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USDA: Southeastern Wyoming Emerging From Drought

Associated Press — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:56:34 +0000

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows southeast Wyoming may be emerging from 11 months of drought.

The USDA's weekly Drought Monitor out Thursday shows the Cheyenne area has been downgraded from "moderate drought" to "abnormally dry

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USDA starts new program to track farm animals

Associated Press — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:52:40 +0000

The federal government has started a new livestock identification program to help agriculture officials quickly track livestock in cases of disease.

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USDA's Crop Report For 2012 Shows Drought Impact

Associated Press — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:20:14 +0000

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is releasing its final crop report for 2012, providing a glimpse of what last year's drought cost the nation's farmers and others.

The report covers a number of crops, but attention will likely focus on corn production

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Cheat Grass Connection To More Western Wildfires

Karen Snyder — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 22:58:24 +0000

Cheat grass is a common invasive plant in the western U.S., but its presence has grown significantly over the last decade. So much so, that researchers believe it may be a main culprit in the increase in western wildfires

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Livestock Producers Look To 2013, Leave 2012 Gladly

Karen Snyder — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:19:25 +0000

2012 was a tough year with high feed costs for live stock producers.

Agriculture Department Chief Economist, Joe Glauber says that won't improve overnight. He says many producers will be trying to hang on until spring hoping to sense if 2013 will be a better weather year for crops and bring feed prices down

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USDA Offers Steps Toward Drought Resistance

Karen Snyder — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 00:27:03 +0000

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture drought still covers 62 percent of the nation. Recent storms are taking the edge off, but there's still a ways to go to catch up on lost precipitation

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Moving Forward With Country Of Origin Labeling Compliance

Karen Snyder — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 23:09:18 +0000

Discussion on U.S. Country of Origin Labeling, or COOL, now focuses on how the U.S. should comply with the World Trade Organization dispute settlement. The U.S. has until late May to make the way it administers COOL W-T-O compliant

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Jet Stream Block Could Mean Real Winter Ahead

Karen Snyder — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 23:44:19 +0000

They called last winter, "the winter that wasn't". The question this year for meteorologists is, will it be similar this year. U.S. Agriculture Meteorologist, Brad Rippey, says last year the jet stream swept much of the cold air out to sea, but this year a high pressure system parked over the North Atlantic is holding the cooler air over the continent

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Senators Urge USDA Action To Curb Wildfire Risk

Associated Press — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 12:47:54 +0000

DENVER (AP) — Senators from Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota are encouraging federal officials to use the timber industry to help thin forests prone to wildfires, like ones that raged across their states this summer

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For Beef Producers The Squeeze Is On

Karen Snyder — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 23:09:04 +0000

Cattle producers are caught in a squeeze right now with fewer calves that they have to pay more for, along with very high corn prices. USDA Livestock analyst, Shayle Shagham says many producers have gone through a series of losses, as have meat packers

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Wet Weather May Not Turn Drought In Worst Areas

Karen Snyder — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:44:07 +0000

It seems that when fall came in the door the drought as a news story went out the window, but actually, "62.30 percent of the contiguous area of the United States remains in drought."

U.S.Agriculture Department Meteorologist, Brad Rippey says that's down only about 3 percent from the peak number just a few weeks ago

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No Farm Bill Before Election

Karen Snyder — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 23:36:08 +0000

Agriculture officials at the USDA say there's been confirmation that the U.S. House won't take up the Farm Bill until at least after the election. The house speaker made that announcement Thursday.

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Back To School With Healthier Lunch

Karen Snyder — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 23:14:23 +0000

Mandated standards for healthier school lunches were introduced this fall featuring more vegetables of specific color, lower sodium and more whole grains.

We've been working on this for a couple years

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USDA Warns, Dried Fields, Faulty Machinery A Fire Risk

Karen Snyder — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 18:52:32 +0000

Crops and pasture lands drying from prolonged drought conditions across much of the state are adding fuel load for a potential field fire, one that can be sparked inadvertently by farm and ranch machinery

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Brief Respite Predicted For Beef Price Increase

Karen Snyder — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 23:55:34 +0000

While analysts predict we'll feel the major effects of drought on food prices next year, they say there may be a surprise effect in 2012.

U.S.D.A. Food Price Analyst, Ricky Volpe, says because pastures have been wiped out and feed prices are going up, cattle producers are sending cows to market early, which means, "we are revising our 2012 forecast for beef and veal downward

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USDA Invests Dollars Toward Wood-To-Energy

Karen Snyder — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 22:40:46 +0000

Utilization of forests and grasslands are part of rural prosperity, says U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secretary Tom Vilsack.

To that end Vilsack says the department is working to boost recreational use and do more forest restoration

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Wyoming Preps For Wild Fire Mitigation

Karen Snyder — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 23:00:25 +0000

The state of Wyoming held a training workshop for county wild fire mitigation coordinators last week. It took place on Casper Mountain where representatives from across the state took a tour to see first hand various types of wild fire mitigation techniques in use

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Grocery Store Book Keeping, Road Block To Food Safety?

Karen Snyder — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:27:41 +0000

They're called "grinding logs' and many such records at grocery stores across the country with on-site meat grinders have mediocre book keeping.

U.S. Undersecretary for Food Safety, Elizabeth Hagan, says through the years, and over and over again, they find themselves investigating outbreaks of food borne illness, "and we know that the patients purchased ground beef from a store that was ground at the store

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Proposed Animal I.D. Traceback System Under Review

Karen Snyder — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:04:06 +0000

A proposed new U.S. Department of Agriculture Livestock I.D. and Trace-back System was made ready for review the same day word started to spread about a recent case of BSE, or mad cow disease, in California

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Mad Cow Case In California Found In USDA Testing

Associated Press — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:57:11 +0000

HANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Federal and state agriculture officials are working to find out more about a California dairy cow that was found to have mad cow disease.

The finding announced yesterday is the first new case of the fatal brain disease in the U

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