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The products are available at fine dining establishments and boutique grocers across the country. The program also will expand to offer grass fed hot dogs and additional prepared items. Niman Ranch is owned by Perdue Farms, which bought the farmer and rancher network in 2015.

Thieves Target Meat by the Truckload

With the retail price of meat products projected to rise at the historic rate of about 10% in 2022, the theft of truckloads of meat also has picked up. Police in Grand Island, Nebraska, are investigating the theft last week of more than $277,000 worth of fresh beef at JBS, KOLNTV in Lincoln reported. Police said a fraudulent carrier company signed up for a load of beef and was dispatched to JBS. The thieves drove away with the beef but never made it to scheduled destinations in Maryland and New York, according to the report. In separate incidents, after more than $100,000 worth of pork was stolen from a JBS plant in Ottumwa, Iowa, another 37,000 pounds of product from an unnamed company disappeared in the early morning hours of September 17 in York, Nebraska. Also gone were the refrigerated trailer and the truck it was hooked up to, according to local media reports. The truck and the trailer were later recovered off of a highway nearby. The meat, however, had already been loaded onto another vehicle. That same weekend, in Grand Island, Nebraska, three trailers packed with meat products were stolen from Gibbon Packing Co. Including the trailers and the cargo, the value of the stolen goods came in at more than $750,000, according to reports. All three trailers were stolen from a cold storage facility on September 16. Authorities are looking into whether the mid-September heist in Grand Island is related to a similar theft of three trailers packed with meat products in that town in late June. The cargo thieves have taken steps, such as disabling the trucks’ GPS systems, that fuel speculation that they are from within the trucking industry.

Leah and Jeff Meinders, Clear Water Simmentals, Milan, Indiana, recently visited the ASA Headquarters. Pictured with Wade Shafer, PhD, ASA executive vice president.

Merck Animal Health announced it has signed a definitive agreement under which it will acquire Vence from its founders and shareholders. Vence is an innovator in virtual fencing for rotational grazing and livestock management. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Vence, a privately held company, provides enhanced technology for producers and ranchers to track, monitor, and manage the movement of cattle through a high-tech platform of virtual fencing solutions. Using a computer or smartphone, customers have the capability to manage cattle movement and facilitate rotational grazing. Vence’s virtual fencing technology can reduce the need for fencing to subdivide pastures and allows producers and ranchers to manage their cattle and grass inventory, while reducing costs of labor and fencing materials. “The acquisition of Vence will broaden our portfolio with complementary products and technologies to advance animal health and well-being as well as outcomes for our customers,” said Rick DeLuca, president, Merck Animal Health. “Vence is a natural fit with Merck Animal Health’s growing portfolio of animal intelligence products that include identification, traceability, and monitoring products. This new technology will give cow-calf producers the ability to track their cattle and the ability to move them from pasture to pasture.” “I believe that Merck Animal Health is the best long-term home for this technology and our team. Their unparalleled expertise in the livestock space, ability to develop and scale hardware products, high-quality customer support, and a strong global footprint to expand Vence’s market reach make us really excited to join Merck Animal Health,” said Frank Wooten, founder and CEO, Vence. Vence technology is currently available in the United States and parts of Australia. n

Julie and Steve Ory, Radakovich Cattle Company, Earlham, Iowa, stopped by the ASA Headquarters. Pictured with Wade Shafer, PhD, ASA executive vice president. n