South Carolina flock culled after bird flu discovery
The USDA confirmed a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a turkey flock in South Carolina and said on Thursday that all of the birds had been killed to prevent spread of the disease. It was the first case of "high path" bird flu in a commercial poultry plant in the United States since 2017.
Online grocery shopping becoming available to a quarter of SNAP recipients
Acting virtually overnight, the Trump administration added California and Arizona on Wednesday to the list of states where SNAP recipients can purchase groceries online for home delivery, a step that could reduce their exposure to the coronavirus. Five dozen House Democrats urged the administration to make online SNAP purchases available nationwide. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Covid-19 might close the largest salmon fishery on Earth
Leaders in southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay — source of nearly half the world’s sockeye salmon and a $1.5 billion industry — this week asked Alaska Gov. Michael Dunleavy to shut down the fishery to protect public health. <strong> (No paywall) </strong>
Smaller pot of money for coronavirus relief, says Perdue
The USDA is working with a smaller amount of money for coronavirus relief than is commonly believed, said Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Wednesday. He indicated the agency has $15.5 billion at its disposal — two-thirds of the figure that has been widely cited. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
USDA expands investigation of beef prices to include coronavirus
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on social media Wednesday that an ongoing USDA investigation of beef prices will be expanded to include complaints about unfair prices due to the coronavirus pandemic. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Three-fourths of farmers fear coronavirus damage to their income
Farmers to Congress: make sure coronavirus aid isn’t just for agribusiness
Plunge in fuel usage could sideline half of U.S. ethanol production
Trump SNAP rule called unwieldy
Tyson suspends Iowa hog plant due to Covid-19
Most SNAP recipients can’t buy groceries online. Now, some states push for change.
With millions of Americans sheltering in place, many are opting to buy groceries online for home delivery to reduce risk of exposure to the coronavirus. But that isn't an option for most people who receive federal food assistance from the USDA. Now, states are asking the department to address the issue, but the agency hasn't said whether it will update the policy. <strong> (No paywall) </strong>
North Carolina food bank scrambles to feed the hungry
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina distributed 82 million pounds of food last year, but this year it's scrambling to find the food and volunteers to deliver food directly to people in need, many of them seniors, Barry Yeoman writes in FERN's latest story. <strong> (No paywall) </strong>
USDA evaluating its coronavirus aid powers
The USDA is monitoring the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on commodity markets and evaluating the authority it received from Congress to distribute billions of dollars in aid to farmers and ranchers, said a spokesperson on Monday. <strong> (No paywall) </strong>
Economic impact of coronavirus outweighs federal help, says U.S. farm group
Congress allotted $23.5 billion for agriculture in the coronavirus relief package, but "that amount of money will not sustain" the farm sector, said the president of the largest U.S. farm group. The sector will need "a whole lot more [money] than was in the CARES Act," said Zippy Duvall of the American Farm Bureau Federation.<strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Virus is changing how urban farms operate, and even what they grow
The coronavirus is forcing urban farms to adapt, creating more space between people and even shifting the types of crops they grow. “We had wanted to plant a ton of snap peas this year,” says Saara Nafici, farm director at Red Hook Farms in Brooklyn, New York, “but harvest will be too labor intensive.” To conform with social-distancing rules, the farm is reducing the number of staff working at a given time and spreading out its washing and packing stations. Lower staffing levels mean adding new work slots, so everyone gets their hours in and the farm work gets done.<strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Coronavirus adds uncertainty to Chinese purchase commitments
China recently stepped up its purchases of U.S. corn and cotton, said USDA chief economist Robert Johansson, but the coronavirus pandemic creates uncertainty about whether Beijing will meet its "phase one" purchase commitments. The agreement, signed on Jan. 15, calls on China to buy $40 billion worth of U.S. food, agricultural and seafood products this year and in 2021.<strong>(No paywall)</strong>
A first: Tiger tests positive for coronavirus
A USDA veterinary laboratory confirmed a tiger at a zoo in New York, one of several tigers and lions showing signs of respiratory illness at the facility, was infected with the coronarvirus. "Public health officials believe these large cats became sick after being exposed to a zoo employee who was actively shedding virus," said the USDA. "This is the first case of its kind."<strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Agriculture feels impact as pandemic reshapes U.S. diet, rattles producers
Americans will eat more chicken, already their favorite meat, as stay-at-home orders have consumers shopping at the supermarket rather than going to restaurants, said ag lender CoBank on Thursday in assessing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on food producers and processors. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Despite coronavirus worries, Europe’s food system is stable
The coronavirus has upended most aspects of life in Europe, but after a spate of hoarding early in the pandemic, shopping has returned to normal as food producers and retailers work to keep supply chains flowing and shelves stocked. This could be instructive to the United States, which is behind Europe in the progression of the disease.<strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Rural jobs wiped out by coronavirus, says survey
Fifteen percent of rural Americans surveyed in the past week said they had either lost their job or were laid off because of the coronavirus pandemic, and an additional 14 percent said they were worried they would lose their jobs, according to the results of a survey released on Thursday. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>