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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Department of Agriculture

Department of Agriculture stories: 17 news summaries

 Smokey Bear's Fire 
 Still Burning at 65 

But some criticize his simple message

Jul 24, 09 9:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - He turns 65 this year, but Smokey Bear’s nowhere near extinguished, the Los Angeles Times reports. The mascot remains as fiercely beloved by baby boomers as he is fiercely protected by the government: Federal law keeps his image from unauthorized use, which can result in a $150,000 fine.... More »

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advertising • wildfires • character • advertising campaign • Department of Agriculture • Forest Service • forest fire • Smokey Bear

'Organic' Foods May Not Be as Pure as You Think

USDA's label increasingly meaningless as agri-business pushes in

Jul 3, 09 8:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - Demand for organic food has boomed into a $23 billion-a-year industry, but consumers who often pay twice as much for food with the coveted label aren't always getting what they expect. The criteria for obtaining a "USDA Organic" certification have been relaxed in recent years, with ostensibly organic products... More »

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organic food • organic • USDA • Department of Agriculture • organic farming • women's issues

Virus-Wary Egypt to Destroy All 300K Pigs

USDA says American pork is safe; Russia, China ban imports

Apr 29, 09 9:16 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Egyptian government says it will immediately slaughter the country’s entire population of 300,000 pigs to protect against the swine flu, the AP reports. Egypt has stressed that it has no reported cases of the virus, though two infections have been confirmed in neighboring Israel. The move comes... More »

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China • Russia • Egypt • imports • USDA • Tom Vilsack • Department of Agriculture • Obama administration • President Obama • swine flu • pork products • slaughter • H1N1 virus

 Mineral Overdose Killed 
 Polo Horses: Officials 

Selenium overdose likely claimed animals' lives

Apr 28, 09 3:03 PM CDT
(AP) - Florida officials say a mineral overdose is the probable cause of death for 21 Venezuelan-owned polo horses that fell ill as they prepared for a championship match earlier this month. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said today the animals likely overdosed on selenium, a common mineral that... More »

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Florida • Venezuela • horse • Palm Beach • Department of Agriculture • polo • Lechuza Caracas

Peanut Corp. Banned From Federal Work

Salmonella outbreak shows lack of integrity, honesty: USDA

Feb 5, 09 12:05 PM CST
(Newser) - The Peanut Corporation of America was barred today from government contracts for a year as the criminal investigation into a deadly salmonella outbreak sourced to its Georgia plant gathers steam, Reuters reports. “The company lacks business integrity and business honesty,” steamed a Department of Agriculture spokesman. The PCA’... More »

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USDA • salmonella • Department of Agriculture • government contracts • peanut • Peanut Corporation of America

Feds May Use Food Stamps
to Improve Nutrition

Food stamp and school lunch programs could be revamped to encourage nutrition

Dec 24, 08 1:57 PM CST
(Newser) - The Obama White House may move to revamp food aid so it encourages healthy eating, reports the Washington Post. One idea gaining favor: Double the value of food stamps if they're used to buy fruits and vegetables. While anti-hunger advocates have long objected to such government meddling, opposition is softening... More »

MORE ABOUT:
nutrition • Tom Vilsack • school lunch • Tom Harkin • Department of Agriculture • food stamps • President Obama

Obama Adds Centrists Salazar, Vilsack to Cabinet 

Salazar brings centrist cred to the team

Dec 17, 08 1:07 PM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama added Ken Salazar and Tom Vilsack to his growing list of Cabinet appointments today, tapping the noted centrists as secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture respectively. “It is time for a new kind of leadership in Washington that's committed to using our lands in a responsible way,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • Department of the Interior • Ken Salazar • Tom Vilsack • Department of Agriculture • President Obama • Obama Cabinet

(Newser) - Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack will be Barack Obama's pick for agriculture secretary, CNN reports. Obama is expected to make the announcement tomorrow. Vilsack himself briefly ran for president before dropping out and campaigning for Hillary Clinton. As a two-term governor, Vilsack backed renewable energy and sought to develop the... More »

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agriculture • Cabinet • Tom Vilsack • Department of Agriculture • President Obama

OPINION

Forget Agriculture—We Need a Secretary of Food

Take on the corrupt factory farming system, Obama

Dec 11, 08 10:33 AM CST
(Newser) - Once upon a time, more than one-third of Americans worked on farms, and a Department of Agriculture seemed logical. These days just 2% of Americans work the land, and the factory-farm lobby dictates agriculture policy, writes New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. To help remedy the situation, Kristof contends, Barack... More »

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agriculture • Department of Agriculture • President Obama • Cabinet secretary • Obama Cabinet

