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Ohio dairy worker charged with animal cruelty

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

An Ohio dairy farm worker who allegedly beat cows with crowbars and poked them with pitchforks—acts depicted in an undercover video—has been charged with 12 counts of animal cruelty. 

Billy Joe Gregg, Jr. of Delaware County, Ohio was to be arraigned Thursday.  He was employed by Conklin Dairy Farms, a fourth generation family operation based in Plain City, Ohio.  Conklin officials have condemned Gregg’s actions and say he was fired on Wednesday. 

More individuals could be charged in the case.  The video, which was recorded by the animal rights-vegan activist group Mercy for Animals, shows two or three other people besides Gregg.  Law enforcement officials are reviewing the video and attempting to identify others who might have been involved. 

Meanwhile, reaction to the video continues to come in.  The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) issued a statement calling Ohio’s anti-cruelty laws “anemic” and calling on the Ohio legislature to upgrade statutes related to malicious cruelty, including cruelty to farm animals. 

The Animal Agriculture Alliance also weighed in.  The Alliance says that if an investigation finds the video to be genuine, the severest penalties allowed by law should be imposed on all parties involved—as well as those who failed to stop and report these actions immediately to the proper authorities.  The Alliance goes on to say that the images shown in the video “are in no way representative of the majority of America’s hardworking farm families.”

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Livestock, News Tagged With:

A light to moderate feedlot trade in several regions

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

USDA Mandatory is reporting that cattle trading and demand is light to moderate in the Texas Panhandle on Thursday afternoon. Compared to last week, live sales are 3.50 lower at mostly 94.00, but several sellers continue to pass. Trading is light in Kansas with a few live sales at 94.00 and dressed sales at 152.00 but so far, those reported cattle are heading out of state for slaughter. Trading remained light in  Eastern Nebraska on light demand. Dressed sales sold steady with Wednesday’s trade at 152.00. Several feedlot managers continue to pass on bids on this week’s list. Thursday’s cattle slaughter was estimated at 130,000 head, the same as last week and 1,000 less than last year.  Boxed beef cutout values were lower on moderate demand and moderate to heavy offerings. Choice boxed beef is down 1.31 at 164.83, and select is 1.96 lower at 157.52.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts settled 77 to 105 points higher on improved economic news at home and overseas. Fund buying developed after the August contract moved past the one-hundred day moving average resistance barrier.  June settled .77 higher at 91.57, and August was up .85 at 90.77.

Feeder cattle settled 5 to 35 points higher on spillover support from the gains in the live pit and the futures discounts to the board’s feeder cattle index. The May contract went off the board on Thursday at 108.55 up .07, August was up .20 at 108.50, and September was .30 higher at 108.60.

Feeder cattle receipts at the Huss Platte Valley Auction in Nebraska totaled 2650 head on Wednesday. Compared to two weeks ago, steers and heifers trended 2.00 to 3.00 lower based on a narrow test. Demand and trade activity was moderate to good. Feeder steers medium and large 1 weighing 835 pounds traded at 107.50 per hundredweight, 811 pound heifers brought 103.72.

Barrows and gilts in the Iowa/Minnesota direct trade closed .86 lower at 76.37 on a carcass basis, the West was down .73 at 76.49, and the East is 1.10 lower at 75.31. Hog slaughter is estimated at 396,000 head, 2,000 less than last week, and 31,000 head down from last year. Pork processing margins have improved significantly since mid-May with the carcass value now more than $10 over the Iowa weighted average on dressed hogs. Packers should soon be motivated to increase chain speed and support cash prices. Bids are expected to be lower Friday heading into the holiday weekend with most packers not planning weekend kills.

Lean hogs settled 55 points higher to 47 lower with some months lower on the weaker cash market and other months were higher on the improved stock and outside markets. An improvement in the economy may make consumers feel more confident about buying higher priced pork products. June settled .47 lower at 81.17, but July was up .10 at 82.70. Pork trading was slow to moderate with very light to light retail demand and moderate offerings. Pork carcass cutout was up .50 at 87.95.

Most belly months were unquoted but July was down .55 at 102.05.

Filed Under: Closing Futures & Livestock Briefs, Markets Tagged With: ,

Closing Grain and Livestock Futures: May 27, 2010

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

July corn closed at $3.73 and 1/4, up 1 and 3/4 cents
July soybeans closed at $9.51 and 3/4, up 13 and 3/4 cents
July soybean meal closed at $276.00, up $4.70
July soybean oil closed at 38.18, up 33 points
July wheat closed at $4.67 and 3/4, up 6 cents
June live cattle closed at $91.57, up 77 cents
June lean hogs closed at $81.17, down 47 cents
July crude oil closed at $74.55, up $3.04
July cotton closed at 81.28, down 56 points
June Class III milk closed at $13.89, up 17 cents
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 10,258.99, up 284.54 points

Filed Under: Closing Futures & Livestock Briefs, Markets Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Meat exports up, but challenges remain

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

U.S. meat exports through the first three months of 2010 were up eleven percent in volume and up 14 percent in value.

The president and CEO of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, Phil Seng, says while he’s pleased with those numbers, big challenges remain.  One of those is increased competition in the global marketplace.

