CDC says 77 new cases of salmonella linked to cucumbers
An additional 77 cases of salmonella were reported in the past week in a outbreak of food-borne illness linked to cucumbers imported from Mexico, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
First-year price of 2014 farm-bill crop subsidies, $6.5 billion
The government will make its first crop-subsidy payments under the 2014 farm law in October, with an estimated transfer of $6.5 billion to follow, said USDA deputy undersecretary Alexis Taylor at a House Agriculture Committee hearing.
Backers ask, ‘Will EPA hit re-set on biofuel targets?’
With the EPA nearing a decision on the biofuel mandate for 2015 and 2016, ethanol makers and corn farmers worry that the agency could trigger an override of ambitious targets written into law for ever-increasing use of renewable fuels through 2022. The so-called re-set, also referred to as an "off ramp," would give the agency the discretion to set the yearly targets at whatever levels it chooses.
Enormous potential in Cuba, ag trade is not a one-way street
World Food Prize laureate Pedro Sanchez, a soils scientist, says Cuba "could be a very good market" for U.S. food companies, but adds that "it's not a one-way situation." In an interview with UC Food Observer, Sanchez said, "America has so much to learn from Cuba. Some of the agricultural techniques used in Cuba may benefit our food system."
Senate Ag chairman: no new funding for child nutrition
The Senate Agriculture Committee chairman said he does not plan any increase in spending as part of re-authorizing child nutrition programs that range from school lunch to WIC. Kansas Republican Pat Roberts postponed indefinitely a bill-drafting session, originally scheduled for Thursday, while awaiting Congressional Budget Office estimates of the cost of potential elements of the bill.
Obama selects FDA newcomer Califf as next commissioner
President Obama selected Robert Califf, a new arrival in FDA's senior ranks, to become the next commissioner of the agency that regulates products that account for 20 percent of consumer spending.
Lowest Sierra Nevada snowpack in 500 years, scientists say
Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada last winter "was the lowest it has been in more than 500 years," the Los Angeles Times reports, citing research published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Snowpack is a primary source of water for California.
New study says foreign subsidies crimp U.S. wheat exports
Farm subsidies in China, India, Brazil and Turkey cost U.S. wheat growers nearly $1 billion in revenue annually, says a study commissioned by two U.S. wheat groups.
El Niño drives 20-percent increase in Australian beef exports
The Australian government forecasting agency raised its estimate of beef exports in the trade year that ends next July 1 by 20 percent, as ranchers liquidate their herds in the face of drought worsened by El Niño, said Reuters.
Researcher attempts to grow chicken meat in a lab
A bioengineer at Tel Aviv University "is midway through an experiment that could end in a recipe for the world's first lab-grown chicken breast," says Civil Eats. "If all goes according to plan, no chickens will be harmed in the process."
Bulk of lawsuit over Syngenta GE corn heads for trial
A federal judge has decided that the bulk of lawsuits by thousands of farmers against Syngenta over a genetically engineered corn variety will proceed to trial, reports DTN.
Agriculture will be part of career counseling for veterans
The Defense Department will integrate agriculture into the career training and counseling programs offered to members of the armed services as they leave the military, the administration announced.
Dry weather cuts Canadian wheat crop sharply from 2014
Canada, one of the five largest wheat growers and exporters of the world, faces a huge decline in wheat production this year, says the monthly World Agricultural Production report.
Longer lunch period means less wasted food
When lunchtime at school gets shorter, students eat less of their meals and discard more food, said the New York Times in summarizing a study of 1,000 children at six elementary and middle schools.
Record consumption to pare down corn stockpile
Processors, exporters and livestock feeders will use a record 13.8 billion bushels of corn this marketing year, helping to pare down the largest stockpile in nine years.
Risk of U.S. farm supports exceeding Doha Round targets
There is almost no risk that the United States will exceed WTO limits on agricultural subsidies with the 2014 farm law, but the picture could be far different if Doha Round proposals are adopted, according to three senior economists.
Wildfires threaten California wine country
The Valley fire that destroyed up to 1,000 buildings in Lake County, about 100 miles north of San Francisco, "threatened to scorch the California wine industry at harvest time," which begins in late summer, reports the New York Times.
Average retail egg price is more than double what it was a year ago
Supermarkets are advertising eggs at an average $3.13 a dozen for Large white eggs Grade A or better - more than double the price of a year ago, says the USDA's weekly National Retail Report. "The weighted average price of Grade A or better Large white eggs continues to trend sharply higher to record levels," says the report. The national average price a year ago was $1.41 a dozen.
FDA updates rules on disease prevention in food and feed
The Obama administration issued two rules, applying to food and feed, that require companies to analyze weak spots in their operations and implement plans to prevent contamination of their products. The so-called preventive-control rules are the first of seven that the FDA is writing under the 2010 Food Safety Modernization Act.