Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has warned of sticker shock facing home chefs on the eve of the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the unofficial start of the U.S. summer grilling season. The agency said conditions in California could have “large and lasting effects on U.S. fruit, vegetable, dairy and egg prices,” […] Read more
USDA warns of sticker shock on beef as grilling season starts
U.S., world soybean supplies on the rise, USDA reports
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters — The United States and the world will be awash in soybeans in 2014-15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Friday, in a report that also gave its first survey-based readout of the struggling winter wheat crop. Following the report, Chicago wheat futures fell about 1.5 per cent despite a lower-than-expected […] Read more
USDA to require reporting of PEDv, SDCV
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters –– In an expected move, the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday announced new measures to combat the spread of diseases such as porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in the U.S. pig population. While PED is not considered a reportable disease according to international standards, USDA will now require reporting of the PED […] Read more
Pricier beef ‘here to stay’ as food costs seen higher: USDA
Reading Time: 2 minutes Washington | Reuters — U.S. food prices are expected to rise more rapidly this year after a very tame 2013, led by gains in beef, poultry and egg prices, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday. The food price inflation outlook assumes normal weather, the USDA said, adding that the California drought poses a risk […] Read more
U.S. soy planting below expectations; total crop acres slip
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington | Reuters — U.S. farmers will increase soybean planting by less than expected this spring, and overall acreage of eight major crops is set to decline, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Thursday in its first formal outlook for U.S. crops. At its annual Agricultural Outlook conference, the USDA said plantings of the eight […] Read more
U.S. FDA moves to ban trans fats, citing health risks
Reading Time: 4 minutes The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday proposed banning artificial trans fats in processed food ranging from cookies to frozen pizza, citing the risk of heart disease. Partially hydrogenated oils, the primary dietary source of the fats, have been shown to raise “bad” cholesterol. Reducing the use of trans fats could prevent 20,000 heart […] Read more
Upgraded BSE rating may boost U.S. beef exports
Reading Time: < 1 minute The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has upgraded the United States’ risk classification for BSE to its safest level, which could increase U.S. beef exports, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Wednesday. The decision to rank the United States’ risk as “negligible” instead of “controlled” came at the OIE’s annual meeting in Paris. Its […] Read more
Virus found in Iowa hog population, possibly beyond
Reading Time: 2 minutes A potentially fatal hog virus, porcine epidemic diarrhea, has been found in the United States for the first time, government and private industry officials said on Friday, posing a new threat for the country’s struggling pork producers. PEDV, an incurable condition that causes diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration in hogs, has been identified in Iowa, the […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
