Industry News
Sec. Mike Naig says the U.S. government is using what he describes as a three-legged stool approach to address the virus in the dairy and poultry industries.
With food recalls skyrocketing, one might find it hard to discern whether they’re reading a current USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service report or a chapter straight out of Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel “The Jungle.”
Outgoing USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture acknowledging the progress made in reopening cattle trade between the two countries following the detection of New World Screwworm, but says more action is needed to resume trade.
The report echoes calls by other scientists to ramp up the surveillance of felines, which are susceptible to the virus and have a high mortality rate. The AVMA says several cases in cats linked to poultry or wild bird exposure had been reported before the outbreak began in dairy cows last spring.
Reuters reports that the union representing 45,000 dock workers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and their employers reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract.
As 2024 comes to an end, roughly 70% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought and dryness. What does that mean for 2025? According to one meteorologist, in six of the past 10 years with a really dry fall, the spring to follow was also dry.
Nearly half of all farmworkers are undocumented, and industries such as dairy and meatpacking plants are especially vulnerable to labor shortages.
The CR includes nearly $110 billion in disaster and farmer aid, which includes $10 billion in farmer aid and $21 billion ag disaster aid. $2 billion of that disaster aid is specifically for livestock producers. The measure also includes a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill.
The eroding health of the overall farm economy was the emphasis of the latest Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor, which is a survey of nearly 70 leading agricultural economists from across the country.
The Rural Prosperity and Food Security Act, which builds on the proposal Stabenow released in May, includes $39 billion in new resources “to keep farmers farming, families fed and rural communities strong.”