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Posts Tagged ‘usda’
Saturday, May 5th, 2012
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently quarantined an additional farm that may be linked to last month’s discovery of mad cow disease in California.
Mad cow disease, the colloquial name for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, is a degenerative brain disease in cows, which, over time, attacks the brain causing spongy lesions, brain damage, and death. Consumption of meat or animal products from cows suffering from the illness has been linked to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a fatal brain disorder that attacks brain tissue, causing mood swings, psychiatric and behavioral changes, motor function impairment, and, eventually, death.
The USDA’s news that a second farm is being quarantined is sure to increase worry on the part of consumers. The second farm was closely linked to the farm where the illness first presented, leading USDA investigators to quarantine it until a deeper probe can be concluded. In addition, the USDA is looking into the calf ranch where the sick cow was raised.
The news that a cow on a California farm was infected, the first case in more than half a decade, shocked consumers and has threatened U.S. beef exports. Already, international consumers are considering beef bans. South Korea, for example, is sending a fact-finding team to Washington to review USDA documents about the recent discovery.
Despite the investigations, the USDA is assuring consumers that their meat is safe. The infected cow was not intended for human consumption and posed no human health threat. In addition, USDA officials emphasized that national and international safeguards exist to limit the spread of mad cow beef (safeguards which have reduced reported cases of mad cow from over 37,000 in 1992 to only 29 last year).
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: Food Safety, mad cow, usda
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Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
In the wake of a year of foodborne illness outbreaks and contagious disease worries, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is promoting new prevention-based consumer protection policies.
Last year was an especially bad year for food safety standards. In addition to the standard outbreaks of raw milk contamination, American consumers were hit with the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in recent memory in the form of listeria-tainted cantaloupe from a Colorado melon farm. The tainted fruit killed dozens of people nationwide and sickened hundreds more, damaging consumer faith and hurting fruit farmers across the country.
More recently, news of the first case of mad cow disease since 2006 rocked confidence in American beef products. The recent discovery of mad cow in a California beef farm has prompted investigations by the USDA as well as investigation from international beef importers.
As a way to strengthen consumer confidence in American agricultural products, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is announcing a series of new policy measures designed to strengthen the nation’s food safety infrastructure. Most importantly, the FSIS will implement new traceback measures, including mandating a more aggressive response to routine sampling programs. In addition, the FSIS will require a more stringent compliance with food safety notification on the part of manufacturers.
“Together, these measures will provide us with more tools to protect our food supply, resulting in stronger public health protections for consumers,” said Under Secretary for Food Safety Elisabeth Hagen.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: Food Safety, mad cow disease, usda
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Sunday, April 29th, 2012
The South Korean government will send a team of beef inspectors to the United States to verify the safety of American beef following the discovery of mad cow disease in a California farm.
The announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week that mad cow disease has been found in a California cattle farm has frightened consumers and led to a backlash from foreign importers. Mad cow disease, while rare, can spread quickly among cattle herds, sometimes requiring mass killings to stem the flow of the sickness. In addition, consumption of infected beef can potentially lead to Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a fatal and degenerative brain disorder.
In response to the news, South Korea strengthened inspections of American beef. Despite earlier reports to the contrary, the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture denied that it would ban American beef imports.
The proposed inspection team, comprised of members of nine governmental agencies as well as academics and local consumer advocacy groups, will leave for Washington on Monday and stay through May 9, examining USDA documents about the mad cow case. The delegation announced that they would like to arrange a visit to the farm in question, but have not yet received permission from the owner.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: mad cow disease, south korea, usda
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Friday, April 20th, 2012
In her recent visit to Tuskegee, Alabama, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan touted the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s commitment to benefiting women and minority farmers.
With African American farmers finally getting a judicial green light to receive settlement money as part of a longstanding class action discrimination lawsuit against the USDA, Vilsack, Merrigan, and agricultural officials hope to create a new climate within the agricultural sector. Vilsack hopes that a new focus on women and minority farmers can help undo some of the damage done by years of racial and gender discrimination and can help create a more diverse agricultural industry.
