Seven groups that represent meat and poultry producers, as well as processors, wrote a letter to President Trump asking him to place cell-cultured protein products under USDA regulation. The meat industry website Meating Place Dot Com says the groups want these products held to the same high standards for food safety and labeling that meat and poultry are held to …
USDA Preparing Alternative to WHO Antibiotic Guidelines
USDA officials are reportedly developing an alternative set of guidelines on antibiotic use in animal agriculture, rather than abide by those developed at the World Health Organization. The WHO recommendations first came out last November, proposing to end the use of medically important antibiotics in healthy animals to promote growth and prevent disease. The agency wanted the drugs only used …
It’s All In The Name – Luverne’s Chicken Shack Wins Bama’s Best Fried Chicken Contest
When a restaurant is brave enough to include a particular food in its name, its expected they’ll excel at cooking said food. Case in point: Luverne’s Chicken Shack. The popular poultry purveyor recently won the title of Bama’s Best Fried Chicken through a contest hosted on “Simply Southern TV’s” Facebook page. As winners, Chicken Shack owners Mike and Drew Money …
USDA Invests in Projects to Spur Innovation in Grazing Lands, Organic Systems and Soil Health
USDA will invest more than $10.6 million for 22 new projects that will drive public and private sector innovation in conserving natural resources in 27 states. The competitive Conservation Innovation Grants program helps spur development and adoption of new conservation approaches and technologies. “Through our Conservation Innovation Grants, we are able to bring together a wide array of groups to drive innovation …
Livestock Groups Highlight Misuse of Environmental Laws
Cattle and sheep producers warned Congress that environmental laws are increasingly being misused by fringe activist groups and pose a growing threat to grazing on federal lands. The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Interior, Energy, and the Environment held a hearing. It was in response to mounting challenges faced by ranchers who graze livestock on federal lands …
McMillan Advises Horse Owners to Vaccinate for EEE & West Nile Virus
Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries Commissioner John McMillan has announced that three horses have tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) by the department’s diagnostic laboratory in Auburn. The positive results came from horses in Houston, Mobile and Geneva Counties. EEE is a mosquito-transmitted disease that is more severe than West Nile Virus (WNV). The mortality rate in horses …
Survey Shows US Chicken Consumption Remains Strong
More than nine in ten consumers purchase chicken regularly U.S. chicken consumption remains high, and consumers are hungry for more information about the chicken they purchase, according to a new research presented at the 2018 Chicken Marketing Summit, in Orlando, Florida. In the two weeks leading up to the survey, 86 percent of consumers ate a chicken meal or snack …
Large Livestock Loan Drive Rise in Farm Lending
The Federal Reserve’s Agricultural Finance Databook says lending activity in the agricultural sector increased slightly in the second quarter of 2018. The overall number of non-real estate farm loans was roughly two percent higher than at the same time in 2017. The slight increase was supported primarily by larger loans for livestock. In the short term, The Kansas City Fed …
Report Says Meat, Dairy to Become World’s Biggest Polluters
The world’s five biggest meat and dairy producers could soon take the top spot as the world’s biggest polluters. A new report from the nonprofit GRAIN and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy says meat and dairy could soon produce more greenhouse gasses than oil giants Exxon, Shell, and BP. Zero Hedge Dot Com lists those five ag companies …
Turkey Industry Reviewing Salmonella Controls Amid Outbreak
The National Turkey Federation says its members are fully cooperating with a CDC-USDA investigation into an outbreak of salmonella poisoning that’s been linked to raw turkey products. The industry website Meating Place Dot Com says the outbreak has affected 90 people across 26 states since last November. The US Centers for Disease Control says the turkey came from a variety …