USDA mandates bird flu tests of dairy cows before transport Dairy farmers will be required to test their cattle for the H5N1 bird flu virus before shipping them across state lines, announced Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday as the government tries to prevent the spread of the disease and… Continue reading
Ten ag panelists on list of vulnerable House Democrats The campaign committee for House Democrats lists 10 members of the House Agriculture Committee among 29 “Frontline Democrats” in a fundraising appeal. “We must defend all 29 vulnerable Democrats running for re-election” if the party is to win a House majority… Continue reading
Farm bill vote in committee before Memorial Day, says House Ag chairman After repeated delays, House Agriculture chairman Glenn Thompson said on Tuesday that his committee, “without a doubt, will mark up a farm bill before Memorial Day.” Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee plan to release a farm bill… Continue reading
House Republicans embrace ‘pretty radical’ farm bill ideas — Vilsack Most of the Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee — 21 of 29 — support “pretty radical” farm bill proposals at a time when only a bipartisan bill is sure of enactment, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday. “It… Continue reading
Bird flu found in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas The USDA announced Monday that unpasteurized milk samples from sick cattle at two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas, as well as an oropharyngeal swab from another dairy in Texas, tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)…. Continue reading
California’s water board hit with civil rights complaint over tainted water A coalition of public interest groups filed a civil rights complaint against California’s top water board last week, accusing the agency of perpetuating environmental racism along the state’s Central Coast. According to the complaint, the region’s agricultural industry has… Continue reading
Climate change will drive up food costs, threatening political stability Global warming may drive up food inflation by as much as 3.2 percentage points a year, based on temperature increases projected for 2035, according to a paper published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment on Thursday. Warming is also… Continue reading
Agriculture grows in tribal nations Agriculture in Indian Country was a nearly $6.5 billion industry in 2022, according to the most recent Census of Agriculture, up from $3.5 billion just five years earlier. Cattle ranching was the most common form of agriculture production, occurring on 39 percent of farms operated… Continue reading
Farm and food coalition is key to passing farm bill The only way to pass a farm bill this year is to assemble a farm and food coalition of rural and urban lawmakers, said Senate Agriculture chairwoman Debbie Stabenow at a farm conference on Monday. “We need to be strengthening… Continue reading
Administration calls for full WIC funding in 2024 Congress should provide an additional $1 billion for the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program in January when it votes on funding for the USDA and several other federal departments, said Biden administration officials on Wednesday. COP28 encourages global shift to sustainable… Continue reading
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