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GRAPHIC: Despite COVID-19 Closings And Slowdowns, Pork Production Was Higher In 2020 Than The Year Before

GRAPHIC: Despite COVID-19 Closings And Slowdowns, Pork Production Was Higher In 2020 Than The Year Before

At the start of the pandemic’s first year, COVID-19 outbreaks forced dozens of meatpacking plants to close. Companies claimed there would be meat shortages.

Pork production — especially in the Midwest, which produces most of the nation’s pork — dropped significantly after the first wave of outbreaks, starting in March 2020. (A handful of plants produce the majority of the country’s pork.)

Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska combine to process more than 40% of all hogs in the country. In these states, between March and May 2020, the rate of slaughtering dropped 40% compared to that time period in 2019, according to a new U.S. Department of Agriculture analysis.

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The $1.7 Billion Network Behind Canada's Seed Retail Future

Video: The $1.7 Billion Network Behind Canada's Seed Retail Future

Canadian agriculture has changed dramatically over the past 50 years, and so has the business of bringing new crop varieties to farmers. But as public plant breeding faces new pressures, private investment grows and farmers demand more from their genetics, what will the next 50 years look like?

In this special Seed World Canada Retail Strategy Webinar, we celebrate SeCan's 50th anniversary by looking beyond its history to explore the future of Canadian seed retail, plant breeding and variety commercialization.

Join Seed World Canada Senior Editor Marc Zienkiewicz and five industry experts as they discuss how independent seed businesses are adapting to a changing marketplace, the importance of partnerships between breeders and retailers, and what it will take to keep innovative crop genetics flowing into Canadian farmers' fields.