Latest News From Jennifer Shike

It wasn’t the kind of cake U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists were expecting to find while examining leftover baggage at Washington Dulles International Airport last month.

When you become a livestock "show mom," rest assured you’re going to experience your fair share of teachable moments. Here are five reasons why show moms deserve a little extra celebration.

Jesse Heimer set out to produce a song and music video that embodies what stock show families live, breathe and dream. Over time, Heimer's plan grew into an anthem that all of agriculture can appreciate.

The Pirbright Institute is tackling three deadly livestock viruses: porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and African swine fever virus in pigs and bovine respiratory syncytial virus in cattle.

When a mental health crisis hits, Shannon Ferrell, Oklahoma State University ag law specialist, outlines seven resources to keep handy in the event you are the first responder to help someone in need someday. 

It started with a broken baler. The farmer panicked. He had recently lost his brother to cancer and his father to old age. Not to mention he had 2,500 acres to farm, 250 beef cows to attend to and his crop just froze. 

A federal judge in Minnesota granted another class action pork price-fixing settlement between JBS USA and Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs on April 15.

“Suck it up buttercup.” This familiar phrase is one many farmers and ranchers learn early in life: be tough, self-reliant and resilient. But experts say that approach doesn't work when dealing with stress.

February exports of U.S. pork and beef remained below the rapid pace established in early 2020. Still, exports were consistent with USMEF's February projections. Here's a look at the numbers.

The Ohio Expositions Commission announced that the 2021 Ohio State Fair will not be open to the public, and will instead focus on agricultural and educational competitions for exhibitors, their families and guests.

The adage that “knowledge is power” is especially true when it comes to understanding mold and mycotoxins. Lon Whitlow, professor emeritus at NC State University, offers five reminders to help livestock producers.

Senators John Hoeven and Michael Bennet reintroduced the Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act, bipartisan legislation to reform the Hours of Service and Electronic Logging Device regulations at the U.S. DOT.

A federal court has removed a provision of the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System that enabled pork processors to establish maximum line speeds.

The governments of nearly half the U.S. states are in agreement of the North American Meat Institute’s petition challenging the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 12.

Each year, several thousand dogs enter the U.S. for resale or adoption. In a recent Hogs on the Hill article, NPPC chief veterinarian Liz Wagstrom wrote that it’s time to sound the alarm on importing rescue dogs.

Why do you do what you do? If you are anything like me, I bet you’ve stopped to take a deep look in the past year at how you spend your days. Pandemic living has definitely made me ask more questions.

Americans are buying more beef, pork, poultry and lamb than ever. Pandemic purchases helped send meat grocery sales soaring by 20% from 2019 to 2020. Here's the latest from the newly released "Power of Meat" report.

Proposition 12, California’s animal welfare rule, is slated to take effect on Jan. 1, 2022. But with these new regulations still mired in a legal battle, the pork industry is left in limbo, Rabobank says.

The meat war continues. On Friday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds proclaimed April as “Meat on the Table Month.” She encourages Iowans to support the livestock industry through meat consumption and purchases. 

Why don't we finish goals? Jon Acuff, best-selling author and motivational speaker, says we often focus on the wrong thing when we talk about our goals. Here's what he says it takes to finish the goals that matter.

The value of the U.S. dollar has weakened substantially in the past year and CoBank analysts expect it to experience modest deflation in 2021. This may be good news or not-so-good news depending on the commodity. 

Frontline meat workers deserve immediate access to vaccines, the Meat Institute says, and urges Biden's administration not to create inflexible standards that could force facilities to decrease capacity utilization.

The Meat Institute filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review an earlier ruling of the Meat Institute’s challenge to the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 12.

A virtual FFA community can only fill the gap so far. I am grateful FFA has found solutions during the pandemic, but I believe the things FFA members have missed drive home the reasons why FFA is so important today.

During USDA’s 97th Agricultural Outlook Forum, USDA chief economist Seth Meyer provided insight into what the livestock and poultry sectors can expect in 2021. 

As winter weather conditions rage across the country, USDA reminds livestock farmers affected by the winter storms that assistance is available. 

The author of bestselling book ‘Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?’ Timothy Caulfield is set to provide keynote at the Animal Agriculture Alliance's 2021 Virtual Stakeholders Summit.

FADs are a constant threat to the livestock industry. The country is more tuned in to this struggle than ever before with the recent COVID-19 pandemic. National Pork Board's Dave Pyburn and NCBA's Ethan Lane discuss why.

Tyson Foods, Inc., is piloting a new Matrix Medical Network program that assesses, addresses, verifies and monitors the effectiveness of Tyson’s efforts to protect its workforce from COVID-19. 

A new report from the Meat Institute shows new COVID-19 infection rates among meat and poultry workers are 60% lower than in the general U.S. population and two-thirds lower than case rates in the sector in May 2020.

He’s the only USDA secretary that has served in one administration and has been asked to come back years later. For Tom Vilsack, it’s an opportunity he is looking forward to for many reasons.

The Center for Food Safety filed a legal brief challenging FDA's approval of soy leghemoglobin (“heme”), a color additive used to make Impossible Foods’ Impossible Burger appear to “bleed” like real meat.

A U.S. Congress panel is investigating COVID-19 outbreaks at meatpacking plants nationwide. Here's how some of the packing plants responded.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught the country anything, it’s that there is a tremendous amount of synergy between the circumstances of a pandemic involving humans and those involving animals. 

Flexibility remains critical for animal protein industry, CoBank says, as foodservice sales are not likely to reach pre-pandemic levels before mid-2022.

New research shows I'm not the only one who upped my cooking game last year. A new study provides insight into which cooking and consumption habits are likely to continue into the new year and beyond. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, a farmer and businessman from southeast Iowa came up with an idea that has now grown into an expanding online marketplace known as ChopLocal.

Wild pig populations in Canada continue to expand rapidly and are completely out of control in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. A new tool may help control this invasive species. Here's why you should take note.

USDA announces the finalization of a MOU with FDA outlining responsibilities concerning the regulation of certain animals developed using genetic engineering that are intended for agricultural purposes. 

As the animal protein industry continues to find innovative ways to decrease the carbon footprint of animal products, a new resource guide may help move those efforts forward.

A new $11.65-million investment by the USDA will fund 14 projects to help farmers and private landowners trap and control feral swine.

Driven by higher estimates for pork, the China total meat import forecasts were revised up for both 2020 and 2021, according to the USDA Livestock and Poultry World Markets and Trade report.

Efforts to protect the men and women working to keep Americans’ refrigerators full are working, says Meat Institute president and CEO Julie Anna Potts.

A worker was recently killed in an accident at the Tyson Foods plant in Sherman, Texas. 

EPA Administrator-designate Michael Regan hosted a virtual roundtable with members of the Ag CEO Council and staff, composed of leaders of some of the largest agriculture and farm organizations in the U.S.

Confidence about the future of the workplace has declined less than one might expect, says a report from ADP Research Institute. Positivity persists despite the pandemic. But how is COVID-19 affecting the ag workforce?

Invasive species councils in Montana and Washington are serious about preventing Canadian feral pigs from crossing into the western United States. 

Tyson Foods Inc. is adding breakfast sandwiches with soy-protein patties to its iconic Jimmy Dean sausage line.  

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the USDA will purchase an additional $1.5 billion worth of food for nationwide distribution through the Farmers to Families Food Box Program.

When it comes to meat export markets, particularly pork, 2020 was a year to remember. Here's why 2021 holds promise for both U.S. pork and beef export opportunities.