“This department has not always had its door open for women and people of color,” Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan told The Associated Press. “We’re still dealing with civil rights issues.”
Recent surveys seem to indicate that the USDA is succeeding in drawing more women into agriculture. The most recent agricultural census lists women as making up 30 percent of the nation’s 3.3 million farmers and ranchers, a 19 percent increase from 2002. With an aging farm population ready to retire, Merrigan hopes that this number can be improved and that young women can be convinced to join the agricultural workforce.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: discrimination, kathleen merrigan, usda
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Sunday, April 8th, 2012
Seven months after the storm made landfall, Vermont farmers are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Irene.
Last August, cities and communities across the Eastern Seaboard were buffeted by Irene, which made landfall in North Carolina on August 27. Irene’s path threatened 65 million people, ranging from the Carolinas to Cape Cod in New England. In the United States, the storm killed 47 people and caused over $7 billion of damage.
In Vermont, where Irene was only the second tropical storm to make a direct hit in the state’s history, the damage was particularly severe. Almost stream and river in the state flooded and the storm caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to the state’s roads, highways, and bridges.
The state’s agricultural sector was also hard-hit, with thousands of acres of cropland flooded and littered with debris. Seven months after the storm, many farmers are still recovering. While most of the debris has been cleared, the storm deposited a layer of gravel and silt across farmland, choking off fertile land from sunlight and water. In order to plant and harvest a spring crop, farmers need to remove silt and sand, requiring them spends thousands of dollars to rent excavators, bulldozers, and other heavy machinery.
The federal and state governments have been attentive to the needs of Vermont farmers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture set aside nearly $5 million in the form of grants to help reimburse farmers for the costs of restoring their land. In addition, several state programs have been set up to help defer the worst of farmers’ costs.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: Hurricane Irene, usda, Vermont
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Sunday, April 8th, 2012
Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan is touring the country and encouraging young people to enter the agricultural profession.
With the U.S. Department of Agriculture working on the 2012 agricultural census, agricultural officials are looking more and more at the demographics of American farming. Overall, the profession is gradually graying, with fewer and fewer younger farmers entering the ag sector to replace retirees. Nationally, the fastest growing group of farmers and ranchers are those over 65.
The Southwest in particular is facing particularly grim demographic shifts. In New Mexico, where Merrigan recently stopped last week, the average age of farmers is 60. In Texas and Arizona, the figures are similar. Texas may see a spike in average age, with younger farmers being discouraged from joining the profession in the wake of the worst drought in the state’s history.
The attention to farm demographics has also been heightened by a Yahoo Education blog that listed agricultural degrees as “useless.” The blog has since gone viral, with angry responses flying from the public and private sector. Merrigan stated, “There couldn’t be anything that’s more outrageously incorrect. We know that we’re not graduating enough qualified aggies to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture.”
Part of Merrigan’s multistate trip is focused on promoting USDA programs and policies that apply to young farmers and offer federal support and aid to young people entering the agricultural profession.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: drought, farm age, kathleen merrigan, usda
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Friday, March 30th, 2012
Black farmers who have alleged discrimination at the hand of the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been given an extended opportunity to take part in USDA financial settlements.
Between 1981 and 1996, black farmers alleged that the USDA and USDA agricultural lenders systematically denied African Americans access to farm credit. Some farmers were turned down for loans ostensibly due to a lack of education, despite the fact that they possessed bachelor’s degrees in agriculture. Some black farmers, who had run agricultural businesses for several years, were turned down for a supposed lack of farm experience.
Whatever the immediate rational, these farmers say, the real underlying factor was race.
In the 1990s, black famers sued the government. In 1999, Pigford v. Glickman was settled out of court. 15,000 black farmers who had suffered from discriminatory lending could claim part of a $1 billion settlement.
Court rulings in October extended the deadline for applications, allowing farmers who suffered discrimination, and their direct relatives, to file for a portion of the settlement by May 11. In addition, the rulings and later Congressional action increased the final settlement to $1.2 billion. Some lawyers involved in the case believe that extending the deadline could allow up to 50,000 farmers to take part in the final settlement.
