Articles by Leah Douglas and Julie Steenhuysen

Food Safety Regulators Expand Bird Flu Testing in Milk Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has begun testing more dairy products for evidence of the bird flu virus as outbreaks spread among dairy herds across the country. More than 120 dairy herds in 12 states have tested positive for …

US to Provide Nearly $200M to Contain Bird Flu Spread on Dairy Farms

The Biden administration said on Friday it will provide nearly $200 million to fight the spread of avian flu among dairy cows, in the government’s latest bid to contain outbreaks that have fueled concerns about human infections with the H5N1 …

Federal Crop Insurance Provides Billions in Profit for Insurers, Says USDA

Roughly one-third of U.S. government spending to insure the nation’s crops since 2011 has gone to insurance companies that derive more than $1 billion in profit from the program each year, according to a government watchdog’s report released on Monday. …

Staff at Top US Farm Research Center File Complaint Alleging Unsafe Work Conditions

Three employees of the largest agricultural research facility in the U.S. have filed federal whistleblower complaints alleging that the facility’s conditions are hazardous to workers and undermine their research, even as farmers are facing pressing issues like climate change, according …

Crop Insurance Payouts Rise as Climate Change Worsens Droughts, Floods

Insurance payments to U.S. farmers for crops lost to droughts and flooding have risen more than threefold over the past 25 years, according to an analysis of federal data by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released on Thursday. The report …

Biden Administration Unveils ‘Wildfire Crisis Strategy’ for Western States

The Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled a 10-year plan to treat and maintain millions of additional acres of forests in the western United States to reduce the severity of seasonal wildfires. “We’re not going to stop fires,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary …

Report Finds Meat Plant Workers’ COVID Cases Much Higher Than Previous Estimates

Workers at the leading U.S. meatpacking plants experienced cases and death from COVID-19 that were up to three times previous estimates, according to a report by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis seen by Reuters. The U.S. House …