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Agriculture

USDA finalizes policy to protect from Salmonella in chicken

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced its final determination to declare Salmonella an adulterant in raw breaded stuffed chicken products when they exceed a specific threshold (1 colony forming unit (CFU) per gram or higher) for Salmonella contamination. This final determination is part of FSIS’ broader efforts to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with the raw poultry supply in the United States. FSIS intends to address Salmonella contamination in other raw poultry products later this year. Under ...

New civil rights tool for USDA customers

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the launch of a new online portal to manage civil rights discrimination complaints more efficiently and transparently. The USDA Civil Rights Management System (CRMS) Program Discrimination Complaint electronic submission portal will streamline the filing of complaints by USDA customers who believe they have experienced discrimination when they apply for USDA services or participate in USDA programs or USDA-funded programs. The portal is administered by USDA’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil ...

2024 Pa. State 4-H Horse Show held in Harrisburg

HARRISBURG — The 64th annual Pennsylvania State 4-H Horse Show was held Oct. 24-27 at the Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg. More than 640 youth from more than 50 counties participated in 80 performance classes throughout the weekend. There were more than 1,400 entries shown by ...

Pennsylvania requires precautionary bulk milk testing

HARRISBURG — Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding recently announced that Pennsylvania will now require precautionary bulk testing of milk for HPAI from Pennsylvania farms as an added measure to prevent the spread of avian influenza. No virus has been detected in Pennsylvania cattle, but cases continue to rise in other states. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is taking this preventative measure, at no cost to farmers, to pinpoint and contain the source of viral infections and prevent the spread of Influenza A, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Procedures ...

USDA-NASS November agriculture update

This is a monthly column from the Northeastern Regional Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS-NERFO). Vegetable data in the Northeastern United States to be collected In the coming months, the Vegetable Grower Inquiry survey will be conducted. We plan to collect data from vegetable growers across the United States, including over three thousand in the Northeastern Region. This vegetable survey is conducted annually to obtain the final acreage, production, and value of sales for fresh and processed vegetables. When growers respond to these ...

USDA announces new investments in Tribal students

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced Tribal higher education opportunities and investments to train the next generation of agricultural professionals. Secretary Vilsack announced $5 million in grants to support Tribal students at land-grant colleges and universities through the New Beginning for Tribal Students (NBTS) Program. These programs reflect USDA’s commitment to advance equity and remove barriers to service for Tribal Nations and encourage Tribal workforce development. Secretary Vilsack made the announcements at the 2024 ...