Accompanied by his four children and 14 grandchildren, former Georgia Governor Ervin “Sonny” Perdue III finally had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Agriculture Committee Thursday and will hopefully be confirmed shortly. “I know there was some anxiety over whether there would be a secretary of agriculture nominee,” Perdue began. “I must say with all the humility I can muster … Read More
NCC Calls for Withdrawal of Interim GIPSA Rules
The National Chicken Council (NCC) filed several comments this week with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) explaining the numerous reasons why the agency’s interim final rule and proposed rules are ill-advised, would inflict billions of dollars of economic harm to American agriculture, exceed GIPSA’s statutory authority, and represent an arbitrary and capricious abuse … Read More
No Tainted Brazilian Meat Entered U.S., Yet Still Re-Inspecting
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced that while none of the slaughter or processing facilities implicated in the Brazilian scandal have shipped meat products to the U.S., they are still taking extra steps to keep food supply safe. FSIS immediately instituted additional pathogen testing of all shipments of raw beef and ready-to-eat products from Brazil upon hearing … Read More
USDA Aids $6 Million to Farmers & Ranchers Hit by Wildfire
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, announced that the USDA has designated $6 million in aid to help farmers and ranchers affected by recent wildfires in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. “I am pleased USDA has acted swiftly to aid producers recovering from the largest wildfire in state history,” said Roberts. “For … Read More
Perdue Confirmation Hearing Set
Sonny Perdue will get a step closer to the office of agriculture secretary next week. The Senate agriculture committee will hold a hearing March 23 on the nomination of the former Georgia governor, who was the last cabinet member to be named by President Trump. Two other cabinet members, Robert Lighthizer for U.S. trade representative and Alexander Acosta for labor … Read More
Confirmed 2nd Case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service(APHIS) has confirmed a second case of highly pathogenic H7N9 avian influenza in a commercial breeder flock in Lincoln County, Tennessee. This H7N9 strain detected in the flock of 55,000 chickens is located in the Mississippi flyway, is the same strain of avian influenza that was previously confirmed in Tennessee and is not … Read More
India’s Dairy Sector Report from USDA
The USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released a new report about India’s dairy sector. The report and research was conducted by Maurice Landes, Jerry Cessna, Lindsay Kuberka, and Keithly Jones. India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of milk. Growth in milk supply and demand has been robust, but projections indicate that production targets will be difficult to reach … Read More
USDA Confirms Avian Flu in Commercial Flock in TN
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic H7 avian influenza (HPAI) of North American wild bird lineage in a commercial chicken breeder flock in Lincoln County, Tennessee. This is the first confirmed case of HPAI in commercial poultry in the United States this year. The flock of 73,500 is located within … Read More
USDA Announces $1.4 Million Organic Dairy Grant
In an effort to support research needed to evaluate methodologies that help maintain and improve cow health while conforming to organic regulations, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a $1.4 million grant to a team co-led by \Dr. Pablo Pinedo, a D.V.M. who is an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences … Read More
USDA Releases First Report From 2015 Equine Study
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has released the first report from its 2015 equine study, Baseline Reference of Equine Health and Management in the United States, 2015. The Equine 2015 study is the third national study of the U.S. equine industry from NAHMS. The equine studies were designed to further inform participants, industry, … Read More