Latest U.S. Department of Agriculture News
Feds sue operator of dog breeding facility, seize beagles
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Federal officials have accused a company that runs a Virginia facility breeding dogs for research of violating animal welfare law and recently seized at least 145 beagles found to be in “acute distress,” according to a lawsuit filed Thursday. The Envigo RMS...
Biden invokes Defense Production Act for formula shortage
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to speed production of infant formula and authorized flights to import supply from overseas, as he faces mounting political pressure over a domestic shortage caused by the safety-related closure of the country's largest...
Biden invokes Defense Production Act for formula shortage
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday invoked the Defense Production Act to speed production of infant formula and authorized flights to import supply from overseas, as he faces mounting political pressure over a domestic shortage caused by the safety-related closure of the country's...
Tennessee State gets $1.9M agriculture grant from USDA
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee State University won a $1.9 million grant for its College of Agriculture to lead a group of historically Black schools in research around sustainable agriculture and environmental conservation, the college announced on Monday. The 1890 Center of...
Hemp grower in NC looks to medical marijuana’s future
WILSON, N.C. (AP) — Wilson County’s only commercial hemp grower says if medical marijuana becomes legal in North Carolina, he will be a good candidate to grow it with the knowledge he has gained. Delmer Langley, owner of D.E.L. Hemp Farm, received a license to grow hemp from the...
Report: Trump officials, meat companies knew workers at risk
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the meat processing industry worked closely with political appointees in the Trump administration to stave off health restrictions and keep slaughterhouses open even as the virus spread rapidly among workers, according to a...
Amid avian flu, Michigan bans bird shows at fairs, exhibits
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan officials have temporarily banned all poultry and waterfowl exhibitions amid the avian flu outbreak that's spreading quickly across the U.S. and has prompted farms to euthanize millions of birds. Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural...
USDA says Maine blueberry growers had a big 2021
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Federal data released this week confirmed that Maine's wild blueberry growers had a strong season in 2021. Maine is the only state with commercial-scale wild blueberry growers in the U.S. Growers said last year that they felt the crop bounced back from a...
USDA: Farmers in 4 states can apply for drought loans
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says drought during the growing season has made farmers in most of Texas, all of Louisiana and parts of Arkansas and Mississippi eligible to apply for federal aid. The department’s Farm Service Agency says low-interest...
Alabama-based Pop’s Que and Stew recalls frozen stew product
OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama-based business is recalling more than 12,000 pounds of its frozen stew products that were made without a federal inspection, federal agriculture officials said. Pop’s Que and Stew, of Opelika, Alabama, is recalling about 12,472 pounds of the...
