Reuters – President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday said the U.S. will spend $7.3 billion from 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act to fund clean energy projects helmed by rural electric cooperatives. The 16 funded projects will reduce energy costs and increase reliability for rural Americans, who tend to pay more for energy, the White House said. […] Read more

U.S. to spend $7.3 billion on rural clean energy projects

US to expand bird-flu testing of beef in slaughterhouses
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday it will expand bird-flu testing of beef entering the food supply as part of its response to the ongoing outbreak among dairy cattle, adding that U.S. beef and dairy products remain safe to consume.

Chicken culling, disposal raise concern as bird flu spreads in U.S.
The spread of bird flu among poultry and dairy farms has heightened some health experts' concerns that the process of killing and disposing of poultry infected with the virus may pose a risk to humans and livestock.

Colorado reports human case of bird flu
Dairy farm worker had mild symptoms and recovered after antiviral treatment
Public health officials in Colorado on Wednesday announced an adult man had tested positive for avian flu after reporting mild symptoms, including conjunctivitis, or pink eye.

US farm agency to pay farmers for milk loss due to bird flu
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon begin compensating dairy farmers for the loss of milk supply due to bird flu-infected cows, the agency said on Thursday.

US to clarify enforcement of antitrust laws in meatpacking
Livestock farmers in the U.S. would have a clearer path to bringing antitrust complaints against meatpacking companies for unfair business practices under a rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday.

Two dozen companies working to find bird flu vaccine for cows, US agriculture secretary says
Reuters – Twenty-four companies are working to develop an avian flu vaccine for cattle, as the virus spreads among U.S. dairy herds, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told Reuters on Wednesday. Bird flu has infected 90 dairy herds across 12 states since late March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Three dairy farm workers […] Read more

US to research possible respiratory spread of bird flu in cows
U.S. federal and state agencies are planning research into potential respiratory spread of bird flu among dairy cattle, according to a Reuters interview with Michigan state agriculture and public health officials.

Bird flu infects third US dairy worker; Michigan set to expand testing
A third U.S. dairy worker tested positive for bird flu after exposure to infected cows, and was the first to suffer respiratory problems, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

U.S. committee passes farm bill draft with little support from Democrats
The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Committee passed its version of a $1.5 trillion farm spending bill late Thursday night with few Democratic votes, prolonging a standoff between the parties over key nutrition, agriculture, and climate policies.