Latest news with #UnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Sen. Justice co-sponsors bill to put whole milk back in school cafeterias
U.S. Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV) speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images) Whole milk could return as an option in school cafeterias, according to a bill supported by Sen. Jim Justice. The Republican Senator from West Virginia signed on as co-sponsor of the 'Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025.' 'I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this bill [and] glad to see it pass out of committee! Whole milk is vital to children's growth and bone strength. It is time to bring it back in schools!' Justice posted Wednesday on X. The bipartisan bill aims to reintroduce whole milks and 2% milk to schools participating in the National School Lunch Program. The measure also has the support of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who tweeted in March that his administration is 'encouraging programs to switch from low-fat dairy – which the antiquated Dietary Guidelines require them to promote — to full-fat/whole milk.' Current guidelines from the United States Department of Agriculture require schools to offer fat-free and low-fat milk, flavored and unflavored, to kindergarten through twelfth grade students. Whole and reduced-fat (2%) milk were removed from school menus in 2012 under the Obama administration to limit saturated fat consumption and calorie consumption among children. Recent research suggests that kids who drink whole milk could be less likely to be overweight or develop obesity than children who drink reduced-fat milk. 'Milk is an important part of a balanced diet that delivers critical nutrients students need for growth and development. It makes sense for National School Lunch Program operators to have the authority to offer this healthful beverage to students during the school day,' said Sen. John Boozman, (R-AR). I'm proud to lead the committee in advancing this bipartisan solution to expand milk options and encourage increased dairy consumption while supporting America's hardworking dairy producers,' The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, which Boozman chairs, advanced the measure on Tuesday. Justice is also a member of the committee. The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration. The measure also authorizes parents or legal guardians, in addition to licensed physicians, to provide a written statement for their student to receive a nondairy substitute for fluid milk at school. Nearly every West Virginia county provides free breakfast and lunch to students regardless of income due the state's high poverty level. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Illinois Department of Agriculture lifts poultry exhibition suspension
SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is lifting the temporary suspension on the exhibition or sale of poultry at swap meets, exhibitions, flea markets and auction markets. The suspension was initially issued in February in response to the ongoing threat of H5N1 avian flu. 'We have closely monitored the threat posed by avian flu and have taken appropriate measures to ensure biosecurity for the safety of both the public and the poultry industry,' said Dr. Mark Ernst, IDOA State Veterinarian. 'Should the situation change, we will re-evaluate, but for now, we feel it is safe to resume poultry exhibition and sales.' Avian flu is caused by an influenza type A virus which can infect poultry (such as chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese, and guinea fowl) and wild birds (especially waterfowl). Avian flu virus strains are extremely infectious, often fatal to chickens, and can spread rapidly from flock to flock. Poultry flock owners, managers, and veterinarians should report any unusual findings in domestic poultry, such as increase in mortality, decrease in water consumption, decrease in egg production, or respiratory signs, including coughing and sneezing, immediately to IDOA at 217-782-4944 or the United States Department of Agriculture at 866-536-7593. The public is reminded not to handle or attempt to capture wild waterfowl or other birds displaying signs of illness. Due to risk of infection to other animals, cats should be kept away from the carcasses of birds that may have died from avian flu. For more information regarding avian flu, visit the USDA site at
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Tree that appears resistant to citrus greening found in central Florida
There may finally be some hope for Florida's citrus industry. United States Department of Agriculture scientists have discovered a tree that may be resistant to citrus greening. The disease has devastated groves for decades and led to a 90% decline in the industry. Scientists say a farm in Groveland has a sweet orange tree that appears to be unaffected by the disease. It's a 30-year-old tree called the Donaldson. Scientists say more testing is needed to find out if this can be a viable replacement for traditional orange trees. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
The Star
4 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Indonesia needs smarter farming, not more farmers: Comment
