Valley Oaks Steak Co., Johnson County, Mo., ceased operations, effective immediately.

Major food and retail companies, cattle producers, veterinarians, scientists and non-governmental organizations jointly adopted the U.S. Beef Industry Sustainability Framework, what is said to be the first-ever resource to demonstrate U.S. beef sustainability across the full value-chain.

McDonald’s, Chicago, announced an antibiotic use policy to reduce the overall use of antibiotics, as defined by the World Health Organization.

Golden West Food Group (GWFG), Vernon, Calif., partnered with Snake River Farms (SRF), Boise, Idaho, to produce value-added consumer packaged goods and distribute American Wagyu beef to premium retailers nationwide.

Cargill, Minneapolis, teamed up with The Nature Conservancy, Arlington County, Va., and Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., St. Louis, Mo., to launch a 3-year water project to improve the sustainability of the beef supply chain.

The first three months of Cargill’s Canadian beef sustainability pilot project yielded encouraging results, proving the model works and demonstrating significant potential to scale the program.

According to research conducted by World Resources Institute (WRI), Washington, D.C., beef accounts for nearly half of the land use and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food Americans eat.

Verde Farms, Woburn, Mass., acquired Estancia Beef, the Petaluma, Calif.-based import division of El Raigon Natural Beef Co.

Working as a committee within the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB), a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based group of representatives from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union and the United States began work that will lead to GRSB's definition framework for sustainable beef.