A swine virus deadly to young pigs, one never before seen in North America, is spreading rapidly across the U.S. and proving harder to control than previously believed. The virus now has spread to 13 states — with more than 100 positive cases to date — since it was first diagnosed in the United States […] Read more
Piglet virus spreads to 13 U.S. states
U.S. pork industry hunts for hog diarrhea virus
The sudden and widespread appearance of a swine virus deadly to young pigs — one never before seen in North America — is raising questions about the biosecurity shield designed to protect the U.S. food supply. The swine-only virus, the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), poses no danger to humans or other animals, and the […] Read more
PFGBest boss gets 50 years’ jail for fraud
A U.S. judge on Thursday sentenced the founder of Peregrine Financial Group (PFGBest) to 50 years in prison for looting hundreds of millions of dollars from the brokerage, saying his customers would probably never recover the money they lost. Russell Wasendorf Sr., who had tried to kill himself just before the fraud was uncovered last […] Read more
Iowa farmland sale hits new record high at $21,900 an acre
As the Midwest struggles with the ripple effects of this year’s devastating drought, farmland prices in Iowa hit a new record high on Thursday when an 80.47-acre parcel sold for $21,900 an acre, the auction firm that handled the sale said Friday. The parcel is located in Sioux County near Boyden, Iowa, about 42 miles […] Read more
ABC News seeks federal venue for “pink slime” lawsuit
ABC News sought on Wednesday to move to federal court a meat processor’s defamation lawsuit over reports about lean finely textured beef, a product that critics have labeled "pink slime." Lawyers for the network filed to transfer the case, brought last month by Beef Products Inc., the leading producer of the product, from of a […] Read more
Ego too big to fail, PFG founder admits 20-year fraud
Russell Wasendorf Sr., arrested on Friday, confessed to a 20-year fraud at his now-bankrupt Iowa brokerage, saying business troubles and his "big" ego left him no choice: "So I cheated." In the dramatic conclusion to a week-long saga that has shaken trader confidence in the trillion-dollar U.S. futures markets, authorities released parts of a detailed […] Read more
U.S. beef processor shuts plants over “pink slime”
Beef Products Inc., the top producer of ammonia-treated beef product dubbed "pink slime" by critics, said Monday it had halted production at three of its four plants in three states for 60 days from Monday. Rich Jochum, corporate administrator for the South Dakota-based company, said that the temporary closure could become "a permanent suspension." "This […] Read more
Farmland boom alters 40-year Iowa corn yield model
In response to surging Midwest farmland prices, researchers in Iowa are overhauling a decades-old formula used to predict corn yields, which will allow farmers and tax officials to more accurately value property. The corn suitability rating (CSR) has long been a Midwestern benchmark to forecast how productive an Iowa farm will be if corn is […] Read more
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