JAKARTA: In the context of rising global food insecurity and climate uncertainty, it may seem counterintuitive to suggest that Indonesia, home to over 280 million people, does not need more farmers. However, this is precisely what the data tells us. The country's food production trajectory, particularly in rice, has significantly improved despite a dramatic decline in the agricultural labour force. In 1980, more than 55 per cent of Indonesia's workforce, approximately 40 million individuals, was employed in agriculture. By 2023, this figure had fallen to approximately 28 per cent, or around 29 million people. Tens of millions have exited the sector, pursuing opportunities in industry and services. Yet during this same period, Indonesia's rice production has not only remained resilient, it has increased substantially. Annual production rose from 30 million tonnes in the early 1980s to over 53 million tonnes in 2023, representing an 82 per cent increase. Rice yields per hectare have also tripled, from approximately 1.8 tonnes in the 1960s to 5.92 tonnes today. Harvested areas have grown by nearly 49 per cent, primarily through intensification strategies such as double cropping and improved irrigation. This trend indicates a structural shift from labour-intensive to input and technology intensive farming systems. Indonesia's agricultural transformation can be attributed to a series of interventions spanning several decades. A key turning point was the Green Revolution, during which high-yielding rice varieties replaced traditional cultivars By the mid-1980s, most rice farmers had adopted these improved varieties. Government initiatives such as the Integrated Cropping Calendar and the 'Rice 400' programme enhanced planting frequency and land utilisation (MDPI, 2022). Between 1975 and 2000, fertiliser use increased ninefold, from 0.6 million to 5.9 million tonnes annually, supported by the government's BIMAS training programme and credit subsidies. Mechanisation followed: Modern rice planters today can seed a hectare in four hours, compared to 25 days using traditional methods, reducing production costs by up to 70 per cent. Infrastructure investments in irrigation, roads and post-harvest systems laid the foundation for further intensification. This combination of high-yield inputs, mechanisation and targeted state intervention has allowed Indonesia's farmers to produce significantly more with less labour. The result is a system capable of feeding the nation, and potentially others. The strongest validation of this shift comes from recent national production records. In 2023, Indonesia produced 53.98 million tonnes of unhusked rice, equivalent to 31.1 million tonnes of milled rice, the highest level in its recorded history. The Agriculture Ministry's 2024 target of 32 million tonnes was exceeded, and the United States Department of Agriculture now estimates that Indonesia will produce 34.6 million tonnes in 2024/25, surpassing Vietnam and Thailand to become South-East Asia's largest rice producer. As of May, national rice reserves held by Perum BULOG reached 3.7 million tonnes, the largest since BULOG's founding in 1967, and exceeding even the peak stockpiles during the 1984 self-sufficient period. Projections suggest Indonesia may not need to import rice until at least 2026. President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the construction of emergency warehouses to manage the unexpected surplus. The consequence of these gains is reshaping the regional rice trade. Countries like Vietnam, Thailand and Myanmar, longstanding rice exporters to Indonesia, are now searching for alternative markets as Indonesia exits the import demand curve. Indonesia's progress stems from strategic investments rather than from expanding the number of farmers. Initiatives such as Oplah (land optimisation), PAT (pumped irrigation for rainfed fields), cetak sawah (new land conversion) and additional irrigation from the Public Works Ministry are expected to collectively contribute over six million tonnes of additional rice output in 2025. Globally, high-performing food systems are characterised by small agricultural labour shares. The Netherlands, with only two percent of its workforce in agriculture, is the world's second-largest food exporter. South Korea and Japan, both with just three to five percent of their population farming, remain self-sufficient in rice. Indonesia is now moving in that direction. The younger generation of Indonesian farmers is increasingly equipped with drone technology, automated machinery and data-driven decision tools. As long as they have access to capital, seeds, fertiliser and digital infrastructure, each farmer can produce enough to feed many. Indonesia does not need to reverse labour migration from the countryside. Instead, it must continue to invest in technology, infrastructure, agronomic education and value chain integration. The data is unambiguous: Even as the agricultural workforce declined by 70 per cent since 1980, rice output has reached record highs. By focusing on productivity rather than manpower, Indonesia has secured food sovereignty, regional competitiveness and economic resilience. The future of Indonesian agriculture does not rest in expanding its farmer base, rather it rests in making each farmer smarter, more efficient and more empowered. A smaller, technologically sophisticated farming population is not a weakness; it is the hallmark of a modern, sustainable food system. - The Jakarta Post/ANN The writer is a food policy expert and co-founder and advisor of the Indonesia Food Security Review (IFSR). The views expressed here are personal.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas moves close to ban on some land sales to foreigners
