Posted: Tuesday, August 06, 2013 4:06 PM USDA documents hint at questions about packers Analysis By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press Several USDA investigations of beef packers in recent years seemed to raise questions about possible anti-competitive behavior, but the agency apparently decided against pursuing charges, a review of agency documents shows. The USDA’s Grain Inspection,…

The Congressional King of Industrial Agriculture Steve King’s Protect Interstate Commerce Act would undo decades of costly animal welfare improvements across the country. August 7, 2013 • By James McWilliams • 2 Comments Personally, I wouldn’t let Congressman Steve King (R-Iowa) walk my dogs. Representing an Iowa district economically dependent on the industrialized slaughter of…

Hog Farms Battling to Contain Deadly Virus Nathan Weber for The New York Times A swine virus appeared in the United States last spring in Ohio and in weeks had spread to four more states. How it entered the country is unknown. By STEVEN YACCINO Published: August 4, 2013 ANNAWAN, Ill. — The outside world…

Kansas and Al Qaeda By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Published: August 10, 2013 51 Comments SALINA, Kan. — I’VE spent the last few months filming a Showtime documentary about how climate and environmental stresses helped trigger the Arab awakening. It’s been a fascinating journey because it forced me to look at the Middle East through the…

Tyson will no longer buy cattle with controversial supplement 7:00 PM, Aug 8, 2013 | 3 comments Nick McGurk VIDEO KUSA – One of the country’s largest beef processors says it will no longer buy cattle with a supplement called Zilmax. It’s a move that could send beef prices higher. Beef prices were already rising…

China’s urban sludge dilemma: Sinking in stink Aug 09, 2013 10:44 am | Ellen Croibier Reposted from Market Watch of The Wall Street Journal — China’s urban sludge dilemma: Sinking in stink Cui Zheng and intern reporter Liu Zhiy | August 9, 2013 | Market Watch “These past two years, corn and watermelons have been…

Did Tyson Ban Doping Cows With Zilmax To Boost Foreign Sales? by Peggy Lowe August 09, 2013 5:37 PM A pen at a feedlot in central Kansas that houses 30,000 cattle. Feedlots are where cattle are "finished" before slaughter, often with the use of growth-promoting drugs like zilpaterol. Peggy Lowe/Harvest Public Media Listen to the…

Tyson decision against growth promotant boosts cattle futures By Rita Jane Gabbett on 8/8/2013 Live cattle futures prices jumped Thursday on the news that Tyson Foods would stop accepting cattle fed the growth promotant Zilmax on Sept. 6, over concerns it might contribute to animals arriving at slaughter unable to walk. When fed at the…

Terminate NCBA as Checkoff Contractor Mr. Weldon Wynn, Chairman Cattlemen’s Beef Board 9000 E. Nichols Ave., Suite 215 Centennial, CO 80112 Dear Mr. Wynn, The Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) calls for the termination of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) as a contractor for the Beef Checkoff Program. The organization’s latest move demonstrates once…

Northern Beef Packers case details financial shortfall By Lisa M. Keefe on 8/7/2013 Northern Beef Packers filed its financial statements in its bankruptcy case, detailing $79.25 million in assets — and nearly $139 million in liabilities, according to court documents. The beleaguered company’s assets include $59.9 million in real estate and $19.4 million in personal…