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Food & Agriculture

Animal Ag News 3/30

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  • As of March 1, there were 74.3 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up slightly from March 2025 but down 1% from Dec. 1, 2025, according to the latest Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Breeding inventory, at 5.89 million head, was down 1 percent from last year, and down slightly from the previous quarter. Market hog inventory, at 68.4 million head, was up 1 percent from last year, but down 2 percent from last quarter.
  • American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on USDA’s decision to delay the effective date of the Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems final rule until Dec. 31, 2027. “Farm Bureau has been a consistent voice advocating for America’s contract poultry growers. The Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems final rule would address longstanding issues our growers have seen with tournament pay and requirements to make significant capital investments to their operations without any information or guarantee that they will recoup the cost of that investment. The decision by the administration to tell contract poultry growers to take a back seat by delaying the effective date by a year and a half is disappointing.”
  • The dairy checkoff’s new online tool is designed to help dairy farmers and their advisors more easily identify grants and funding opportunities for conservation and on-farm improvements. The Funding Opportunities Database, available through the Dairy Conservation Navigator, organizes federal, state and private funding programs into a single searchable platform tailored to dairy operations.
  • Envu® announced the introduction of Marshal™ Imazapic herbicide, a new product in their growing Range & Pasture portfolio. Marshal Imazapic, featuring the active ingredient Imazapic, targets invasive annual grasses which are largely prominent in the Western U.S. Tank-mixing Marshal Imazapic with existing Envu herbicide Rejuvra® gives ranchers and land owners a more flexible application window.
  • Edge Dairy Farmer Cooperative will once again offer $10,000 in secondary education scholarships to its membership, the cooperative announced today. Edge is proud to award the children of its members who exemplify the voice of milk through their education, career aspirations and future goals. Applications are now being accepted and will remain open until April 17. Two $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to current students pursuing a degree in a four—or two-year program, and three $2,000 scholarships will be awarded to high school seniors. The application portal will remain open until April 17, and applications must be submitted by that date.
  • New research at Kansas State University aims to tackle one of the most significant threats to global animal health and food security — highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI — by using mealworms, a supplement of poultry feed, as a vaccine-delivery method. A multidisciplinary research team from the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Entomology is developing the unique vaccination strategy to help protect the nation’s poultry supply, where the disease moves with devastating speed.
  • USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation are accepting nominations through July 1 for the Dr. Charles Beard Research Excellence Award, which recognizes outstanding completed research projects funded by USPOULTRY or the USPOULTRY Foundation that have had a transformative impact on the poultry industry.
  • The National Pork Board (NPB) adjourned the National Pork Industry Forum (Forum) last week, where industry leaders passed two producer-developed advisements related to pork quality and swine health. Pork Act delegates also endorsed the Checkoff assessment rate, determined the return-to-state percentage and recommended board members to the U.S. secretary of agriculture for appointment. NPB President Gordon Spronk and CEO David Newman reinforced the industry’s commitment to the three-year strategic plan, which outlines three priorities.
  • The Stockmanship & Stewardship events are the perfect place to build upon your cattle handling and chute-side skills. You’ll have the chance to network with producers in your area, ask questions of experts like Curt Pate, Dr. Ron Gill and Dean Fish, and hear industry updates on policies and animal diseases that could affect your herd. Each event is unique, and each one offers the chance to learn more about the Beef Quality Assurance program.
  • In 2023, Americans ate 19.1 pounds of seafood per capita, with Salmon and Alaska Pollock showing an uptick in consumption. While that growth stands out in a list that illustrates a 1.7-pound decline from the previous year, experts say the drop is due, in large part, to the National Marine Fisheries Service’s use of more complete data to adjust the previously reported 2022 per capita consumption from 19.7 to 20.8 pounds.
  • Leaders and members of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) joined a White House event Friday celebrating the Working Families Tax Cuts included in the One Big Beautiful Bill. NCBA played a key role in advancing this legislation, advocating for its passage and building on years of effort to expand the estate tax exemption, also known as the Death Tax, to help preserve family-owned cattle operations.

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