The Department of Agriculture is seeking comments regarding the labeling of meat and poultry products made using cultured cells derived from animals. USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service published an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to solicit comments. FSIS will use the comments to create future regulatory requirements for labeling the food products. In…… MORE
Category Archives: Agriculture News
Ag Leaders Urge Farmers to Get Vaccinated
More than 30 state and national agricultural organizations recently joined to promote vaccination among farmers and rural Americans. In an open letter to association members, the organizations added another voice to the call to get vaccinated. In addition, the groups utilized an opinion editorial published in the Des Moines Register to share a message…… MORE
Exemption Extended for Livestock Haulers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is extending the exemption from hours-of-service requirements for livestock haulers. Advocated by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the organization says livestock haulers continue to need the flexibility for the well-being of livestock during hauls, and to keep grocery stores stocked with beef during the continued disruption of COVID-19.…… MORE
Ag Secretary On Trade Forecast
The Department of Agriculture’s quarterly trade forecast shows that U.S. agricultural exports not only continue at a record-setting pace for fiscal year 2021, but they will eclipse the 2021 total in fiscal year 2022. The August forecast is USDA’s first look at expected exports for 2022. Following the report, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says…… MORE
Western House Members Ask for FEMA Disaster Declaration
More than two dozen members of Congress are asking President Biden to declare a drought disaster in the western United States as record temperatures and wildfires hit several states hard. Democrats Joe Neguse of Colorado and Jared Huffman of northern California, whose districts have been hit hard by drought and wildfires, joined 31 other…… MORE
Vacant Ag Trade Positions
Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley called on President Biden to fill a couple of key USDA positions that deal with agricultural trade. He wants qualified officials appointed to the positions of Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. “I write to…… MORE
USDA Creates Dairy Donation Program
Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Jewel Bronaugh is announcing the establishment of a $400 million Dairy Donation Program. The program aims to facilitate timely dairy product donations while reducing food waste. The establishment of DDP is part of the $6 billion pandemic assistance USDA announced in March and follows last week’s announcement of the…… MORE
USDA Updates CFAP 2.0
The Department of Agriculture announced Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2, or CFAP 2, funds for contract livestock producers and specialty crop growers. CFAP 2 assists producers who faced market disruptions in 2020 due to COVID-19. USDA announced $1 billion is available through the program to contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry for revenue…… MORE
Cash Rents Continue Higher
The National Agricultural Statistics Service says farmers around the nation paid an average of $141 an acre to rent cropland in 2021. That’s two dollars higher than last year and up by seven dollars compared to five years ago. To get the numbers, NASS surveys roughly 250,000 farmers with $1,000 or more in agricultural…… MORE
Dairy Safety Net Improvements
The Department of Agriculture released details of the Pandemic Market Volatility Assistance Program this week. Through the program, USDA will provide $350 million in pandemic assistance payments to dairy farmers who received a lower value for their products due to market abnormalities caused by the pandemic. The assistance is part of a larger package,…… MORE
