USDA assesses vaccine to protect cattle from bird flu virus
The Agriculture Department said its research agency “has begun to assess the potential to develop an effective vaccine” against the H5N1 bird flu virus in cattle, although it warned that it is too early to say how long the process would take. The virus has so far infected 29 dairy herds in eight states, though there have been no detections in commercial beef herds since the disease was identified in cattle in late March.
Global cropland growth is mostly in tropics, challenging U.S. role
The world has added 398 million harvested acres of food grains, feed grains, and oilseeds since the start of the 21st century, mostly in tropical nations, said four analysts writing at the farmdoc daily blog. “Only with significant changes in its production technology” would U.S. agriculture, accustomed to being a world leader in row crops, benefit from this expansion, they said.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
$1 billion in food aid: The Biden administration will use $1 billion from a USDA reserve to buy, ship, and distribute U.S.-grown foods for emergency assistance to 18 nations in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. (USDA)
BLM to offer conservation leases: A rule released Thursday by the Bureau of Land Management would allow the agency, for the first time, to auction “restoration” and “mitigation” leases to groups looking to restore or conserve public lands. (Washington Post)
Hemp production rebound: In 2023, the industrial hemp crop was worth $291 million, most of that tied to the value of floral hemp. That’s an increase from $246 million for the 2022 crop, which was worth less than a third of the 2021 crop. (USDA)
Dry Corn Belt: With spring planting underway, nearly a quarter of U.S. corn territory is affected by drought, mostly in the western Corn Belt, where drought covers two-thirds of Iowa and more than 40 percent of Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. (Drought Monitor)
Record world grain output: Global grain production will be a record 2.301 billion metric tons this season, despite losses in the Southern Hemisphere’s corn crop caused by disease and drought. (International Grains Council)
