HOLMEN, Wisconsin
DATCP issues public health alert for Holmen Locker & Meat Market
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) is issuing a public health alert for Cured and Smoked Teriyaki Beef produced by Holmen Locker & Meat Market in Holmen. Wiscnosin. This alert is due to the product being misbranded and containing undeclared allergens.The aforementioned product contains soy and wheat, known food allergens which were not declared on the product’s label. The product was sold at Holmen Locker & Meat Market on or before August 1, 2025.
WASHINGTON
Trump teases new policy for migrant farm labor
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration will release new rules and regulations on migrant farm labor, as the country’s need for workers and the food they help produce clashes with his vow to deport undocumented immigrants, Politico reported.
Trump said that his administration will continue to deport criminals but that he wants to “work with” farmers to find a solution for their workers, oftentimes immigrants who have lived in the country illegally for decades and are paying taxes. He suggested the White House was working on a touchback program for some workers, requiring them to leave the U.S. and reenter through a legal pathway, an idea that faces strong opposition among immigration hawks who view exceptions for one industry as a slippery slope.
MADISON, Wisconsin
2025 bonus antlerless deer harvest authorizations available for purchase Aug. 18
The Wisconsin DNR announced that bonus antlerless harvest authorizations for the 2025 gun deer season will be available for purchase online through the Go Wild license portal and at license sales locations starting at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.
Bonus authorizations are sold at a rate of one per person per day until sold out or until the 2025 deer hunting season ends. Bonus authorizations are $12 each for Wisconsin residents, $20 each for non-residents and $5 each for youth ages 11 and under.
An online queuing system will be used to manage volume in Go Wild. All users entering the site between 9:45 a.m. and 10 a.m. will be randomly assigned a number and staged in a virtual queue. Users will be arranged randomly regardless of the actual time they enter the system. There is no advantage for customers who enter the site before 9:45 a.m. Users who log on after 10 a.m. will be added to the end of the existing queue in the order of arrival.
WASHINGTON
Chocolate-makers expected to raise prices as cocoa hits new highs
Hershey and other chocolate makers are continuing to hike prices, saying a volatile cocoa market gives them no choice. Hershey says it will be raising prices later this fall. The average price increase will be in the low double-digit percentages, Associated Press reported.
The Pennsylvania-based candymaker said the change is not related to tariffs or trade policies, but rather the rising costs of ingredients, mainly cocoa.
Swiss chocolatier Lindt said it raised prices by 15.8% in the first half of this year. The company said it was able to offset some of the higher cost of cocoa with long-term contracts but had to pass much of it on to consumers.
NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia
Researchers pioneer world-first FMD vaccine
A world-first biodegradable vaccine to protect livestock from foot and mouth disease has been developed through a $20 million, five-year research partnership between Meat & Livestock Australia, Tiba Biotech and the NSW Government.
While Australia remains FMD free, modelling from Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences has estimated an FMD incursion could cost the Australian economy up to $80 billion, Feedstuffs reported.
Researchers found that the new vaccine demonstrated strong, effective immune response and safety in preliminary trials in Germany. Vaccinated cattle did not contract FMD when exposed to the disease and, importantly, they did not shed the virus.
WASHINGTON
Data from the USDA shows there are 526,263 farmers in the U.S. growing corn
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) released numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture today showing there are 526,263 farmers in the U.S. growing corn.
NCGA has long said it represents the interest of over 300,000 corn growers. But that number, published by USDA, is the number of farms in the country, not the number of farmers making the decisions on the farm.
USDA released the numbers to NCGA in response to a special data tabulation request.
BEIJING, China
China wants fewer pigs
China’s pig industry representatives will gather next week in Beijing to discuss ways to reduce breeding sow numbers by a million, according to an official notice seen by Reuters, as part of a push to tackle over-capacity and stabilize prices.
Home to half the world’s pigs, China’s massive hog sector struggles with a supply glut amid weak consumer demand.
Data shows China’s sow herd hit 40.43 million head at the end of June, above the normal holding level of 39 million, Bloomberg News reported.
Cash hog prices, meanwhile, have tumbled below $1.95 per kilogram this week.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin State Farmer: Ag Briefs: Trump teases new policy for migrant farm labor
Reporting by Colleen Kottke, Wisconsin State Farmer / Wisconsin State Farmer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