“I think all of you are aware of the fact that these free trade agreements, or economic partnership agreements—depending on what you call them,” says Seng, “our competitors are rushing to sign these agreements and if we don’t have these signed—we have three that we’re very interested in seeing come to fruition—it just disadvantages our industry.”

Another meat export challenge is exchange rates.  “The U.S. dollar is getting stronger vis-à-vis the Euro.  It’s getting stronger vis-à-vis many of the other competitors that we deal with,” says Seng, “and so this makes it even more challenging for us.”

Seng made his comments from the USMEF board of directors meeting in St. Louis.

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Livestock, News, World Ag News/Trade Tagged With: , , ,

New ag chief at University of Nebraska

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has named its new vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.  

He is Ronnie Green, a beef geneticist who currently serves as a senior director of animal genetics global technical services for Pfizer Animal Health. Green, who lives in Sutton, Nebraska, will begin his work at UNL July 19th pending approval by the NU Board of Regents.

Prior to his work with Pfizer, Green worked in the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service and also taught at both Colorado State University and Texas Tech University.   He earned his Ph.D. in animal science at UNL.

Green will replace John Owens as vice chancellor.  Owens, who has served in the position since 2001, will return to the faculty ranks on June 30th.

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, News Tagged With: ,

USDA changing producer-packer contract rules

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The USDA is preparing to issue changes to federal rules that govern sales contracts between livestock and poultry producers and major meatpackers.  That’s according to a meatingplace.com report.

The proposed rules, as required by the 2008 farm bill, would essentially prevent meatpackers from favoring large cattle feedlots and provide poultry producers more leverage in sales contracts. 

Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has indicated that the new rules would be announced in June.

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, Livestock, News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , ,

EPA will review CAFO permitting rules

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Under a legal settlement between the EPA and three environmental groups, the EPA has agreed to take a new look at its CAFO permitting rules.  The purpose is to determine whether more of the nation’s concentrated animal feeding operations should be required to have NPDES—National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System—permits.

The environmental groups had challenged the final CAFO rule published in 2008, claiming it exempted thousands of CAFOs from water pollution regulations contained in the Clean Water Act.  The settlement agreement calls for EPA to publish a guidance document spelling out which CAFOs must apply for an NPDES permit.  EPA must also propose a new rule by May 26th of next year requiring all CAFOs to submit information to EPA with details of their operations, including their manure storage and land application practices. 

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) expressed frustration and anger over the agreement, criticizing EPA for its “continuing efforts to develop costly agricultural regulations that provide few if any additional environmental benefits.

“With this one-sided settlement, EPA yanked the rug out from under America’s livestock farmers,” says NPPC’s chief environmental counsel Michael Formica. “NPPC is looking at all appropriate legal responses to EPA’s disappointing course of action.”

Representatives for the Sierra Club and Waterkeepers Alliance praised the settlement, saying it will help ensure farms follow environmental laws and protect the nation’s waterways.

Link to Natural Resources Defense Council news release

Filed Under: Events/Organizations, News, USDA/Government Tagged With: , , ,

Ohio livestock producers on alert

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

While unconfirmed, there are reports that individuals with video cameras are following livestock trucks in Ohio.

“Precisely what’s happening we just don’t know, but we can confirm that we have at least heard of videotaping taking place or people trying to do videotaping in several locations around Ohio,” said Joe Cornely with the Ohio Farm Bureau.

Cornely tells Brownfield they are urging their members to be on the alert.

“We are asking folks if they happen to have a cell phone camera or video camera to take pictures of the picture takers,” Cornely said. “If they have the opportunity, get a license plate number and convey that to the appropriate people.”

But under no circumstance, do they want their members confronting these individuals.

“Nothing good can come from that,” said Cornely.

Audio: Joe Cornely, Ohio Farm Bureau (1:50 MP3)

Filed Under: Livestock, News Tagged With: , , ,

North Central Indiana starting to dry out

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Brian Early, Pioneer Area Agronomist for North Central Indiana reports that the recent rain and below average temperatures have slowed planting and herbicide applications.  With the change in weather this week fields will continue to dry out and farmers should be able to get out into the fields for more spraying and finishing planting.

AUDIO: Brian Early 

Filed Under: Pioneer Field Updates, Special Reports Tagged With: , , , , ,

CWT to conduct another herd retirement round

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) is going to conduct another herd retirement round. Bids will be accepted starting Friday, May 28th with a cutoff date of Friday, June 25th. Bids must not exceed $3.75 per hundredweight and there is no guarantee bids at the maximum level will be accepted. As with previous rounds, there is no target number of cows or pounds of milk to be removed from the market. Members who had bids accepted in a previous round are not eligible to bid again. One change from last year, no bred heifers will be accepted this time. Payments will be made in two parts, 90 percent upon verification the cows have gone to slaughter and the remaining 10 percent plus interest a year later upon verification the producer and facility have not gone back into commercial milk production.

More details, bid forms and a bid-calculator are available at the CWT website.

This is the tenth herd retirement since CWT began operations in the summer of 2003. The most recent was conducted in the fall of 2009. National Milk Producers Federation president and CEO, Jerry Kozak says “It is our belief that a herd retirement at this time will add to the positive momentum already building and should result in speeding up the milk price recovery already in progress.”

AUDIO: Jim Tillison with NMPF talks about the herd retirement round

Filed Under: Dairy, News, Top Stories Tagged With: , , ,
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