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Biden pledges more support for farmers, ‘the backbone of freedom’
At an Illinois farm on Wednesday, President Joe Biden announced federal assistance to alleviate costs for farmers and consumers and ensure there is enough food to meet world demand as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues. Biden said he will double the recently announced federal funding to boost domestic fertilizer production. He also pledged to extend […]
Meatpackers deny price fixing for beef
The record profits for meatpackers in the past two years were the result of market conditions during the coronavirus pandemic, along with increased consumer demand, according to leaders of the country’s four large meatpacking companies. The meatpacking executives defended their business practices during a lengthy congressional committee hearing on Wednesday. U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Georgia, […]
Bird flu detected in flock of 918,000 Iowa hens
A large commercial flock of egg-laying chickens in southwest Iowa is the third to be infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The Taylor County flock has 918,873 birds, said Chloe Carson, a spokesperson for the department. Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation Friday for […]
Deadly bird flu infects northwest Iowa turkey flock
A commercial flock of 50,000 turkeys in Buena Vista County was culled after tests confirmed on Sunday that some of the birds were infected by a highly contagious and often deadly avian influenza, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. It was the second time in less than a week that the […]
Menacing bird flu detected in western Iowa flock
A highly contagious avian influenza sickened a backyard flock of chickens and ducks in Pottawattamie County, and the birds were incinerated this week to prevent further spread of the virus, state agriculture officials said Wednesday. The infection of the flock of fewer than 50 birds was confirmed by an Iowa State University veterinary lab on […]
Iowa drinking water from Mississippi River has ‘forever chemicals’
Drinking water that is drawn from the Mississippi River by three Iowa cities has toxic chemicals that persist indefinitely in the environment, according to test results released this week by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Burlington, Davenport and Keokuk drinking water that goes to a combined total of more than 183,000 residents contains trace […]
Vilsack: Fertilizer prices are biggest worry for farmers after Russian invasion
The Russian invasion of Ukraine this week might drive up the costs of farm fertilizers globally — which nearly quadrupled last year in the United States and remain high — and presents an opportunity for unscrupulous companies to artificially inflate those prices further, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “That’s my biggest and […]
USDA pledges $1B for ‘climate smart’ ag products
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to spend up to $1 billion to foster the creation of climate-friendly agricultural and forestry products by offering grants to facilitate their production and the markets to sell them. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon in those industries. “Agriculture is such an exciting but […]
Report: COVID cases, deaths at packing plants were triple previous counts
The numbers of meatpacking workers infected and killed by the coronavirus are much higher than previously known, a congressional review has found. More than 59,000 workers of the country’s five largest meatpackers were infected, and about 270 died, according to a report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis that was made public […]