Invasive Plant Found in Oregon and Beef Prices Down for Producers
From the Western Ag Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**The Oregon Department of Agriculture has confirmed A-rated Hydrilla verticillata on private property in Jackson County, marking its first detection in Oregon.
www.morningagclips.com reports the ODA enforces a quarantine against specific noxious weeds to prevent their introduction and spread.
As an A-rated species, hydrilla requires a high-priority response.
If established, it could significantly threaten Oregon’s aquatic resources and irrigation infrastructure.
Hydrilla is an invasive aquatic plant native to Asia, Africa, and Australia.
www.morningagclips.com/new-a-rated-weed-detected-in-oregon/
**USDA plans to provide more than $57 million dollars to expand meat and poultry processing capacity, potentially giving livestock producers more options for marketing their animals.
Vice President J.D. Vance and Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the funding through USDA’s Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program.
USDA has identified 147 tentative awards across 40 states.
The grants go to independent processors to increase capacity, encourage competition, and strengthen the domestic supply chain.
**Consumers paid 7% more for beef while cattle producers received 10% less, according to American Farm Bureau Federation analysis, highlighting a larger challenge for agriculture.
Farmers are price-takers, meaning they must accept market prices while absorbing higher production costs.
USDA data shows farmers received just 5.8 cents of every dollar spent on food they produced in 2024.
The remaining 94.2 cents covered processing, transportation, retail, and other costs.
