U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently announced that the USDA is providing 15 awards totaling $115 million in 17 states that will go toward beefing up independent processing capacity across the country.

On May 19, the USDA announced a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) found at a South Carolina slaughterhouse. It was confirmed to be an atypical case, and the USDA assured the animal never entered the slaughter channels or the food supply and was of no risk to human health.

Policymakers need to understand the role multi-plant coordination plays in the fed cattle market as they consider policies aimed at increasing negotiated trade with the hope of improving price discovery.

Tyson Foods, one of the largest food companies in the country, introduced earlier in March the first-of-its-kind Climate-Smart Beef Program to promote climate-smart agricultural practices and create value for beef producers along the way.

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Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry confirmed a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) on Feb. 22, triggering an automatic ban on beef exports to China.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Feb. 27 announced it would publish a final rule to amend how the adverse effect wage rates for the H-2A program are set to improve the rates’ consistency and accuracy based on the actual work performed by H-2A workers and to better prevent their employment negatively affecting the wages of similarly employed U.S. workers.

In the gripping finale of our 2023 NCBA coverage, Bridgette Readel of Rural Minds discusses mental health resources in rural America; the University of Tennessee’s Troy Rowan gives producers advice on developing a bull-buying game plan; and Dave Weaber from Terrain talks through ways the industry can rebuild the national cow herd after drought.

The Senate voted quickly on Thursday to approve a labor agreement that avoids a major railway work stoppage in the midst of the holiday season and fears of more inflationary triggers. The bipartisan measure was approved by a 80-15 vote.