Bird Flu Beef Safe and Finding Suitable Agribusiness Candidates

**After bird flu was found in dairy cattle, the Meat Institute says that properly prepared beef is safe to eat and not a safety risk to humans.

Meat Institute President Julie Anna Potts says the CDC and USDA food safety experts say HPAI cannot be transmitted to humans by eating meat or poultry products.

She says the Meat Institute is vigilant in efforts to stop the spread of the disease.

**U.S. employers report challenges in finding suitable job candidates with work-ready skills to fill open roles in the agri-food industry.

AgCareers.com surveyed employers and found they ranked “problem solving and decision making” as the most necessary skills for all employees, followed by “organization and planning skills,” and “teamwork.”

Problem-solving and decision-making were also identified as areas with the most significant gap for both current employees and new graduate hires.

**The USDA’s Prospective Plantings Report shows corn planted area will be 90 million acres this year, down 5% from last year.

The all-wheat planted area for this year is estimated at 47.5 million acres, 4% below 2023 for comparable states.

The 2024 winter wheat planted area, at 34.1 million acres, is down 7% from last year and 1% from the previous estimate for comparable states.