Problems with a Washington-based company's Salmonella testing records caused USDA officials to recommend expanding an already massive nationwide recall. But the company -- Nutriom LLC, a producer of dehydrated-egg products -- declined to expand the recall. The decision consequently moved food safety
State legislators throughout the country are passing laws aimed to protect farmers from individuals who use hidden cameras to record images without consent. Recently, Idaho became the first state to have both a modern-day farm protection law and an agriculture disparagement, or “veggie libel,” law.
In September 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration will open U.S. airspace to unmanned aircraft. As that deadline approaches, state legislators have begun to pass and consider legislation that places restrictions on domestic drone use. Some believe that unmanned aircraft hovering over private pr
In 1978, Robert "Chip" Petrea was injured while baling hay near his family's dairy farm located just outside Iuka, Ill. The injury resulted in double-above the knee amputations for Petrea. Less than a year removed from the amputations, Petrea began to farm again. Today, he serves as a principal rese
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that since March 2013 about 480 people across 25 states have become sick from consuming chicken contaminated with an antibiotic-resistant strain of Heidelberg Salmonella. Nearly two out of every five of those people had to be hospit
Earlier this month, the Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that the California-based Rancho Feeding Corporation was recalling about 9 million pounds of "diseased and unsound" meat. At first, the recall only affected consumers in five states. Now, weeks after the recall was first issued, it
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service recently announced that a California plant had to recall nearly 9 million pounds of beef processed from “diseased and unsound animals.” The beef was produced by Rancho Feeding Corporation – based in Petaluma, Calif. In addition
Congress and The President approved a nearly $1 trillion Farm Bill last week, effectively ending an uncertain period for the agriculture industry. While many farmers and ranchers are thankful that a bill has finally been passed, some believe the elimination of the direct payment subsidy program coul
This roundup provides seven articles that can help you better understand the Farm Bill. Additionally, it also contains a gallery of central Illinois farmers that share their thoughts and opinions of the new Farm Bill.
Government food safety agencies announced more than a dozen recalls throughout the end of January. Most notably, more than 3.2 million pounds of meat products had to be recalled, including tens of thousands of pounds of meat from an Illinois facility.
This month, officials from the National Agriculture Statistics Service began distributing irrigation surveys to U.S. farmers and ranchers. The surveys, administered every five years, analyze how agriculture producers use water and how they utilize irrigation. According to the most recent survey, far
Recall announcements from this month reported that mechanically separated chicken produced by Tyson Foods recently caused seven people at a Tennessee correctional facility to become sick. Two of those people had to be hospitalized. The recall announcements also reported that a series of products had