U.S Department of Agriculture

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U.S Department of Agriculture report projects rebound after record-low orange production in FL

No crop is perhaps more emblematic of the Sunshine State than the mighty orange, which makes it an emotional injury as well as an economic one that the Florida staple has seen a decades-long slip in production.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/10/12/u-s-department-of-agriculture-report-projects-rebound-after-record-low-orange-production-in-fl/?

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Dairy cattle must be tested for bird flu before moving between states, agriculture officials say

Dairy cattle moving between states must be tested for the bird flu virus, U.S. agriculture officials said Wednesday as they try to track and control the growing outbreak.

https://apnews.com/article/bird-flu-avian-influenza-h5n1-hpai-60ce37b87616995fee5ec7faead37dde?

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U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday $300 million in funding for more than 60 groups seeking to diversify American agricultural exports.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/21/u-s-department-of-agriculture-to-fund-300-million-in-grants-to-boost-exports/?

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Recall of Boar’s Head deli meats announced during investigation of listeria outbreak

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials Friday announced a recall of some Boar’s Head liverwurst and deli meats as they investigate a listeria outbreak that has sickened nearly three dozen people and caused two deaths.

https://apnews.com/article/listeria-outbreak-deli-meat-liverwurst-2ab9ad2db304d829807982a53898cdb1?

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Boar’s Head expands recall to include 7 million more pounds of deli meats tied to listeria outbreak

The popular deli meat company Boar’s Head is recalling an additional 7 million pounds of ready-to-eat products made at a Virginia plant as an investigation into a deadly outbreak of listeria food poisoning continues, U.S. Agriculture Department officials said Tuesday.

https://apnews.com/article/boars-head-listeria-deli-meat-ebff78f4d6e5dad8483a6063623cd9a1?

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Deli meat recall

 

A recall of Boar's Head meat linked with a listeria outbreak has been expanded to include 7 million additional pounds of products. Last week, the company recalled more than 200,000 pounds of ready-to-eat liverwurst products and some other deli meats amid an outbreak of listeria illnesses linked to sliced meat from grocery store deli counters. The company is recalling 71 items, including many ham, bologna, bacon, frankfurter and sausage products. More than 30 illnesses have been reported in 13 states, including 33 hospitalizations and two deaths, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Tuesday.

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USDA to take ‘additional step’ in testing beef from former dairy cattle for bird flu

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to embark on a year-long study beginning next month that will test samples for evidence of highly pathogenic avian influenza from former dairy cattle moved into meat production.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/08/14/usda-to-take-additional-step-in-testing-beef-from-former-dairy-cattle-for-bird-flu/?

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Perdue recalls 167,000 pounds of chicken nuggets after consumers find metal wire in some packages

NEW YORK (AP) — Check your freezer. Perdue Foods is recalling more than 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken nuggets and tenders after some customers reported finding metal wire embedded in the products.

https://apnews.com/article/perdue-chicken-nugget-recall-metal-wire-cbca0d8706fc3fe54e18b0d46afed987?

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Company recalls nearly 10 million pounds of meat and poultry dishes for listeria contamination

A company is recalling nearly 10 million pounds of meat and poultry products made at an Oklahoma plant because they may be contaminated with listeria bacteria that can cause illness and death. 

https://apnews.com/article/brucepac-listeria-meat-recall-f4d8db2752137f5bdaa5fbfcc12dd3d6?

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Listeria recall grows to 12 million pounds of meat and poultry, some of it sent to US schools

A nationwide recall of meat and poultry products potentially contaminated with listeria has expanded to nearly 12 million pounds and now includes ready-to-eat meals sent to U.S. schools, restaurants and major retailers, federal officials said.

https://apnews.com/article/brucepac-meat-listeria-recall-98d34858d2b909b69525dc089654cc9d?

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USDA mandates federal bird flu testing in milk

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday announced a federal order that the country's milk supply be tested for bird flu.

https://www.axios.com/2024/12/06/usda-h1n1-bird-flu-milk-testing?

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USDA launches national testing of milk from dairy farms to track bird flu outbreak

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday it will require dairy farms to share samples of unpasteurized milk when requested, in an effort to gather more information about the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/12/08/dc/usda-launches-national-testing-of-milk-from-dairy-farms-to-track-bird-flu-outbreak/?

