Washington DC - February 16 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA has taken the first step toward implementing a plan to address veterinary shortages throughout rural America by repaying student loans in return for services in areas suffering from a lack of veterinarians.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - February 8 - Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA will develop a new, flexible framework for animal disease traceability in the United States, and undertake several other actions to further strengthen its disease prevention and response capabilities.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - February 3 - USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $24 million in grants to study animal heath, reproduction, breeding, genetics and nutrition.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - January 8 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that USDA has already made more than $175 million in disaster payments to America’s livestock producers after implementing two new programs in 2009.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - December 31 - A judge halted construction of a primate-breeding facility in the Puerto Rican town of Guayama that has raised serious health and environmental concerns among local residents.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - December 15 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in cooperation with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), released The Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems at the climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - November 2 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is withdrawing the recently published interim rule  to increase fees charged for certain agricultural quarantine and inspection services.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - November 2 - An international team of scientists, funded with a $10 million grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), has completed the first draft of the genome of a domesticated pig. This first draft sequence will spur advancements in swine production and human medicine.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - October 20 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories has confirmed the presence of 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in a pig sample collected at the Minnesota State Fair submitted by the University of Minnesota.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - October 19 - The National Pork Producers Council is reiterating that pork is safe to eat and handle and that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu viruses cannot be transmitted through food, including pork.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - October 19 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories will be conducting confirmatory testing on swine samples collected at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair between August 26 and September 1.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - October 9 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack launched the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) with a major speech regarding the role of science and research at USDA.

To read his remarks, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - September 29 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that ranchers who have signed up for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program have begun receiving disaster payments for forage losses due to severe drought.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - September 29 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is increasing the fees charged for certain agricultural quarantine and inspection services provided for commercial transports, as well as international airline passengers arriving at U.S. ports of entry.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE

Washington DC - August 31 - Using vaccination to induce a robust immune response has been an effective strategy for managing infectious diseases in humans and animals. Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and colleagues have found factors that significantly compromises the effectiveness of a commonly administered vaccine in swine.

To read the entire report, CLICK HERE