USDA encourages food safety this summer

Summer is a time for family vacations, backyard barbeques and plenty of outdoor activities with food as the centerpiece. But before those steaks and burgers go on the grill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service wants to remind consumers to keep their family and themselves safe from foodborne illness by using a food thermometer to ensure meat and poultry is cooked to the correct internal temperature.

Can you find emergency assistance for livestock, honeybee and…

The Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program provides emergency assistance to eligible livestock, honeybee, and farm-raised fish producers who have losses due to disease, adverse weather or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires, not covered by other agricultural disaster assistance programs. Eligible livestock losses include grazing losses not covered under the Livestock Forage Disaster Program , loss of purchased feed and/or mechanically harvested feed due to an eligible adverse weather event, additional cost of transporting water because of an eligible drought and additional cost associated with gathering livestock to treat for cattle tick fever.

USDA halting import of fresh Brazilian beefAbout 1.9 million pounds…

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Thursday announced the suspension of all imports of fresh beef from Brazil because of recurring concerns about the safety of the products intended for the American market. The suspension of shipments will remain in place until the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture takes corrective action that the United States Department of Agriculture finds satisfactory.

U.S. bans imports of Brazilian beef over safety concerns

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the immediate suspension of fresh beef imports from the South American country on Thursday after inspections uncovered public health concerns, unsanitary conditions and animal health issues. Brazil is the fifth biggest supplier of beef to the U.S., ranking behind only Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico.

Brazil’s beef production is second only to that of the United States, according to USDA data

The ban will remain in place until satisfactory corrective actions are taken, the US Department of Agriculture said in a statement. "Although international trade is an important part of what we do at USDA, and Brazil has long been one of our partners, my first priority is to protect American consumers," US Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said.

World coffee stocks to shrink to six-year low in 2017-18

World coffee stocks will fall next season to their lowest in six years - and for even longer in major exporting countries - sapped by record demand at a time of only marginally rising output. The US Department of Agriculture, in its first global coffee estimates for 2017-18, forecast stocks closing the season at 34.0m bags, a drop of 1.1m bags year on year, and the lowest since the end of 2011-12.

Howell: Cotton skids to new lows as 2017-18 export prospects cut

Monthly supply-demand estimates showing a largely unexpected cut in U.S. 2017-18 exports and a buildup in world ending stocks outside China helped set the stage for a marketing week selloff in cotton futures. July lost 464 points for the week ended Thursday to close at 71.91 cents, its lowest close since Dec. 30. December shed 363 points to settle at 69.47 cents, its lowest finish since Dec. 28. The market lost ground across the board five sessions in a row.

Agencies Promise Efficiencies, but Not Workforce Cuts in Reorganization Plans

Federal agencies working to restructure themselves are focusing primarily on serving their customers better rather than ways to cut the workforce, leaders told a Senate panel Thursday, which promised thorough oversight of the Trump administration's reorganization efforts. Agency leaders said they were taking seriously suggestions from their rank-and-file employees on how to institute more efficiencies as part of their reform planning.

$600,000 USDA conservation grant awarded to MOFGA

The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service announced that it will award a $600,000 Conservation Innovation Grant to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association . This award will help promote natural resources protection through the development of specialized loans to farmers, and pilot the use of a new web-based natural resources assessment tool.

Tyson recalls nearly 2.5 million pounds of chicken

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Friday that approximately 2,485,374 pounds of the ready-to-eat breaded chicken products could contain milk. The affected products were produced and packaged between Aug. 17, 2016 and Jan. 15, 2017 with the establishment number "P-1325" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

U.S., China Finalize Details To Send U.S. Beef To China

U.S., CHINA FINALIZE DETAILS TO SEND U.S. BEEF TO CHINA Jun. 13, 2017 Source: USDA news release As part of the U.S.-China 100-Day Action plan announced on May 11, 2017 by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin, the Trump Administration today has taken important steps toward commercial shipment of U.S. beef and beef products to China for the first time since 2003. These shipments are results of the U.S.-China Comprehensive Economic Dialogue co-chaired by Secretary Ross and Secretary Mnuchin for the United States and Vice Premier Wang Yang for China.

USDA: Corn projections unchanged, June 30 report to offer deeper insight

U.S. corn production remains on track to produce an abundant, but not record-setting, crop according to U.S. Department of Agriculture reports released today. With projections to production, supply and demand unchanged from the May report, farmers now wait to see how the picture might change with the release of the Acreage report, which provides a survey-based estimate of the area planted and a forecast of harvest acres, on June 30. "The farm economy continues to struggle, and that's why it's so important that we encourage and grow corn markets wherever possible," said Wesley Spurlock, president of the National Corn Growers Association and a farmer from Stratford, Texas.

Kentucky supplier recalls more than 22,000 pounds of beef

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Rice bran: Nutritional and functional food benefits underlined by precision technology

Rice bran is worthy of greater studies to assess its benefits for human health and nutrition because it is a rich source of proteins, fats, minerals and micronutrients such as B vitamins, according to a new study. In a paper published in the open access journal Rice, r esearchers at Colorado State University suggested that rice bran, which is often removed from whole grain rice during processing and used as animal feed, could have benefits for human health and nutrition.