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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Shutting down, slowing processing line speeds, and reducing work hours is becoming a reality for livestock processors as more workers contract COVID-19, and ag economists argue timing of closures in the coming weeks is everything.
Hog producers are asking the Department of Agriculture to provide a direct influx of cash without eligibility restrictions as the industry expects to lose $5 billion for the remainder of the year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Without government relief, some analysts are sharply lowering their estimates of net farm income because of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on agricultural markets, with the livestock sector and corn growers bearing much of the hit.
A major pork processing plant is coming offline after almost 300 of its workers have tested positive for COVID-19, leaving many in the industry bracing for potential shockwaves yet to come.
Meat and poultry processors struggle to keep employees safe during the COVID-19 pandemic and worry about a possible shortage of federal meat inspectors.
The American Farm Bureau Federation delivers the Trump administration a detailed list of requests to swiftly use its authority under the $2 trillion economic stimulus package to rescue “all sectors of agriculture” from the twin blows of plunging commodity prices and the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the coronavirus first swept through China, many ports effectively ceased to function as workers stayed home. Now, fears are rising about similar disruptions in the U.S. as the illness spreads.
The Agriculture Department published a list of hundreds of beef and pork production and storage facilities that are now eligible to export to China under the new, less-restrictive regulations negotiated in the “phase one” trade agreement.
Commodity markets continue to skid and farmers are heading into planting season facing the prospect of a global recession spawned by the coronavirus pandemic that could further depress demand for key ag commodities, including meat and ethanol, economists say.
The historic “phase one” trade deal with China will boost American ag trade with the country, but it’s not likely to have a major impact on overall U.S. trade at a time when the farm sector here is increasingly dependent on international sales, USDA Chief Economist Robert Johansson tells Agri-Pulse.
