President Donald Trump’s executive order to open meatpacking plants helps ensure the food supply chain but poses risks to workers. A statement by the National Farmers Union says the organization shares the president’s concerns around maintaining food system infrastructure. However, the organization is equally concerned with the health and wellbeing of meat plant employees.…… MORE
Category Archives: Agriculture News
Livestock Producers Get Help
The Department of Agriculture announced a coordination center to assist producers impacted by meat processing plant closures late last week. USDA says livestock and poultry producers face an unprecedented emergency due to COVID-19, particularly with the closing of meat processing plants in several states. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is establishing…… MORE
Almond Acreage Keeps Growing
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the USDA, California’s 2019 almond acreage is estimated at 1,530,000 acres, up 10% from the 2018 acreage of 1,390,000. According to a report released on the web, the agencies say of the total acreage for 2019, 1,180,000 acres were bearing and 350,000 acres were non-bearing.…… MORE
Senators Want Farm Payment Caps Removed
A bipartisan group of senators wants the Trump Administration to remove the caps on the amount of direct coronavirus relief farmers can get under USDA’s new aid package. Politico says the $19 billion plan for relief, put together by President Trump and Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, includes $16 billion in direct payments, which are capped…… MORE
Farm Labor Help
The Department of Homeland Security, with support from USDA, announced a temporary final rule that would make changes to some H-2A Program requirements. A USDA release says the changes are designed to help U.S. agricultural employers find and maintain a steady supply of labor, protect the nation’s food supply chain, and lower the impact…… MORE
Ag Aid Package Coming Soon
The Department of Agriculture may roll out a plan to provide relief to farmers this week. Reuters reports the plan may be unveiled soon, as part of the billions of dollars in funding made available to farmers and ranchers through the CARES Act. USDA sources say the initial plan will include direct payments to…… MORE
Dairy Recovery Proposals
A dairy industry economist says rebalancing production can speed up market recovery. National Milk Producers Federation chief economist Peter Vitaliano says government support for dairy producers to reduce production in the coming months can speed dairy’s recovery from coronavirus-driven price declines. He says a unified, collective government action, “would probably be the best and…… MORE
USDA Addresses Milk Dumping
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency is ensuring that milk producers are not inappropriately penalized if their milk must be dumped because of recent market disruptions caused by COVID-19. The RMA is also extending inspection deadlines, waiving inspection requirements, and authorizing more crop insurance transactions over the phone and electronically to help producers during the…… MORE
Meatpackers Close Some Plants Due To Coronavirus
Fears of meatpacker employees contracting coronavirus due to the close conditions they work in have led to several facilities idling production in recent weeks. For example, Tyson Foods has temporarily ceased operations at its pork plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa, after two dozen employees were found positive with the coronavirus. Politico says at least…… MORE
Cattle Investigation Expanding
Cattle groups and senators have been putting pressure on Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue, who responded to the pressure via Twitter. His tweet says the USDA’s Packers and Stockyards Division would expand its investigation into the cattle markets. The Hagstrom Report says the inquiry will now cover the cattle market conditions stretching from a summertime…… MORE
