Agribusiness
Despite case of bird flu in a human, experts say risk to public and poultry workers remains low
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The ongoing avian flu outbreak has caused the loss of 37 million birds since February.
COVID-19 and Meatpacking
Tyson Foods authored draft version of Trump’s 2020 executive order to keep meatpacking plants open during COVID-19 pandemic, emails show
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The Tyson revelation is one finding in a new congressional report that details the myriad ways meat executives and sympathetic government allies influenced federal coronavirus response at the expense of worker safety.
OSHA and USDA should have collaborated more to protect meatpacking workers from COVID-19, government watchdog says
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An Office of Inspector General report released Tuesday concluded the two agencies could have done more to ensure the safety of meatpacking plant workers.
Department of Homeland Security
Opening this spring in Kansas: A high-tech lab researching livestock diseases
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At the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, researchers will try to find cures for and ways to prevent highly contagious diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, affecting livestock and humans.
Farm Service Agency
GRAPHIC: Midwestern states received most direct operating loans last year
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The loans are provided to farmers who don't qualify for credit from other lenders.
GRAPHIC: Fertilizer prices are spiking ahead of the planting season
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The USDA expects the prices to affect some producers' plans.
Government
Promised debt relief, some Black farmers get collection notices
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Confusion, anxiety as USDA effort is in limbo.
Black farmers
An Illinois bill aims to counteract a decades-long trend: The decline of the Black farmer
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“This bill could help usher in a new generation of African American farmers,” a Black producer said. “But, if it fails, it’s gonna continue to dwindle.”
Graphic of the Week
GRAPHIC: Large family farms produced most beef, hogs and dairy in 2020
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Large family farms in the beef industry are more likely to operate feed lots, according to the USDA.
GMO
Opinion: New labeling rules won’t make it easier to avoid GMOs
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Welcome to 2022 and the shiny new federal labeling rule that will require manufactures to disclose when foods are BIOENGINEERED! Sort of....