While the ruling is good news for farmers whose businesses suffered because of prejudice, some farmers are unhappy that the settlement agreements remain restrictive, covering only a very narrow chronological window. In addition, some farmers are unhappy that applicants who are rejected automatically waive their right to appeal.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: discrimination, farm credit, Pigford, usda
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Friday, March 30th, 2012
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is defending the closure of 131 Farm Service Agency offices as part of an effort by the Department of Agriculture to eliminate waste and reduce its federal expenditures.
The closures, announced at the end of February, would shut down 131 Farm Service Agency offices across the country. While Vilsack portrays the move as bureaucratic consolidations, some farmers are wary of the closures, fearing that they may signal the start of deeper cuts to agricultural infrastructure.
The offices being targeted for closure are in isolated rural areas and are staffed by skeleton crews. According to Vilsack, the 131 office closings will only affect 170 USDA employees (and those that will be affected are either already retiring or being offered transfers to neighboring FSA offices).
While Vilsack’s overall message remained positive, he did warn farmers that a failure to close superfluous offices could lead to larger, and significantly more painful, budget cuts down the road. Without the closures, Vilsack claimed, the USDA may face over $6.5 million in budget cuts elsewhere and may be forced to terminate or furlough workers across the country.
“It’s not just a question of us wanting to close offices just to close offices,” Vilsack said in an interview with a Colorado newspaper.
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: farm service agency, farm subsidies, tom vilsack, usda
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Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
A U.S. Department of Agriculture delegation is preparing for a five-day trade mission that will take place from March 23 to March 25. The goal of the trip is to strengthen trade relations between China and the United State and expand American agricultural markets.
Thanks to its booming economic development, China is rapidly becoming one of the largest importers of American agricultural goods. Chinese demand for bulk commodities like soybeans and cotton is high, with the Asian nation already a major importer of both products and poised to be the largest consumer of American soybeans over the next several years. Altogether, U.S. exports to China reached nearly $23 billion in 2011.
The importance of trade between the two nations was demonstrated last month when Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping visited the United States and negotiated several agricultural trade deals.
The trade mission, headed by Acting Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse, will consist of representatives from 40 American businesses, the Agriculture Secretaries of Iowa and Oklahoma, and representatives from the agriculture departments of North Carolina, Illinois, South Dakota, and Kansas.
In the words of Undersecretary Scuse, “China and the United States share a special relationship, and we embrace this opportunity to demonstrate that our U.S. farmers, ranchers, and producers are reliable suppliers of the highest-quality food and agricultural products.”
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: agricultural exports, china, free trade, usda
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Saturday, March 17th, 2012
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney recently announced that his campaign was creating an Agricultural Advisory Committee designed to counsel the candidate on agricultural issues, and potentially help him transition as president, should he win the upcoming election.
However, despite his current status as the Republican frontrunner, Romney’s nomination is anything but guaranteed. The past month has seen a political rollercoaster within the Republican ranks as former Governor Romney and former Senator Rick Santorum traded primary victories across the country.
Over the course of the increasingly bitter primary season, several of Romney’s controversial past positions have become known. Particularly problematic to members of the agricultural community were his positions during the 1994 Massachusetts Senate race, when candidate Romney advocated the virtual elimination of the Department of Agriculture, as well as significant reductions in farm subsidies.
Romney’s tune has seemingly changed over the past several years. When announcing the creation of his agricultural committee, Romney stated, “Our country’s farmers and ranchers provide the most abundant, safest, and affordable food supply of any country in the world. Not only do they feed our country, they also are responsible for feeding billions of people across the world. They provide jobs for millions of Americans and are an integral part of our economy. Along with these leaders in agriculture, I will work to ensure that our food supply will remain steady, safe, and affordable for our citizens.”
To learn more about agricultural financing opportunities contact a Farm Plus Financial representative by calling 866-929-5585 or by visiting www.farmloans.com.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer
Tags: farm subsidies, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, usda
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