APHIS

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins testified before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee this week and defended downsizing the USDA and potential cuts to international food programs.  The secretary added that the Agriculture Department doesn’t plan to close any of its 4,500 Farm Service Agency offices that serve America’s farmers.   “It is not i...

Thousands of workers have reportedly accepted the Trump administration’s buyout offers at the USDA.  E & E News says employees who’ve seen the internal numbers at USDA say the count has reached 3,100 at the Forest Service, 1,200 at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and possibly up to 12,000 people through the entire agency.  If those numbers hold, ...

On Friday, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service ordered testing of the nation's milk supply for bird flu.  The Department said testing of raw or unpasteurized milk will help better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows.  Testing of r...

Have you spotted Spotted Lanternfly in the northeast? This evasive pest has become more prevalent in recent years. In fact, in recent weeks of this summer.   “And the spotted lanternfly feeds on a wide range of fruit and ornamental trees and woody trees. It does p...

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is finalizing amendments to its import regulations for horses.

Last week, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced he was nominating Xochitl Torres Small for the Ag department deputy secretary position that will soon be vacated.   “Under Secretary Torres Small who is currently operating our Rural Development missionary has done a terrific job of communicating the mission of Rural Development and understands and appreciates the important role that Department of Agri

A group of Senators is urging the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to take swift action to address the ongoing avian influenza outbreak.  The lawmakers recently asked Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to quickly use funds provided by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2023 Agriculture Appropriations bill.   Led by...

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service proposes to amend animal disease traceability regulations and require electronic identification for interstate movement of certain cattle and bison.  APHIS has also proposed revising and clarifying record requirements.  The cha...

Bird flu has been reported again in Oregon.  According to the state Department of Agriculture, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was discovered September 28th in two private flocks of 60 chickens and ducks in Tillamook County.  The flock ow...

The Department of Agriculture recently announced an advance notice of proposed rulemaking on a new approach to indemnity valuation and a new indemnity framework.  The advanced notice describes two structural changes to the indemnity regulations.  ...