USDA: Test for bird flu before interstate transport of cattle
Michigan officials said the H5N1 bird flu virus has infected three additional dairy herds in the state, just as the USDA recommended farmers test their herds for the virus before moving cattle between states. The tests "should both give us more ... information and should mitigate further state-to-state spread between herds," said the USDA's animal health agency.
Rivals trim soy oil’s lead among biomass-based diesel feedstocks
With the explosion in production of renewable diesel, yellow grease and corn oil are cutting into soybean oil's position as the dominant feedstock for biomass-based diesel fuel, said three agricultural economists.
Drought imperils production of corn, a vital food, in southern Africa
Hot and dry weather has reduced corn yields throughout southern Africa, “threatening food security for millions of households depending on this key staple for a significant share of calories consumed on a daily basis,” said the IFPRI think tank. In South Africa, the region’s major corn grower, the harvest could fall by 18 percent from the previous crop, said the USDA on Thursday.
Food insecurity twice as high in U.S. military as among civilians
A quarter of the U.S. military experienced food insecurity in recent years, more than twice the civilian rate of 10 percent, said a USDA report on Thursday. Rates were highest among active-duty personnel under the age of 25 who were members of a minority group and whose spouses were unemployed.
Brazil, an agricultural giant, could expand cropland by 35 percent, say analysts
Already a major soybean, corn, and cotton grower, Brazil could expand its crop area by 35 percent through the conversion of overgrazed and overgrown pastureland, according to a research agency that is part of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. Besides the potential addition of 70 million acres of cropland, Brazil could increase production by devoting more land to second-crop corn, said a team of U.S. university economists.
HPAI found in dairy cows in seventh state
The H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in a dairy herd in North Carolina, said state Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler on Wednesday, making it the seventh state in a little over two weeks to report infected cattle. “We have spent years developing ways to handle HPAI in poultry, but this is new, and we are working with our state and federal partners to develop protocols to handle this situation,” he said.
Can Maine lead the way to a future without forever chemicals?
In FERN's latest story, published with Mother Jones, Bridget Huber explains how Maine is defining standards for allowable levels of PFAS in soil and food, while the federal government tiptoes around a growing national crisis.
Farm-state GOP senators call for higher crop insurance subsidies
Republicans on the Senate Agriculture Committee proposed a $4 billion injection into the crop insurance program so that the government would pay a larger share of the premiums on policies offering the highest levels of coverage. "We need more farm in the farm bill to get it passed," said Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, the lead sponsor, on Tuesday.
USDA announces update of WIC food packages
The USDA has completed a months-long update of the foods available through the Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC) to reflect the latest nutrition science, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Tuesday. The new list, which includes a significant expansion of fruit and vegetable benefits, would take effect in about 60 days.
Hog farmers hope to fly past bird flu
Bird flu has infected more than 200 mammals since outbreaks began two years ago, from a polar bear in Alaska to a red fox in Maine, but "it's not been a problem" for hog farmers, said Scott Hays, past president of the National Pork Producers Council, on Monday. "I don't anticipate it being an issue for our industry, but [it's] certainly a watch-out for us."
Among major growers, wheat yields in Germany were highest
Wheat yields per acre in Germany were twice as high as on comparable U.S. farms, according to an analysis that looked at production, costs, and profits for representative farms in major wheat-growing regions. "The typical farms in Australia, Germany, Poland, and North Dakota exhibited a positive average economic profit during the 2018 to 2022 period," wrote Purdue professor Michael Langemeier at the farmdoc daily blog.
Crime rings target EBT cards, say police
Authorities arrested 10 immigrants from Romania and Italy on charges of "skimming" EBT cards to steal SNAP and welfare benefits from California recipients, a crime that has increased in the past couple of years and occurs nationwide. Since June 2022, more than $181 million in EBT benefits were stolen in California, mostly by unauthorized ATM withdrawals, said the Secret Service. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Less corn land is needed than soy to satisfy SAF goal
Soybean plantings would have to increase nearly 50 percent if soybean oil became the only feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), said two analysts from UC-Davis. With its higher yields per acre, corn ethanol as the sole feedstock would result in an increase in area of around 9 percent.
Bird flu infects two more dairy herds, says USDA
Dairy herds in Kansas and New Mexico are infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus, raising the U.S. total to 15 herds in six states, said the Agriculture Department on Thursday. Texas has the most infected herds, with seven, followed by Kansas with three and New Mexico with two.
Farm bill odds growing longer, says analyst
There is little reason for optimism that Congress will pass the new farm bill this year, wrote farm policy expert Jonathan Coppess on Thursday as part of an analysis showing that farm program payments favor Southern growers. “The chances of farm bill reauthorization in 2024 grow more dim with each passing day,” he said.
Brazil and Colombia sharply reduce forest loss
With new leaders in office, Brazil and Colombia dramatically reduced their loss of mature tropical forest in 2023, said Global Forest Watch in an annual report on Thursday. Nonetheless, the world’s tropics lost 3.7 million hectares (more than 14,000 square miles) of primary forest. Losses have run at 3 to 4 million hectares annually for the past two decades.
CDC: Bird flu virus lacks changes to make it a greater threat to people
Samples of the H5N1 bird flu virus that has infected dairy cattle and a dairy worker retain avian genetic characteristics and “for the most part lack changes that would make them better able to infect mammals,” said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a technical update. “The overall risk to human health associated with the ongoing HPAI A(H5) outbreaks in poultry and detections in wild birds and cattle remains low,” said the CDC.
Carbon injection discussions involve many farmers
More farmers and landowners are involved in discussions of carbon capture utilization and storage on farmland than in leasing land for solar panels, said a Purdue University survey on Tuesday. "Interest on the part of companies desiring to use farmland for either sequestering carbon or solar energy production appears to be rising," said the monthly Ag Economy Barometer.
USDA confirms bird flu in 12th dairy herd, is testing more
USDA scientists confirmed the bird flu virus in a dairy herd in Idaho on Tuesday — the 12th herd in five states — with Ohio appearing for the first time on the list of states with "presumptive positive" results that will be double-checked. Meanwhile, officials said a Texas egg farm suffered the largest U.S. outbreak of bird flu in four months.
First time: Bird flu spreads from cattle to human in Texas
A Texas patient tested positive for the bird flu virus after exposure to dairy cattle believed to be carrying the disease — the first known instance of cattle-to-human transmission in the United States, said public health officials on Monday. The patient reported eye redness, consistent with conjunctivitis, as the only symptom and was recovering, said the Centers for Disease Control.