 Midwest Awaits
 Bumper Corn Crop

Ideal growing weather wipes out flood fears

Aug 13, 08 8:19 AM CDT
(Newser) - America's farmers are on track to deliver the second-biggest corn harvest ever despite June floods, according to the Department of Agriculture. Shortages were predicted after severe flooding swamped fields, but the Midwest has had ideal corn-growing weather since, the New York Times reports. A healthy soybean crop is also expected.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
agriculture • farming • corn • crops • harvest • farmer • farm • Department of Agriculture • corn belt • soybeans

 Farmers Aim
 to Plow Over
 Conserved Land 

Wetlands, grassland now needed for corn

Jul 11, 08 4:40 AM CDT
(Newser) - Millions of acres set aside as grasslands and wetlands could soon be plowed under if farmers and livestock producers have their way, reports the Washington Post.  As food prices soar, the Department of Agriculture is under pressure to release acreage from the Conservation Reserve Program that pays farmers not... More »

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ethanol • corn • Department of Agriculture • American Meat Institute • Conservation Reserve Program • farmers • National Pork Producers Council • Environmental Defense Fund • National Wildlife Federation

 Quest on for Chocolate Genome 

Mars aims to unlock genetic code to develop hardier cacao trees

Jun 26, 08 6:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - Candy giant Mars is investing $10 million in a 5-year research project to unlock the secrets of chocolate's genetic code—the cocoa genome—as the first stage in developing cacao trees that can produce more, survive droughts, and combat disease. Mars intends to make the results public to stop key... More »

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drought • Mars • West Africa • Brazil • IBM • genome • chocolate • Department of Agriculture • cacao • cocoa • Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture

Workers Charge Laptops to Lingerie on Fed Credit Cards 

Audit: Nearly half of purchases broke rules

Apr 9, 08 8:50 AM CDT
(Newser) - Millions of dollars government employees charged to federal credit cards went for less-than-appropriate perks ranging from digital cameras to dating services, sexy lingerie, laptops, and a $13,000 postal party, reports the Washington Post. An investigation by the Government Accountability Office found that 48% of major purchases on federal credit... More »

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State Department • Department of Homeland Security • Department of Defense • Norm Coleman • Government Accountability Office • USPS • Department of Agriculture • purchase cards • Forest Service • Debra K. Durfey • Office of Management and Budget • Government Credit Card Abuse Prevention Act

Picky Eater Decodes the Beef Scare

What goes into a 99¢ burger can
be pretty unpleasant, author Pollan says

Feb 20, 08 5:53 PM CST
(Newser) - Don't fault slaughterhouse workers for this week's enormous beef recall, author and foodie Michael Pollan tells Newsweek—it's the system. Blinding-fast production lines that expect workers to slaughter up to seven cows per minute do not a safe or ethical steak make. "It's one of those episodes that peels... More »

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meat • cows • Humane Society • Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. • slaughterhouse • Michael Pollan • Department of Agriculture • farmers markets

Bush Picks Ex-Governor to Head the Farm Team

Schafer could overhaul way Agricultural Department does business

Oct 31, 07 9:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - Edward Schafer has extolled the virtues of smaller government, but he is President Bush’s nominee to head the mammoth Agriculture Department, which employs more than 100,000 people and spends $90 billion a year. If approved by the Senate, the former North Dakota governor would likely be thrust into... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Chuck Hagel • North Dakota • farmer • Mike Johanns • Edward Schafer • farm bill • Department of Agriculture • George W. Bush

The Beef Stops Here, but Why?

Health agents ask
why E. coli outbreak toppled Topps and
led to huge recall

Oct 7, 07 7:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - The latest E. coli outbreak, which toppled Topps Meat and led to millions of recalled burgers, has stumped health agents. Muckrakers blame feedlots and abattoirs, saying bad animal diets increase infections when the meat mingles with innards, but others aren't so worried: "The reality is if you cook the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
E. coli • disease • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • Cargill • recall • Sam's Club • outbreak • Topps • ground beef • American Chef's Selection Angus Beef • National Meat Association • feedlots • Department of Agriculture

Feds Fly 1st Class on Your Dime

$146M wasted in premium travel

Oct 3, 07 9:29 AM CDT
(Newser) - Federal employees wasted $146 million in a single year flying business or first class, according to a government investigation. Some 67% of premium-class travel is unauthorized or unnecessary, and the biggest abusers are Pentagon, Justice and State Department officials, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. More »

MORE ABOUT:
Pentagon • Department of Justice • State Department • Liberia • Government Accountability Office • federal employees • premium class travel • first class • business class • perk • Department of Agriculture

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