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
Tag Archives Dairy Cattle
U.S. FDA suspends milk quality tests amid workforce cuts
Dairy farm milk price drops for 2025
The Canadian Dairy Commission announced Nov. 1, 2024 that a decline in feed prices and the stabilization of other costs on dairy farms across the country means that the benchmark on-farm price for milk will decline by 0.0237 per cent starting in February 2025.
Study indicates methane emissions from dairy farms higher than previously thought
To reach net zero by 2050, the UK must reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and methane emissions from farm livestock pose a thorny problem. Ruminants such as cattle and sheep emit methane from their digestive systems and their manure. Scientists are trying to find ways to reduce these methane emissions without wiping out large parts of […] Read more
Bird flu spreads to California dairy cows
Cows at three dairy farms in California tested positive for H5N1 bird flu at the end of August, marking an expansion of the virus into the largest dairy producing region of the United States, according to an announcement from the state’s agriculture department. More than 190 herds have been infected across the U.S. since March, […] Read more
Farm connections flagged in infectious disease spread
Shared equipment, workers may play roles in interstate spread
Glacier FarmMedia – When Dr. Deb Murray arrived at a sow barn to deliver the news that porcine epidemic diarrhea virus had broken out, she immediately organized an emergency management plan. Why it matters: Hog barn workers’ morale can suffer when a disease outbreak occurs among the animals. Then she noticed most of the staff […] Read more
Canadian genomic option coming for non-herdbook dairy breeders
Testing will still be done in the United States
Canadian dairy breeders may be able to acquire genomic evaluations within Canada later this year for domestically bred cows not registered in national breed association herdbooks. Why it matters: The change will allow all Canadian-born dairy cattle to receive a genomic evaluation based on Canadian calculations. The proposed change was outlined by Lactanet chief services […] Read more
Owner-sampled dairy cattle herds will see earlier genetic evaluations
Lactanet proposes move to monthly official evaluations for Canadian cows in early 2025
More dairy cows in Canada may have the potential to achieve top-rated status in publicly released genetic rankings, thanks to a change being introduced by the Lactanet organization in early 2025. The change will be of particular benefit to herds in which monthly milk samples are collected unsupervised by the herd owner. Why it matters: […] Read more
Getting a GRIP on agriculture research
New communication system aims to bridge gap between farm and laboratory
Research results don’t flow naturally from the lab to the barn. In the 1990s, government driven extension services delivered research results to producers. Researchers didn’t often meet the farmers their work would help and farmers didn’t have ready access to researchers to be sure the findings were topical and practical. That disconnected system of communication […] Read more
Bird flu continues to spread in U.S. dairy farms
The number of dairy farms in the United States that have reported bird flu among their livestock increased to 94 in a dozen states, according to reports. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control said the risk to humans remains low. The CDC noted it’s monitoring more than 500 people with 45 tested for bird flu. […] Read more
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
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
