After melamine ravaged the Chinese dairy industry this year, it seemed that everyone in America was now familiar with the previously obscure substance.

Apparently the folks at MainstaysTM  didn't get a chance to review this exhaustive press coverage before putting this "Melamine Mixing Bowl Set" on Walmart's store shelves!



Image:Melamine for Dinner, Anyone?

Since melamine is a plastic resin, I am sure that it is safe in this application.  Hopefully the consumers realize this!

 International Trade  |  Miscellaneous  | Comments (0)

Eric J Lohry,  Sioux City Office   October 24th, 2008 03:30:04 PM
Visitors to Sioux City in the 1970's were greeted by this huge pile of manure just off of Interstate 29.  The "fertilizer" mountain was large because the Sioux City Stockyards was one of the world's biggest.  The owners were painfully aware that this symbol of economic prosperity may be taken wrong and so they erected a sign to remind the folks of the importance of the "Yards" to area commerce.

Image:Sioux City Stockyards a ’Boost’ to Siouxland Economy

The sign reads: "This Fertilizer is a reminder of the $500 MILLION Annual Boost to our Siouxland Economy by the Sioux City Stockyards".

 Livestock  |  Miscellaneous  | Comments (2)

Eric J Lohry,  Sioux City Office   October 17th, 2008 08:26:03 AM
Grain prices tumbled after the USDA issued a report predicting rising grain stocks despite serious flooding in the midwestern United States this summer.  According to Marketwatch:

Corn production is forecasted at 12.2 billion bushels this year, up 1% from last month but 7% below 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Friday.

Based on conditions as of Oct. 1, yields are expected to average 154 bushels per acre, up 1.7 bushels from September and 2.9 bushels above last year, the USDA said. If realized, this will be the second highest yield on record, behind 2004, and production will be the second largest, behind last year...

Soybean production is forecast at 2.98 billion bushels, up 2% from the September forecast and up 11% from last year, the USDA reported. If realized, this will be the fourth largest production on record.
Based on Oct. 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 39.5 bushels per acre, down 0.5 bushel from last month and down 2.2 bushels from 2007




 Commodities  | Comments (2)

Eric J Lohry,  North Sioux City, South Dakota   October 10th, 2008 01:51:22 PM
Our Advertisement as Seen in Feedstuffs




Image:As Seen in Feedstuffs (More...)

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 Fermented Products  |  Nutraferma  | Comments (1)

Eric J Lohry,  North Sioux City, South Dakota   October 7th, 2008 04:40:34 PM
Starting this week, shoppers in the US will see more foods labeled with "country of origin."  

Although the law was years in the making, it seems timely considering the recent food scares, such as the Chinese melamine debacle.  Of course, many of the food scares are domestic in origin anyway, such as the tomatoes suspected of  food poisoning.



 International Trade  | Comments (0)

Eric J Lohry,  North Sioux City, South Dakota   October 1st, 2008 09:43:39 AM
As the general economy slides, so have commodities, bringing relief to livestock producers caught in the squeeze.  

Soy futures (and grains in general) continue a general decline that started weeks ago, but at a much sharper rate.  Other commodities have fallen, such as oil, as the  world economy cools demand.  Some livestock prices - live hogs for example - have seen more stable prices.

Image:Livestock Producers Will love This!



 Commodities  |  International Trade  |  Livestock  | Comments (0)

Eric J Lohry,  North Sioux City, South Dakota   September 30th, 2008 11:46:31 AM
According to an article at flex-news-food.com, Gary Johnson, Senior Director of Worldwide Supply Chain for McDonald's Corporation, stated that "natural, or hormone and antibiotic free [meat], is valued in the UK, Germany, France, and Australia, and trending that way in the U.S. as well".  Johnson was speaking at the World Meat Conference at Cape Town, South Africa last week.  

McDonald's served 56 million customers per day in 2007 and "is continuing to grow rapidly".  

The world wide demand for meat raised without antibiotics is driving several research projects at Nutraferma.  Our customers have pressed us for solutions as consumer demands pressure the industry.  

Nutraferma's products, PepSoyGen, Natufermen and Lactocare, offer high quality direct fed microbials that assist livestock producers struggling to manage health without using antibiotics.



 International Trade  |  Livestock  |  Nutraferma  |  Protein Products  | Comments (2)

Eric J Lohry,  Sioux City Office   September 30th, 2008 07:33:00 AM
Chipotle Mexican Grill Pushes "Naturally Raised" Meat


In a recent article about consumers and the "source of food", a spokesman for Chipotle put forth their definition of "naturally raised":

Chipotle Mexican Grill, a burrito and taco chain that has long touted the quality of its ingredients, says that all of its restaurant serve naturally raised pork. The company defines "naturally raised" as antibiotic-free, raised on vegetarian feed and on farms with open space, such as pastures or deeply bedded pens.

About half of Chipotle's restaurants serve beef and about 80 percent serve chicken raised under similar guidelines, the company says, and names some of its suppliers on its Web site.

"I think a majority of customers don't know that we do it," said Chris Arnold, a spokesman for Chipotle. "They're starting to. They're becoming more interested in sustainable issues across the board. But we didn't do it because people were asking for it, we did it because we thought it was the right thing to do. I think the unfortunate thing is you're seeing a lot of companies ... advertise things fresh and natural when they are not."

Chipotle is certainly a leader in naturally raised meat, but many more are following.  

Nutraferma is a leader in providing alternatives to animal proteins (although we have no way of knowing if our products end up in Chipotle's supply chain - yet!)  PepSoyGen, a high quality fermented soy product, has shown in university trials to be a replacement for fishmeal and animal proteins.  Nutraferma's DFM products aid livestock producers rasing animals without antibiotics.

 

 Fermented Products  |  Livestock  |  Nutraferma  | Comments (0)
Eric J Lohry,  North Sioux City, South Dakota   September 29th, 2008 09:30:00 PM