Coronavirus
GRAPHIC: COVID-19 death rates in rural communities surpassed urban ones in September
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In December, small towns had a rate of about 10 deaths a week, according to a USDA analysis.
Opinion
Opinion: USDA was duplicit in passing new pork inspection final rule
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Everybody kept telling us that USDA's new Swine Inspection Service was just dandy. Former USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue literally gushed and fawned over it:
Opinion
Opinion: 3D printed meat may soon be in your future
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Many 3D observers suggest the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated 3D printing. Now we learn it's just a hop, skip, and a jump from churning out metal and plastic parts to wait for it...ribeye steaks.
Government
After 20 years of advocacy, Black farmers finally get debt relief
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Congress could pass as early as today one of the most sweeping relief programs for minority farmers in the nation’s history, through a provision of President Biden’s pandemic stimulus bill. Although the landmark legislation, which would cancel $4 billion worth of debt, seemed to emerge out of nowhere, it actually is the result of more than 20 years of organizing by Black farmers.
Graphic of the Week
GRAPHIC: One in six U.S. residents get sick from food poisoning each year. These are among the costliest germs.
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Foodborne illnesses cost more than $15 billion a year in medical expenses and lost productivity and wages, according to the federal government.
Coronavirus
OSHA and USDA waited months into pandemic to coordinate effort into COVID-19 crisis in meatpacking plants, emails show
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OSHA and USDA waited until April of last year — more than three months into the pandemic and after a plant shut down because workers fell ill — to plan a response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases at meatpacking plants, according to emails obtained by Public Citizen.
Opinion
USDA Secretary nominee will need to change his spots to meet unprecedented challenges
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Big Ag must have breathed a huge collective sigh of relief when President-elect Joe Biden tapped Tom Vilsack to be secretary of USDA. For Big Ag Vilsack is like your grandfather's favorite slippers – comfortable, cuddley warm, and dependable.
Agribusiness
Plagued by COVID outbreaks, the meatpacking industry could be forced to change under Biden
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While president-elect Joe Biden has not announced any specific plans to protect meatpacking workers, advocates believe there are things he could, and should, do.
Dicamba on Trial
EPA documents show dicamba damage worse than previously thought
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The pesticide harmed tens of thousands of farmers, overwhelmed state agriculture departments and damaged research plots across the United States, according to documents the federal agency released Tuesday. Wide swaths of natural areas and rural communities were also poisoned.
Agribusiness
GRAPHIC: Facing challenges, honeybees’ production has dropped in the U.S.
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Honeybee colonies' average yearly production has dropped 30 percent since 1995.