The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) was introduced a few weeks ago by U.S. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue as part of the effort to aid ag producers affected by the market upheaval caused by COVID-19.

The USDA recently released eligibility requirements for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for agricultural producers impacted by the effects of COVID-19.

The spread of COVID-19 has caused shifts in the beef demand structure; coupled with global economic uncertainty, it is affecting the entire beef supply chain.

A large area of low-level drought is building in the West from western Kansas to northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Some of the worst drought areas are in Colorado and surrounding regions and in Oregon.

COVID-19 began impacting workers at beef packing plants in early April. In the last five weeks, cattle slaughter decreased by an average of 27%. This compares to the previous five weeks in March, when cattle slaughter averaged 5.5% higher than year-ago levels.

When it's time to work cattle, most ranchers bring the cattle to the corral, not the other way around. 

President Donald Trump announced on May 6 he is urging the Department of Justice to probe further into packing companies and concerns about prices paid for beef and pork during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

In a webinar hosted by the University of Nevada – Reno on May 5, Don Close, senior animal protein analyst at Rabobank and Ty Lawrence, professor of animal science at West Texas A&M University, discussed the present pandemic and what they predict is coming down the pipeline for the beef industry. 

COVID-19 continues to sweep through packing plant workers, leading to severe disruptions in beef processing. Estimated cattle slaughter for the week ending May 2 was 425,000 head, down 38% year over year.

What form of mineral supplements to you use? Loose mineral? Tubs? Blocks?