…Safety Modernization Act’s (FSMA) produce safety rule: “Producers need additional time to come into compliance with FSMA’s produce safety rules, and I commend the FDA for providing this needed flexibility….
USDA Seeks Nominations for the National Organic Standards Board
…to fill an unexpired term will serve for the remainder of the 5-year term of the vacating member. The NOSB was established under the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990…
Legislation Would End Cuba Trade Embargo
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has come together to co-sponsor legislation that would end the Cuban trade embargo. The bill is called the “Freedom to Export to Cuba Act”…
BPI Lawsuit Against ABC Going to Trial
…to $5.7 billion under provisions of South Dakota’s Agricultural Food Product Disparagement Act. BPI accuses ABC and Avila of engaging in a disinformation campaign that defamed BPI and Lean Finely…
Almond Matters: Helping Root Systems
…contains four different fungi, and it’s important to help develop healthy plant root systems.” The fungi act as an extension of the roots. The root-like structures that form can mine…
Maryland Joins California in Banning Routine Antibiotics Use in Livestock
…Act prohibits administration of antimicrobial drugs to cattle, swine, and poultry that are not sick, a practice public health experts say can fuel the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. The law…
Senate Passes Bill to Address Potential Agroterrorism
…legislation in the House, saying “This bill is essential to enhancing our preparedness against possible agro-terrorism and our emergency response measures. The Securing our Agriculture and Food Act requires the…
Conaway, Goodlatte Call on Attorney General to Evaluate DOJ Overreach in Prosecuting WOTUS Violation in CA Court Case
…the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to prosecute a California court case alleging violations under the Clean Water Act (CWA) – directly related to both the statutory exemptions for farming…
Citrus Disease HLB Detection and Quarantine in Orange County
…grapefruit) in a residential neighborhood in Anaheim. HLB is a deadly disease of citrus plants and closely related species and can be transmitted from tree to tree by the Asian…
Plant Health and Production Workforce Funding from USDA
…and agricultural sciences. The AFRI program area of Plant Health and Production and Plant Products supports projects on foundational knowledge of agricultural production systems, pests, and beneficial species in agricultural…
New Proposal Could Protect Farm Workers from Deportation
…some protection from possible deportation. The bill is called the Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1034). It would protect undocumented workers from deportation if they can prove…
AZ Rancher Wants Burden of Federal Regulations Lifted
…communities like his when it enacted the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Wilderness Act, but that’s exactly what happened. “The burden of compliances with these regulations, plus…
Plants That Are a Magnet for Bees
…would repeat this for a particular plant species at five different sites, characterizing both the relative attractiveness of about 75 different species of woody landscape plants, as well as the…
Critical Deadline in Groundwater Law Approaches
…required under the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, the groundwater sustainability agencies—or GSAs—will guide groundwater management in basins and sub-basins classified by the state as medium or high priority. Under…