Department of Agriculture to follow a number of steps to caution against mad cow disease as it prepares to allow Canadian cattle imports into the United States. The United States will allow cattle over 30 months of age into the country from Canada, the latest step in a long disruption of trade caused by the discovery of mad cow disease there in 2003. The United States closed the border to cattle imports from Canada in 2003 after an Alberta cow was confirmed with mad cow disease, known...

The ruling, which shifts the burden of canker inspection from the grove to more intense inspection at the packinghouse, has multimillion-dollar implications for Florida growers and came despite opposition from another major citrus producing state: California. Department of Agriculture is easing citrus canker-related harvesting restrictions on fresh fruit. Department of Agriculture is easing citrus canker-related harvesting restrictions on fresh fruit. The ruling, which shifts the burden of...

By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY The federal government may move to keep meat off the market until its tests confirm the meat doesn't have harmful bacteria, a step that officials say could have prevented some of this year's 53 meat recalls. Those recalls typically don't happen until weeks after meat has been shipped, because it takes awhile for meat to be eaten and for a link to be made to the meat. Department of Agriculture, which regulates meat and poultry, may require meat producers to hold...

Target is working to add labels that warn consumers when meat is treated with carbon monoxide to make those steaks and chops look fresh as federal regulators faced criticism for allowing a practice that critics call unsafe. But under pressure from congressional Democrats, Target said it had sent a letter to USDA officials seeking to add labels that would urge consumers not to rely solely on color or the use by date to judge a product s freshness. The agency pointed to a past study it said...

USDA undertakes several specific activities to protect American agricultural health from avian influenza and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly referred to as "mad cow disease. These determinations are necessary measures for FSIS and American consumers to develop and maintain trust in imported meat, poultry, and egg products. What is the future for renewable fuels? How fast will these efforts diminish our need for foreign oil?The United States has tripled ethanol production...

According to the data, women are more likely to use the Internet for business applications and have Internet access than male principal operators, with 40. Gail McWilliam Jellie, director of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture's Division of Agricultural Development, said higher computer usage by women holds true in the Granite State, too, where women often take a leading role in the business and marketing aspects of their farms. They're also more likely to take part in marketing...

November 16, 2007 NEW YORK Soybean prices climbed on Friday, capping a week of strong gains amid expectations that growing Chinese demand for beans could rapidly deplete global stockpiles. With Chinese production of soybeans down this year due to poor weather, and consumption of beans and bean oil growing fast in that country, demand for U. This week, the USDA released three separate reports on China's soybean purchases, which amounted to 443,000 metric tons this week alone. The USDA...

SDCA is worried that the ban could effectively outlaw value-added livestock marketing programs because most are coordinated through the packing stage. The bill includes mandatory country of origin labeling for meat and a ban on meatpacking companies owning cattle for more than 14 days before slaughter. They basically can close out the market whenever they want, she said. This will sure help the producers at least have a better chance at the market. The ban on packer ownership of livestock...

The Senate's farm bill would do the opposite - it would hold EQIP funding levels while providing an additional $2 billion over five years for CSP, enough to add 13 million acres a year. Keeping cattle in the fabric-covered structures, rather than out in the open, should prevent manure from washing off his property. The program's growth has been stunted because the funding in the 2002 farm bill was slashed by Congress in ensuing years for disaster aid and other needs. It's probably a pretty...