The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend up to $750 million to build a sterile fly production facility in Texas to fight the flesh-eating livestock pest New World screwworm, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Friday, Aug. 15.
USDA to build Texas facility to fight flesh-eating screwworm
Sterile flys to keep infection out of U.S.
U.S. Republicans continue push to override California animal welfare law
Proposition 12 has potential to affect Canadian hog farmers who frequently sell into the U.S. market
U.S. Republicans are continuing years-long effort to override a California's Proposition 12, which bans the sale of pork from pigs kept in tightly confined spaces, arguing in a House Agriculture Committee hearing that the law is overly burdensome to farmers.
U.S. farm secretary says ‘no amnesty’ for farmworkers from deportation
USDA will curb farmland purchases by “foreign adversaries” including China says Rollins
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that there will be “no amnesty” for agricultural workers as President Donald Trump’s administration moves to deport all immigrants in the country illegally.
USDA plans sterile fly facility in Texas to combat screwworm
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced plans on Wednesday to open a sterile fly dispersal facility in Hidalgo County, Texas, as part of the country's effort to fight the encroachment of New World screwworm.
ICE walks back limits on raids targeting farms, restaurants and hotels
Farmers fear intensified ICE enforcement will affect workforce
U.S. immigration officials have walked back limits on enforcement targeting farms, restaurants, hotels and food processing plants just days after putting restrictions in place, two former officials familiar with the matter said, an abrupt shift that followed contradictory public statements by President Donald Trump.
U.S. Senate bill would shrink tax credit for biofuels made from foreign feedstocks
U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday proposed a tax bill that would extend a clean fuel tax credit through 2031, but trim 20 per cent of the value of the credit for biofuels made from feedstocks produced outside of the United States.
Staff exodus at U.S. farm agency leaves fewer experts to battle bird flu
Animal disease unit of USDA has lost 16 per cent of staff
Chicago/Washington | Reuters – Hundreds of veterinarians, support staff and lab workers at the animal health arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture have left under the Trump administration’s push for resignations, according to three sources familiar with the situation, leaving fewer specialists to respond to animal disease outbreaks. The departures come as the country […] Read more
U.S. FDA suspends milk quality tests amid workforce cuts
Washington | Reuters – The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for testing of fluid milk and other dairy products due to reduced capacity in its food safety and nutrition division, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. The suspension is another disruption to the nation’s food safety programs after […] Read more
U.S. FDA suspends program to improve bird flu testing due to staff cuts
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is suspending efforts to improve its bird flu testing of milk, cheese and pet food due to massive staff cuts at the agency, according to an email seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the situation.
Trump administration is ‘months away’ from direct payments to farmers, Rollins says
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Fox News on Thursday that the administration is "months away" from making a decision about whether to make payments to farmers to offset any impact from tariffs.
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
