ST 3-20 Industry Update.qxp_Layout 1 2/13/20 10:58 AM Page 15
INDUSTRY UPDATE mate to also arrive in the area. Lahmers says the region east of the Mississippi River and as far north as Pennsylvania and Indiana is most at risk. However, the tick has also been identified in northwest Arkansas. “It’s here, and it’s here to stay,” Lahmers says. Carolynn Bissett, DVM, works with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). She says the agency first received a report of T. orientalis from a private practitioner veterinarian concerned about a cattleman losing 10% of his herd. The Asian longhorned tick was later identified on the same property. “Since then, we’ve been doing a lot of outreach with producers and with veterinarians,” Bissett says. Lahmers says he encourages veterinarians suspecting A. marginale to also test for T. orientalis. The test he developed is available from the Virginia Tech Animal Laboratory Services (ViTALS). Testing can alert state agencies to the disease’s spread while also giving insight on treatment, Lahmers says. While A. marginale may respond well to tetracycline, there is no approved treatment for T. orientalis in the US.
Boyle Ranch Annual Private Treaty Bull Sale
18-month-olds and Yearling Fleckvieh Bulls available. Selling a group of replacement heifers and a few bred heifers this spring.
Bryan Boyle
712-870-8666 • boyle_bryan@yahoo.com 4824 110th Street • Washta, IA 51061 www.boyleranchfleckvieh.com Follow us on Facebook 90
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Bill Would Overhaul EU Approved Increasing US Beef The European Parliament has voted in favor of increasing the import quota for US beef shipments to the European Union. The plan gives US beef producers an initial 18,500 metric tons of the EU’s annual quota of 45,000 metric tons for hormonefree beef imports, rising to 35,000 after seven years. US producers initially dominated the quota but eventually lost share to other countries, which benefited from World Trade Organization rules requiring the quota also be made available to them. With a rise in participation from Australia, Uruguay, and Argentina, the US share of the quota has fallen to about 30%.
Walmart to Open Its First Meat Processing Plant Walmart Inc. will hold a grand opening for its first meat processing plant on Friday, creating about 350 jobs in Thomasville, Georgia, when it becomes fully operational. The plant is part of the retailer’s effort to promote transparency in the cutting and packaging of its Black Angus beef and is designed to improve consistent quality and value, Walmart said in a news release announcing the plant last spring. About 200 employees already have been hired at the plant, which will process cattle that are slaughtered in another state according to local development officials quoted in The Thomasville Times Enterprise. Walmart reportedly spent $90 million to set up the 200,000-square-foot meat packing facility, which also will contribute to the local tax base through property taxes and taxes to support local schools, the report added.
Costco to Offer ‘Beyond Burger’ Beyond Meat is preparing to make its Beyond Burger alternative protein patty in bulk form at Costco Wholesale Co., a retailer accustomed to offering jumbo-sized products. Buyers of the company’s Beyond Burger will be able to purchase quarter-pound patties in packages of weight for the first time. The product is usually available in grocery stores in two-packs. Consumers will pay $14.99 for the eight-patty package. The Costco deal is its first with a big-box wholesale chain, Beyond Meat noted on its website announcing the new program.
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