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USDA documented insects and slime at Boar’s Head plants, records show

Government inspectors documented unsanitary conditions at several Boar’s Head deli meat plants, not just the factory that was shut down last year after a deadly outbreak of listeria poisoning, federal records show.

https://apnews.com/article/listeria-boars-head-deli-meat-65c4016aea0fc9e8505350ebc7b41e39?

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Second type of bird flu detected in US dairy cows Dairy cattle in Nevada have been infected with a new type of bird flu that’s different from the version that has spread in U.S. herds since last year, Agriculture Department officials said Wednesday. The detection indicates that distinct forms of the virus known as Type A H5N1 have spilled over from wild birds into cattle at least twice Read more.

Why this matters: A version of H5N1, known as D1.1, was confirmed in Nevada cattle on Friday. It was detected in milk collected as part of a surveillance program launched in December. The D1.1 variant was linked to the first U.S. death tied to bird flu. At least 67 people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu, mostly those who work closely with dairy or cattle, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Wisconsin couple sues Walgreens and Optum Rx, saying son died after $500 price rise for asthma meds   VA nurses are in short supply. Unions say Trump’s deferred resignation plan could make things worse   San Francisco grants new mayor ‘unprecedented’ powers to battle fentanyl crisis   Bird flu Six dairy herds in Nevada have tested positive for a newer strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus that's been associated with at least two severe infections in humans, according to the Nevada Department of Agriculture. This is the second known instance of avian flu being introduced into cattle herds by birds, and experts say it marks a turning point in the nation's efforts to contain the virus. Scientists are studying the newer strain, D1.1, to try to learn more about its capabilities and how it appears to be spreading so aggressively.

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Bird flu

The USDA has issued a conditional license for a bird flu vaccine for use in chickens amid an outbreak that's ravaging poultry flocks, contributing to the high price of eggs. Historically, this type of vaccine has been thought to carry a number of complications, including making it difficult to detect the virus in inoculated birds and trade concerns. But the strategy may be shifting as bird flu spreads to other types of animals, like cattle, and becomes more difficult to contain: Over the last 30 days, at least 145 flocks have been confirmed to have avian flu, affecting more than 20 million birds. More than 150 million birds have been affected since the current outbreak began in 2022.

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? USDA uproots D.C. workforce

The Agriculture Department will move thousands of employees out of the nation's capital in a reorganization the agency says puts them closer to farmers and ranchers.

• Why it matters: The move is part of President Trump's effort to make the federal government slimmer and more efficient, which received a boost from the Supreme Court this month.

Around 2,600 workers — more than half of its D.C. workforce — will be moved to five hubs: Raleigh; Kansas City, Mo.; Indianapolis; Fort Collins, Colo.; and Salt Lake City.

• The union representing federal workers immediately criticized the plan as a ploy to cut federal jobs, pointing out that 95% of the department's employees already work outside Washington.

Go deeper.

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USDA is reopening some 2,100 offices to help farmers access $3B in aid despite the ongoing shutdown The Agriculture Department will reopen about 2,100 county offices all across the country on Thursday, despite the ongoing government shutdown to help farmers and ranchers get access to $3 billion of aid from existing programs. Read more.

Why this matters: The USDA said each Farm Service Agency office will have two workers who will be paid even though the government remains closed. These offices help farmers apply for farm loans, crop insurance, disaster aid and other programs. Thousands of other federal employees like air traffic controllers are working without pay during the shutdown.   A USDA spokesperson said this move reflects President Trump’s commitment to helping farmers and ranchers, who are traditionally some of his strongest supporters. Recently, some of them have been unhappy with Trump’s latest moves although his support remains strong across rural America. Just this week, ranchers were unhappy with Trump’s idea to import more beef from Argentina because that could hurt their profits, and earlier this month soybean farmers complained that a $20 billion aid package for Argentina allowed that country to sell soybeans to China.   The House Agriculture Committee Democrats said on X that this shows that Trump and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins “could have supported farmers all along, but you chose not to because you’d rather use farmers’ pain to score cheap political points while increasing the cost of living for ordinary Americans by making food and health care more expensive.”