Latest U.S. Department of Agriculture Stories

SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Although we're all susceptible to food poisoning, also called foodborne illness, some people are in greater danger of illness from contaminated food and more likely to become severely sick as a result. These at-risk individuals include older adults, transplant recipients, pregnant women, and people with cancer, diabetes or HIV/AIDS. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120809/DC54414-INFO) (Logo:...

PLEASANTON, Calif., Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fulcrum BioEnergy, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture ("USDA") has awarded Fulcrum's Sierra BioFuels Plant a conditional commitment for a $105 million loan guarantee. With the loan guarantee finalized, the company will secure bank financing, which when combined with private equity capital provided by Fulcrum, will fully fund construction of the municipal solid waste to renewable transportation fuel...

PITTSBURGH, July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with the House Agriculture Committee's markup of the 2012 Farm Bill, the Canned Food Alliance (CFA) sent a letter to Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) commending them on the inclusion of a provision in the Farm Bill discussion draft to open the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to "all forms" of fruits and vegetables, whether they are...

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a competitive solicitation for a $5 million cooperative agreement to pilot test the U.S. Department of Agriculture's guidelines to reduce child labor and forced labor in imported agricultural products. Worldwide, an estimated 60 percent of children who work do so in the agricultural sector. The USDA's 2011 Guidelines for Eliminating Child and...

Cull of cormorants necessary to protect unique nesting area of two endangered species HARRISBURG, Pa., June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today announced that they, along with officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services, have renewed a program to sustain and protect a historic nesting colony of great egrets and black-crowned night-herons - two state endangered species - on Wade Island, a three-acre isle near...

ARDEN HILLS, Minn., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the creation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Land O'Lakes today commends the agency for its ongoing efforts in serving the needs of farmers, cooperatives and rural Americans. To show its support for the agency's efforts, the Land O'Lakes Board of Directors recently passed a resolution commending USDA for its leadership on a wide variety of policies, issues and programs that...

Just in time for barbecue season, the US government has announced plans to expedite the process for finding the dangerous E. Coli virus in ground beef. They hope these new measures will allow them to quickly find the source of future outbreaks and issue meat recalls much faster than their current methods. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced their new plans on Wednesday, saying they will be able to start tracing any tainted meat as soon as tests come up positive....

PLEASANTON, Calif., March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Safeway Inc. (NYSE: SWY) is joining forces with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP), to improve the health and well-being of Americans. As a member of the USDA CNPP Nutrition Communicators Network, Safeway will work with a broad range of companies and industry organizations to develop and promote dietary guidance that links scientific research to the nutrition needs of...

CHICAGO, March 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of National Nutrition Month®, Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief charity, invites you to join a Twitter chat to learn about and advocate for programs and policies that aim to alleviate the nutrition challenges faced by the nearly 49 million Americans struggling with hunger. Panelists include celebrity chef and registered dietitian, Ellie Krieger, Lizbeth Silvermann of the U.S. Department of...

A new Wellesley College study shows that a queen bee’s promiscuity benefits the hive. Dr. Heather Mattila studied the lives of bee colonies and discovered that the more genetically diverse the worker bee, the healthier they are. These bees become so genetically diverse when the queen bee mates with multiple bees. Research in bees has been growing in recent years in order to better understand and protect them. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the honey bee population has...