Mad cow investigation leads to Tulare County dairy [Fresno Bee]
California's first case of mad cow disease has been traced to a Tulare County dairy, a spokesman for Tulare Rep. Devin Nunes said Wednesday. Federal inspectors have identified the dairy and were likely interviewing the dairy operator on Wednesday, said Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. He declined to name the dairy. He said investigators will retrace ownership of the cow before it arrived at the dairy….As federal officials continued their investigation Wednesday, the reaction among U.S. trading partners was relatively mild….That pales in comparison to what happened in 2003 when the U.S. discovered its first case of mad cow disease in an animal that came from Canada…."Back then, it seemed like everyone just shut their doors," said Mike Smith, special projects manager for Harris Ranch Beef Company in Selma, one of the Valley's leading beef producers. "But that didn't happen this time. We have not seen any pull-back in terms of orders, foreign or domestic."
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/04/25/2813573/mad-cow-disease-traced-to-tulare.html
Quick response averts market scare in mad cow case [Associated Press]
The announcement that mad cow disease was found in a California cow drew a rapid response this week from the beleaguered American beef industry, which has been enduring one crisis after another for more than a year. First, a severe drought in the Southwest cut cattle herd numbers to their lowest level in more than 60 years. Then an intense controversy erupted over a common type of filler known as "pink slime," hurting ground beef sales. The industry was just regaining its footing when the word of the mad cow discovery came Tuesday….With billions of dollars at risk, the USDA and other government officials responded quickly, explaining consumers never were at risk because none of the animal's meat was bound for the food supply….On Tuesday, meat industry groups, food companies and the American Veterinary Medical Association quickly issued statements and updated their websites, seeking to reassure the public that the nation's meat supply is safe.
Editorial: U.S. should adopt additional protections against mad cow disease [San Jose Mercury News]
U.S. agriculture officials say their announcement Tuesday of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States since 2006 confirms that the nation's food-safety system works. We might agree if we didn't know that the United States randomly tests only about one of every 10,000 cows, or 40,000 of the 35 million cows that are slaughtered every year.…Two years ago, California adopted a law requiring meat processors to euthanize any downed livestock, animals that can't walk, and keep them out of the food supply. Downed cattle are at much higher risk of having mad cow disease than cattle that appear healthy. But in January the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a state could not impose stricter requirements than the federal law. Fortunately, U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., introduced legislation in the House in January that is virtually identical to the California law. Congress should pass Ackerman's bill and examine other ways to improve the nation's food safety, including additional testing.
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_20482566/mercury-news-editorial-u-s-should-adopt-additional
Jurupa Valley: Agriculture officials discuss dangers of citrus pest [Riverside Press-Enterprise]
Dozens of Jurupa Valley residents flocked to the Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center tonight to get more information about the Asian citrus psyllid, a pest that infects citrus trees with a fatal disease. State agriculture officials announced last week that the insect has been detected in Jurupa Valley and that an eradication program is set to begin this month. Alfredo Sanchez, an agricultural pest control specialist with the Department of Food and Agriculture, said 10 crews will fan out in the quarantine area starting this morning, posting notices that they will return on Monday to spray the foliage and to spread an insecticide beneath the citrus trees for ongoing protection.
Organic farms yield less produce [AFP]
Organic farming may yield up to a third less of some crop types. This is according to a study proposing a hybrid with conventional agriculture as the best way to feed the world. Organic farming seeks to limit the use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, but critics suggest lower crop yields require bigger swathes of land for the same output as conventional farms. This would mean parts of forests and other natural areas being turned into farmland, undoing some of the environmental gains of organic tilling methods, they say.
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2012/04/26/474485_business-news.html
Dow corn, resistant to a weed killer, runs into opposition [New York Times]
…Mr. Herr recalled the incident because he is concerned that the Dow Chemical company is on the verge of winning regulatory approval for corn that is genetically engineered to be immune to 2,4-D, allowing farmers to spray the chemical to kill weeds without harming the corn stalks.…But some consumer and environmental groups oppose approval of Dow’s corn, saying it will lead to a huge increase in the use of 2,4-D, which they say may cause cancer, hormone disruption and other health problems. They are being joined by a coalition of fruit and vegetable farmers like Mr. Herr and canners like Red Gold and Seneca Foods, which filed petitions with the government last week seeking a delay in the corn’s approval. The Save Our Crops Coalition, as it calls itself, says it is not opposed to biotechnology. But it fears that fruits and vegetables, which will not be immune to 2,4-D, will become unintended casualties of herbicide drift as the chemical is sprayed on tens of millions of acres of corn.
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