Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday September 14, 2022

Sep 14, 2022

MELFORT, Sask. – Progress is still being made to find a new African Swine Fever vaccine despite a setback in Vietnam.

Swine Health Information Center Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg said a vaccine, developed by USDA’s Ag Research Service, was being tested in Vietnam. The license for further testing has been suspended after pigs that had been vaccinated died.

“In Vietnam 600 pigs were vaccinated, and within a very short time after vaccination, there were about 100 of them that had died, and another 400 out of those 600 had what was termed to be a vaccine reaction,” Sundberg said. “We’re awaiting testing and investigation into what happened in that province.”

Sundberg said initial reports indicated the vaccine’s efficacy was very high and safety studies were also very promising. He said although this is a setback there are other vaccines under development including a second gene-deleted vaccine developed by USDA.

The federal government is providing $1.4 million for a clean technology initiative.

SixRing Inc. will use the money for the next development phase of the company’s low-energy biomass conversion process that converts agricultural waste into renewable fuels and sustainable advanced materials.

SixRing Inc. CEO and Chair Clay Purdy said the money will be used to accelerate their crop-based feedstock research.

Click here to see more...

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.