USDA

The US government on Friday ordered testing of the nation's milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. Raw or unpasteurised milk from dairy farms and processors nationwide must be tested on request starting December 16, the Agriculture Department said. Testing will begin in six states California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. Officials said the move is aimed at containing and ultimately eliminating the virus", known as Type A H5N1, which was detected for the first time in March in US dairy cows. Since then, more than 700 herds have been confirmed to be infected in 15 states. This will give farms and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus' spread nationwide, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. The risk to people from bird flu remains low, health officials said. ...

US health officials warned parents to avoid powdered infant formula sold by a Texas dairy producer, because a dangerous bacteria was found in one of the company's products. The Food and Drug Administration issued the alert Friday on Crecelac Infant Powdered Goat Milk Infant Formula, after a sample collected from a Texas store tested positive for cronobacter, which can cause deadly infections in babies. The same bacteria sparked recalls and shortages of infant formula in 2022 after it was detected at a major US formula factory. The Crecelac formula was imported and distributed by Dairy Manufacturers Inc., of Prosper, Texas, according to the FDA. Press releases from the FDA and the company did not specify where the product was produced or how widely it was distributed in the US Messages left for the company on Friday were not immediately returned. Last week, the company voluntarily recalled the Crecelac formula and another brand, Farmalac, because they had not received approval by the

The US Food and Drug Administration said preliminary results of tests on additional dairy products show pasteurization inactivates the bird flu virus

"The report is a stark reminder of the consequences of shrinking our proven safety net," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement

The federal government on Monday announced another $325 million for agricultural projects that are intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The latest list of 71 recipients for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Climate-Smart Commodities programme primarily involve small and underserved farmers and ranchers. The payments follow $2.8 billion awarded in September to 70 projects, mostly larger-scale efforts backed by universities, businesses and agricultural groups. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the latest round of funding at Tuskegee University, a historically Black college in Alabama, saying it's vital that small operations benefit from the programme. It's important that we send a message that it's not about the size of your operation, that you don't only benefit from the programmes like this if you're a large-scale producer, Vilsack told The Associated Press. If you're a producer that historically has not been able to participate fully and completely in programmes at

With the approval, the crop is free from regulations and may be grown freely across the USA. However, the fruit will have to go through more scrutiny before being sold in the markets

Following are selected highlights from a report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) post in New Delhi:

India has secured approval of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the export of domestic mangoes to America in the new season, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday

Assuming normal rainfall and favorable weather conditions, India's centrifugal sugar production in marketing year (MY) 2021/22 (October-September) is forecast to grow 3% to 34.7 million metric tons

Cotton prices in India were down more than 20% from a year earlier during the summer, before partially recovering, owing to a slump in demand from millers in the country

Trump had ordered members of his Cabinet to review the controversial waiver programme, which exempts small refiners in financial turmoil from their obligation to blend ethanol into gasoline

Analysts said the solid job growth "cleared the last hurdle" for the central bank to lift interest rates by year-end