Congress approved US$55 million on Thursday to prevent the furlough of all U.S. meat inspectors this summer, a step that could have driven up meat prices and created spot shortages in grocery stores and restaurants. The money for meat inspectors was part of a bill to pay for federal operations through the end of this […] Read more
U.S. avoids meat inspector furloughs, Congress approves funds
Latest USDA supply-demand report delivers few surprises in key commodities
Record If weather and yields return to normal, there could be record corn and soybean production this year
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / The U.S. Agriculture Department delivered few surprises in its monthly crop and world agricultural supply-demand reports, keeping U.S. corn and soybean supplies tight but raising global soybean and wheat stockpiles from a month ago. The Argentine soybean and corn crops were both lowered by drought, USDA said. Projected soybean output was trimmed by […] Read moreUSDA details some furlough plans
All U.S. meat inspectors will be furloughed on the same days as the federal meat safety agency, a top U.S. ag department official said, leading to spotty meat shortages in the summer and fall as automatic spending cuts shave US$53 million off the agency’s budget. Agriculture undersecretary Elizabeth Hagen told a U.S. House of Representatives’ […] Read more
Budget cuts won’t hit U.S. meat inspectors immediately: USDA
Although U.S. federal budget cuts are scheduled for March 1, it could be months before a threatened shutdown of meat plants would occur in that country because of a furlough of meat inspectors, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Thursday. Vilsack said work rules vary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s employees, who get […] Read more
U.S. deserves lightest BSE rating, health officials say
The United States is expected to get the top safety rating for BSE in spring, under a recommendation from international livestock health experts that was greeted on Wednesday as a sure-fire boost to U.S. beef exports. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the recommended upgrade, to "negligible" from "controlled" risk, was proof that U.S. beef […] Read more
‘Fiscal cliff’ fallout could shut down meat packers
Employee pay Ag secretary says there is no choice but to cut every budget item by a certain percentage
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / The Obama administration warned Feb. 8 that across-the-board spending cuts set to take effect in March may result in furloughing every U.S. meat and poultry inspector for two weeks, causing the meat industry to shut down. By law, meat packers and processors are not allowed to ship beef, pork, lamb and poultry meat […] Read moreSeparate path for farm labour in U.S. Senate immigration plan
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / Agricultural labourers would be on a separate path to U.S. citizenship than other undocumented workers in the immigration reforms proposed by eight senators Jan. 28 that cited the importance of feeding America. Many of the 1.5 million farm workers employed in the United States annually — perhaps 500,000 to 900,000 in all — […] Read more
Farm group backs U.S. immigration reform
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters / The largest U.S. farm group is throwing its weight behind a new immigration law reform that would allow undocumented workers already in the country to gain legal status. Delegates at the annual meeting of the six-million-member American Farm Bureau Federation issued the call after U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asked them to speak […] Read more
U.S. fiscal plan averts ‘dairy cliff’
A deal approved by the U.S. Congress late on Tuesday to avoid the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" also includes measures to avert the "dairy cliff" — a steep increase in milk prices. The tax agreement contains a nine-month fix for expiring farm subsidy programs by extending a 2008 […] Read more
Crop insurance tab for U.S. drought could top $15 billion
Public expense Although privately run, Washington picks up most of the tab for premiums as well as other costs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / U.S. taxpayers could pay a record $15 billion to subsidize the privately run crop insurance program in the wake of this year’s devastating drought. The program’s runaway costs are in focus as Congress looks for ways to cut government spending, making crop insurance a bigger target for reforms. Precise estimates won’t be available […] Read moreCyber-Savvy Farmer
