food safety
Federal Meat Inspector Work Overload, Burnout Has Critics Worrying About Food Safety
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Federal food safety inspectors say long-standing problems that are getting worse are making adequate oversight of meat processing all but impossible.
government spending
Brazilian Firm A Big Winner For USDA Payments To Offset Trade War
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A Brazilian-owned meat processing company undercut its competition by more than $1 per pound to win nearly $78 million in pork contracts through a federal program launched to help American farmers offset the impact from an ongoing trade war. As a result, JBS USA has won more than 26 percent of the $300 million the USDA has allocated to pork so far – more than any other company, according to an analysis of bid awards by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. The USDA’s Trade Mitigation Program was announced last August, and included direct payments to farmers, as well as $1.2 billion in food purchases from farmers and ranchers whose crops normally benefit from international markets. The plan called for $558 million worth of pork purchases. The program is intended to help U.S. farmers and ranchers hurt by the ongoing trade disputes with China, Mexico, Canada and other trading partners.
government shutdown
Podcast: Government Shutdown Starting To Affect Rural United States
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The effects of the government shutdown are starting to be felt in rural parts of the country. For example, implementing the new farm bill is on hold, Anna Johnson, Midwest policy manager for the Center for Rural Affairs and based in Iowa, said in a weekend IowaWatch Connection radio report now available in a podcast.
Farm safety
OSHA’s Hands Tied When Workers Are Killed on Small Farms
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The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration doesn’t investigate farm deaths, like Brandon Mullen’s in Iowa in 2013, because of a fateful decision by Congress more than 40 years ago that has given small farms unique immunity from safety oversight. A Fairwarning.org report.
The Lead Story
Citizens Express Concern About The USDA’s Rural Broadband Plan
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Slow speeds, bad coverage and expensive service. These are just some of the concerns contained in nearly 300 public comments on Rural Broadband Pilot Program proposed by the USDA, a review by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found.
rural broadband
Business, Education, Healthcare Top Of Mind As Rural Broadband Expansion Inches Forward
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When nearly 300 Americans submitted comments this summer on the USDA’s pilot plan to bring high speed broadband internet to rural America, they mentioned the great opportunities reliable internet connectivity could bring. But they also voiced skepticism over the agency’s proposed plans for the project, which has been in the works for nearly a year.
Defining Family Farms
When Being A Family Farm Doesn’t Mean Squat In The Government’s Eyes
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Small family-run farms that raise organically, without genetically modifying crops or by reducing their use of pesticides and antibiotics, are such a small part of the federal government’s definition of a family farm that they often are lost in the crowd when it comes to government and industry support.
trade war
Trade Disputes Explode Under Trump Tariff War
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As President Donald Trump continues to wage a multi-front trade war with some of the United States’ biggest economic partners, farmers have borne some of the heaviest financial burden. More than a third of the country’s trade disputes relate to agriculture, an analysis of disputes submitted to the World Trade Organization showed.
opinion
Do We Really Think People Choose To Be Poor?
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I have spent 50 years as a journalist asking questions, listening to the responses, and closely observing the people and events around me. Somewhere along the way, my observational skills must have failed me. Apparently, I have missed a lot. Otherwise, I would have noticed those lines of people eager to join and remain in the ranks of the poor. Randy Evans
STRAY THOUGHTS
Randy Evans is the executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council.
agriculture
Clear Data For Making Best Decisions About Antibiotic Use In Hogs Lacking
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Heightened concern about antibiotic resistance has put livestock antibiotic use into question. But while antibiotic sales reports are available publicly, robust data for making clear decisions about antibiotic regulation in animals do not exist.