently awarded a $500,000 Rapid Outcomes from Agriculture Research (ROAR) grant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a $150,000 to Kansas State University to develop safe and rapidly deployable vaccines for ASFV, to mitigate the spread and decrease fatalities in case of an outbreak. National Pork Board and MEDIAN Diagnostics provided matching funds for $1,000,000 and $300,000 total investments, respectively.
“We have seen the devastating effects of ASFV in other countries, and now is the time to invest in pioneering research that will hopefully spare U.S. swine and pig producers should an outbreak occur in the United States,” said FFAR Executive Director Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin. Read more
House of Raeford opens new feed mill in Louisiana House of Raeford Farms has opened a new feed mill in Simsboro, Louisiana. As opposed to the previous mill built in the 1950's, the new facility is a multi-story, concrete, state-of-the-art structure capable of producing 12,500 tons of feed weekly, double the capacity of the former mill. New technology in the mill will help production workers make more efficient and constructive use of their time. Finish feed capacity will increase from 900 tons to 5,524 tons, and pellet capacity will double. Read more
