Department of Agriculture

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Why Milk Could Hit $8 a Gallon
 Why Milk Could Hit $8 a Gallon 
Dec 21, 2012 11:14 AM CST

Why Milk Could Hit $8 a Gallon

Old law could be reinstated if Congress can't reach compromise

(Newser) - If Congress doesn't get its act together soon, old laws will cost all of America dearly—we're speaking, of course, of the Milk Cliff. If legislators don't take a break from fiscal cliff negotiations/posturing and pass a new farm bill by Jan. 1, the government will be...

Half of US Counties Now Disaster Areas

Drought has ravaged much of the nation

(Newser) - The worst drought in decades has officially ravaged more than half the counties in America. The USDA declared 218 counties across a dozen states natural disaster areas yesterday, bringing the total number of counties bearing that distinction to 1,584, the AP reports. The disaster designation makes farmers and ranchers...

Non-Browning Apple Has Growers Seeing Red

Genetically-engineered fruit has some growers fuming

(Newser) - It sounds like magic: an apple that won't turn brown when cut or bruised. But the genetically-engineered fruit's special powers aren't enough to win over other apple growers, who say it's just unnatural. The Arctic Apple, from small Canadian firm Okanagan Specialty Fruits, could hurt consumers'...

Record Corn Harvest Could Sink Food Prices

Agriculture officials predict a bumper crop this year

(Newser) - Consumers could see some relief from higher food prices by late fall, if the latest government crop forecast holds up. The US Agriculture Department predicted today that corn production will total 14.8 billion bushels, with a record yield of 166 bushels per acre. That compares with 12.4 billion...

Mad Cow Disease Shows Up in California

Authorities say food chain is safe

(Newser) - For the first time since 2006, US officials have confirmed a new case of mad cow disease, this time in California. The dairy cow's illness was detected during routine testing at a rendering plant by the USDA. None of the affected cow's meat got into human food, the...

Governors Defend Pink Slime by Eating It

In attempt to combat 'unwarranted food scare'

(Newser) - Pink slime is perfectly safe to eat, but it has a bit of a PR problem, according to federal authorities and a coalition of at least four governors. Department of Agriculture officials say the "slime"—leftover beef trimmings sometimes treated with ammonium hydroxide—is actually a low-cost way...

Agriculture Dept. OKs 'Pink Slime' for Schools

Critics say filler not safe, not real meat, but beef biz fights back

(Newser) - "Pink slime" may be too dubious for McDonald's , but apparently the ammonia-treated beef filler is good enough for America's schoolchildren. The US Department of Agriculture is set to give the go-ahead today, allowing schools to use ground beef containing the so-called pink slime, reports ABC News . "...

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch

Preschooler ends up eating chicken nuggets instead of home-packed meal

(Newser) - A North Carolina preschooler arrived at school with a lunch packed by her mom, but ended up eating just three chicken nuggets from the school cafeteria because a state agent didn't think her packed lunch was nutritious enough. Pre-kindergarten programs are required to serve lunches that meet USDA guidelines—...

Farmers Fret as USDA Shuts Hundreds of Offices

Critics worry move will compromise public safety

(Newser) - The US Department of Agriculture announced plans to close 259 offices, labs, and other facilities yesterday, in a move that will save the agency $150 million per year. But the announcement has some farmers and food safety experts worried, the AP reports. "They wiped out the entire Midwest,"...

Horse Slaughterhouses Could Soon Rise Again

Congress lifts ban on funding horse meat inspections

(Newser) - When Congress passed a spending bill earlier this month to keep the government from shutting down, it quietly lifted a funding ban on horse meat inspections—meaning horses can once again be butchered in the US for human consumption, and slaughterhouses could open within 30 to 90 days. The US...

White House Backs Off Christmas Tree 'Tax'

Whatever term you use, it's not happening

(Newser) - So much for that new Christmas tree tax . After a storm of criticism on the right, the Agriculture Department has temporarily scrapped plans for the 15-cent fee, reports the Hill . Under the original plan, big producers and importers of trees would have paid 15 cents per tree, and the money...

Senate Digs In Over Potatoes in School Lunches

Thwarts Obama's attempts to limit them for childrens' health

(Newser) - The Senate yesterday subtly thwarted an Obama administration proposal to limit the amount of potatoes and other starchy vegetables school children scarf down, inserting an amendment into an Agriculture Department spending bill prohibiting the Department from setting “any maximum limits on the serving of vegetables in school meal programs....

Bachmann Slams Funds to Black Farmers

Money should go to flood victims instead, candidate says

(Newser) - Michele Bachmann says money being used to compensate black farmers who charged the federal government with grant and loan discrimination would be better spent helping US flood victims. The candidate, after touring flooded areas along the Missouri River with Republican Rep. Steve King yesterday, pointed to the multi-billion-dollar Pigford settlement...

Why US Would Be Screwed if E. Coli Hit Our Crops

Also, new details emerge about strain that 'glues' itself to intestines

(Newser) - If the new E. coli strain rampaging through Europe ever found its way into US crops, Americans would be pretty screwed—because it would be totally legal to distribute the contaminated veggies. Farmers and processors aren’t required to test their produce for emerging pathogens like this one, the Washington ...

Shirley Sherrod Back at USDA
 Shirley Sherrod Back at USDA 
May 14, 2011 3:05 PM CDT

Shirley Sherrod Back at USDA

But rather than return to old position, she will work on civil rights

(Newser) - Ten months after being forced out of the USDA, Shirley Sherrod is back. But Sherrod, who rejected an offer to return shortly after the Andrew Breitbart brouhaha, will have a new position as a contract employee, Politico reports. She will lead one of three field programs meant to improve the...

Organic Egg Farm Accused of Factory Farm Conditions

Petaluma Egg Farm is a top producer for Organic Valley label

(Newser) - Organic eggs: The phrase brings to mind chickens roaming in a pasture, foraging for food, and scratching the ground. But at California's Petaluma Egg Farm, which provides eggs under the Organic Valley label, hens are confined to screened porches with a roof and a floor. Technically, the eggs meet...

USDA Sinks $60M Into Trio of Climate Change Studies

3 projects seek adaptable agriculture for specific regions

(Newser) - The USDA is sinking $60 million into a trio of studies that will investigate how climate change affects crops and forests. The three studies will focus on specific crops in specific regions—Midwestern corn, Northwestern wheat, and pine forests in the South—and aim to help farmers and foresters continue...

Dear America, Eat Less. Sincerely, Feds

New federal guidelines urge limits on salt, saturated fat

(Newser) - Not only are the feds picking on how many Twinkies vs. how many carrots you eat, but the New York Times reports that now they're picking on how much you eat, period. The newest federal nutrition guidelines, revised every five years, predictably admonish Americans to eat more fruits and vegetables...

US Hunger Remains at Record High
US Hunger Remains at Record High
Nov 16, 2010 11:49 AM CST

US Hunger Remains at Record High

Roughly 15% of Americans are 'food insecure'

(Newser) - The number of Americans dealing with hunger remained at a record high last year, according to a new USDA report, with 14.7% of US households considered “food insecure.” That’s a hair above the 14.6% that battled hunger in 2008, and the highest level seen in...

US Pushes Cheese While Warning About Fat

NYT: USDA sends decidedly mixed messages

(Newser) - The New York Times cries foul on the Department of Agriculture for being two-faced on cheese. On the one hand, the department warns people to cut down on saturated fats, like those found in dairy products. On the other, one of the department's very own marketing arms, called Dairy Management,...

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