U.S. & Mexico Ag Secretaries Meet and Corn & Corn Gluten in Pet Foods
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**California growers are looking for new ways to remove non-productive orchards and vineyards.
Starting in January, new state rules will prevent the burning of many former vineyards as part of a gradual phaseout of agricultural burning by 2025.
One of the challenges for growers now is removing reinforcing steel from vines that previously was separated out through burning.
Enmeshed steel can’t be run through chippers.
**Bilateral meetings were held last week in Iowa between Ag Secretary’s from the U.S. and Mexico.
Tom Vilsack and Victor Villalobos focused on agricultural trade, saying “We reaffirm the importance of our two nations’ exceptional agricultural trading relationship.”
According to the USDA, the discussions highlighted the importance of continuing to work together to advance rural prosperity and to fulfill a shared responsibility to protect agricultural systems and producers.
**A recent study found corn and corn gluten meal are the top two most used plant-based ingredients in pet food products.
Corn is the dominant plant-based carbohydrate, and corn gluten meal is the dominant plant-based protein ingredient.
Thanks to pet food, the corn industry moved 1.9 million tons of product, valued at a total of $438 million.
Farmers and processors sell $6.9 billion worth of products to pet food manufacturers every year.
