The Agriculture and Food Policy Center (AFPC) at Texas A&M University recently published The U.S. Beef Supply Chain: Issues and Challenges. The book is a culmination of items presented and discussed during an AFPC workshop on cattle markets held in June 2021.

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, part of the National Science Foundation (NSF), published the FY 2020 Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) Research and Development Survey Report. Conducted annually for university administered FFRDCs since FY 1953 and all FFRDCs since FY 2001, the survey collects information on research and development (R&D) expenditures by the source of funds and types of research and expenses.

The goal of the meeting is to find collaborative and sustainable ways to eliminate hunger and build a durable food supply. The Summit was attended by United Nations (UN) member states, private sector representatives, farmers, producers, and civil society participants and focused on concrete actions to transform food systems to accelerate progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, created by the UN in 2015.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced an additional $100 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. The funding help address food system challenges and leverage millions more in lending through community and private sector lenders to expand meat and poultry processing capacity and finance other food supply chain infrastructure.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new evidence that 16 states now have obesity rates of 35% or higher. Four states, Delaware, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas are the newest additions to the list during the past year. This number has nearly doubled from 2018, and all 50 states have more than 20% of adults with obesity.

“USDA’s commitment to improving the integrity of SNAP is never-ending, and states are crucial partners in that effort,” said Brandon Lipps, Deputy Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. “The grants announced today will foster new and expanded strategies for reducing fraud and payment errors, protecting taxpayer dollars, and ensuring public confidence in this program.”

“Equity is a vital consideration in all we do at USDA,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “We must see to it that the programs we support and the investments we make are available to all and that we take distinct action in ensuring that historically underserved farmers and ranchers are able to participate in USDA programs and benefit from the opportunities USDA investments and programs can help create.”

Starting as early as 2024, the state of California will ban the sale of gas-powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and chainsaws. The law requires all newly sold small-motor equipment primarily used for landscaping to be zero-emission. The California Air Resources Board will determine the date at which it is feasible to implement the law.

“It has been an incredible privilege to lead this great agency for more than a decade,” said Dr. Collins. “I love this agency and its people so deeply that the decision to step down was a difficult one, done in close counsel with my wife, Diane Baker, and my family. I am proud of all we’ve accomplished. I fundamentally believe, however, that no single person should serve in the position too long and that it’s time to bring in a new scientist to lead the NIH into the future. I’m most grateful and proud of the NIH staff and the scientific community, whose extraordinary commitment to lifesaving research delivers hope to the American people and the world every day.”

The USCA’s petition was primarily targeted towards synthetic and lab-grown products. FSIS addressed both topics. Considering lab-grown, cell-cultured products, FSIS stated that it intends to address this issue through an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR), which was published on September 3rd. USCA’s petition is stated within the ANPR summary.

“For far too long, farmers and ranchers have been forced to pay into these programs only to see their dollars go to trade and lobbying organizations that work against their very existence. USDA has failed to act, so it’s time for Congress to step in and do what’s right for family farmers and ranchers,” said Joe Maxwell, President of the Family Farm Action Alliance.

The Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA) have recently been involved in two cases related to the beef industry. The first against the nation’s 4 largest beef producers and the second against the Beef Checkoff Program.

The Massachusetts House recently voted on the Question 3 initiative, prohibiting the sale of pork that does not meet the state’s production standards. Overwhelmingly, the House decided 156-1 to delay the initiative until January 1, 2023. Previously, it would have taken effect starting in 2022. The Massachusetts Senate still must vote on the decision.

President Joe Biden announced the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), external advisors charged with making science, technology, and innovation policy recommendations to the President and the White House. Thirty leaders were selected, containing the most diverse group in United States history.

Replacing corn with rice in diets for weaning or growing pigs has been studied in the past and has demonstrated improved growth performance and nutrient digestibility, but there is limited information about corn replacement with brown rice on growth performance, immune status, and gut microbiota of weanling pigs.

Bovine liver abscesses continue to be a primary concern facing beef production efficiency and, despite current mitigation strategies, significant variation exists in the rate of liver condemnation.

The authors of this recent Journal of Animal Science study hypothesized that supplementation with the amino acid taurine would attenuate oxidative stress in broiler chickens. Injury from oxidative stress happens when the body’s ability to control free radicals is overwhelmed.

Livestock transportation may cause significant economic losses in the swine industry due to the animal's stress response. Previous research has linked road transportation to many factors negatively impacting the animal's physiological status; release of glucocorticoids, inhibition of antibodies following vaccination, and interferes with the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, to name a few.

Stress from weaning and transport leads to poor piglet health outcomes such as diarrhea and increased susceptibility to infections. In the past, feeding prophylactic antibiotics prevented gastrointestinal disease and reduced piglet morbidity and mortality. In this recent Journal of Animal Science study, researchers fed nursery pigs GLN or antibiotics and then compared their intestinal health and gut microbiomes.

Specific research objectives within any lab are crucial; however, Dr. Wettemann states that opportunities for deviation and originality for new ideas should be encouraged. This is how students will ultimately solve the questions.