With just three days left before the deadline, the House has approved the negotiated version of a bill that bans people tied to the governments of China, North Korea, Russia and Iran from purchasing land in the state. The bill awaits Senate approval before going to the governor. Senate Bill 17 has moved forward in Texas despite a federal court ruling that a similar law in Florida was likely beyond the state's authority. It's the second attempt by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, who said in 2023 that the right time to address concerns over foreign entities owning Texas land is before it becomes widespread — something she sees as a way to bolster national security. The latest data available shows that investors from the four countries own a small portion of farmland in Texas and nationally. Chinese investors own about 383,000 total acres of U.S. farmland — about 600 square miles — which is less than 1% of total, foreign-held acreage, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's 2021 land report. On Thursday, the House approved a conference report on the measure after both chambers passed versions of the bill. Last session, although the Senate passed a similar measure, the House failed to take it up. In mid-May, Kolkhorst initiated a process to reconcile differences between the chambers over who should be banned. The select group of lawmakers known as a conference committee worked in private on the conference version that is now up for a vote in the Senate. The conference report preserves the last-minute amendments from the bill passed by the House: giving the governor the authority to add more countries to the list, restricting leaseholders from renting for up to 100 years to just one year, and including language that barred people who were part of a ruling political party from buying land. The conference committee version requires that the person have permission to live in the U.S. legally, but also that the property would serve as a primary residence. Under that version, those in the United States on work or student visas are also barred from buying a controlling interest in land as a business investment. 'The metric by which we decide who can and cannot be buying land here is to help the asylum seeker, but not to allow someone that just happens to be here on a tourist visa or a student visa to buy multiple properties, investment properties and everything else,' Kolkhorst said on the Senate floor in May. Asian Texans for Justice, an advocacy group that opposes the effort, said they see the bill as racist and discriminatory. The group has said the bill revives 'a shameful chapter in American history — when Asian immigrants were banned from owning land.' Lily Trieu, executive director of the group, said that by passing the bill, lawmakers were setting up Texans to have their taxpayer dollars spent on inevitable lawsuits. 'The Florida bill is caught up in the courts. So why would you model a bill after one that's being challenged legally?' she said in an interview. 'Why wouldn't you file a bill that you know is legally sound and constitutional? The conference committee version also lays out specific procedures for the attorney general to investigate, and the process by which land could be reclaimed if someone were found to have violated the law. Texas and Florida are not alone in their attempts to pass such legislation: between January 2023 and July 2024, at least 22 other states initiated similar bills, according to the federal Congressional Research Service. Florida's law, which also includes Cuba, Syria, and Venezuela, was struck down by a U.S. District Court in 2023, but the law remains in effect while the state is appealing it. In a 2023 letter to the court, the U.S. Department of Justice said the law violates the federal Fair Housing Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution: 'These unlawful provisions will cause serious harm to people simply because of their national origin, contravene federal civil rights laws, undermine constitutional rights, and will not advance the State's purported goal of increasing public safety,' the Department of Justice wrote. The Texas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union raised similar concerns. "Discriminating against residents based on their national origin is not only barred by the Constitution's requirements for due process and equal protection, but it also tramples on the United States' prerogatives on foreign relations," said David Donatti, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas. Sarah Cruz, a policy and advocacy strategist with the ACLU, said the policy could also lead to racial profiling. 'How is it going to look in practice?,' she said. 'If an individual who just simply looks like they may be from one of those designated countries, does that open them to … some additional scrutiny? The bill is a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and has received the encouragement of Gov. Greg Abbott. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
