New Merck Company Begins Operations
US - Merck has outlined its global plans following the completion of Merck's merger with Schering-Plough Corporation announced this week. Raul E. Kohan has been named president of the Animal Health division.

CME: Chicken Demand Lower Than a Year Ago
US - Consumer-level demand for pork remained strong through September, according to the University of Missouri, report Steve Meyer and Len Steiner.

Thanksgiving Woes of Kansas Turkey Producers
KANSAS, US - Some turkey producers call Kansas home but the businesses face obstacles, even in the run-up to Thanksgiving

Ratajczak to Keynote Poultry Market Intelligence Forum
US - Economist, Dr Donald Ratajczak, will be a featured speaker at the Poultry Market Intelligence Forum, scheduled again for the International Poultry Expo in 2010.

Can Working with Poultry Damage Your Health?
US - Poultry plant workers seem to be at higher risk of certain cancers, according to a recently published paper. An official at National Chicken Council refutes the suggestion from the researchers that these workers are exposed to cancer-causing...

Weekly US Broiler Hatchery Report
US - The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports that, compared to the same week last year, the number of broiler-type eggs set was down two per cent, and one per cent fewer chicks were placed than a year previously.

CME: Voters Approve State Issue 2 in Ohio
US - Ohio’s livestock and poultry industries won a resounding victory at the polls on Tuesday when voters approved State Issue 2 by a margin of 64 per cent to 36 per cent, write Steve Meyer and Len Steiner in their Daily Livestock Report (DLR) for 4...

AFBF Congratulates Ohio and Texas on Victories
US - Bob Stallman, President of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), yesterday issued a public statement regarding the ballot measure victories in Ohio and Texas.

Columbia Farms Reaches Agreement over Hiring
US - Columbia Farms Inc. has reached agreement on hiring practices. This follows raids by federal agents last year and allegations of the hiring of illegal immigrants.

Weekly Outlook: Harvest to Accelerate
US - The late planted and late maturing corn and soybean crops of 2009 have also experienced one of the slowest harvest rates in modern history, writes Darrel Good, agricultural economist at the University of Illinois.

Test Maize for Moulds Before Feeding, Urge Experts
US - Pork and poultry producers who do not test the new corn crop before using it for feed are taking a risk this year, says an expert at Purdue University, and mould in corn is present in much of the Midwest, including Indiana.

US Monthly Egg Products Report - October 2009
US - Shell eggs broken totalled 172 million dozen during August 2009, a fall of five per cent from the same month a year ago, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in their monthly Egg Products report in October...

CME: Another Tough Month for Meat, Poultry Sectors
US - October was another tough month for all of the major meat/ poultry species in terms of profits, write Steve Meyer and Len Steiner.

FDA Urged to Ban Feeding Chicken Litter to Cattle
US - Food and consumer groups say the practice increases the risk of cattle becoming infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). A beef industry trade group say a ban is not needed.

Ag Secretary Says US, China Working on Poultry Trade
US - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working with China to allow trade in poultrymeat, said Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, following talks in Hangzhou.

Coming Election Could Change Ohio's Welfare Rules
OHIO, US - If passed in next week's election, Ohio state Issue 2 may set up a board that will set standards for livestock and poultry welfare.

New Biomass Plant Turns Turkey Poop into Power
MICHIGAN, US - A Howard City grain feed mill is now converting turkey litter into steam, electricity and fertilizer with a $3 million alternative commercially based biomass energy plant developed by a small Kentwood company, Heat Transfer Internation...

Weekly US Broiler Hatchery Report
US - The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports that, compared to the same week last year, the numbers of broiler-type eggs set and chicks placed were down two per cent.

FSIS Issues New Notice on Salmonella Testing
US - The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has issued Notice 75-09: Raw Product Destined for Ready-to-Eat Product Excluded from Salmonella Testing.

Michigan Egg Farmers Concerned over Welfare Bill
MICHIGAN, US - Egg farmers say that the animal welfare bill hit their bottom line.

RTC Weight Down Four Per Cent from Last Year
US - The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports a four per cent drop in poultry ready-to-cook (RTC) weights in their monthly Poultry Slaughter report for September 2009.

USDA Chickens and Eggs Report - September 2009
US - US egg production totaled 7.37 billion during September 2009, up slightly from last year, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in their monthly Chickens and Eggs report for September 2009.

Weekly Outlook: Looking Beyond Harvest
US - One of the factors supporting corn and soybean prices in recent weeks is the delay in getting the crops harvested, writes Darrel Good, agricultural economist at the University of Illinois.

CME: Current Grain Market Situation Discouraging
US - The latest USDA crop progress report showed that US corn producers continue to run well behind year ago and five year average levels in harvesting the current crop, write Steve Meyer and Len Steiner.

Outlook ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ for US Agriculture
US - Speakers at Farm Bureau's second annual commodity outlook conference, 15-16 October, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, painted a 'cautiously optimistic' outlook for US agriculture, with crop and dairy producers likely faring better than livestock producers...