In early May, I led a seminar on cattle welfare for the California beef and dairy industries. On the morning of the seminar, a faculty member from Fresno State University took me on a tour of a large dairy operation in California’s Central Valley.
I’m lucky to be working in an extraordinary food system. Yet, as a second-generation turkey farmer, I am keenly aware of how our food system has evolved and that some of the biggest changes have occurred in animal agriculture.
Packers and processors are often targeted when beef safety issues surface. But we all know safety is not the responsibility of just one link in the beef production chain.
Foreign nationals who acquired conditional permanent resident status based upon a qualifying investment in a new commercial enterprise are now routinely being required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to submit Forms I-9 for inspection to demonstrate that they employ(ed) authorized workers in order to remove the conditions of their residency in the United States.
The current commodity markets are bad for everyone. Our economic climate is tenuous. Consumers are struggling to make ends meet and current fuel prices are forcing them to manage what they spend on food. American consumers play an integral part in any recovery because their spending accounts for about 70% of the nation’s economic activity.
I used to wonder exactly how meat recalls due to mislabeling were allowed to happen. The recall notices provided by the FSIS just mentioned that the product being recalled contained an undeclared allergen such as soy, for example, with no mention as to how the error occurred.
While some companies have struggled in recent years, there is still plenty of good news to be had in the business world. In the meat industry, many processors have grown their business, either through continued growth, acquisitions or entering into a new market.
Over the past decade, the meatpacking industry has bore the brunt of worksite immigration enforcement and witnessed government tactics change erratically as the nation wrestled with immigration policies.
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