Farm Sanctuary et al. sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court, claiming a final regulation, the Slaughter Rule, will allow nearly all of the pigs slaughtered nationwide to be slaughtered quickly, with little federal oversight, posing risk to animal welfare, and consumer health and safety.
Read moreThe gap between personal incomes in rural farming communities and communities with recreation-based economies is widening in rural America, a new federal report released Wednesday says.
Read moreThe USDA on Thursday issued its interim final rule on hemp production in America, clearing the way for farmers to cultivate what could be a highly lucrative — or highly speculative — new crop.
Read moreA civil rights group and the Wyoming ranchers it represents are celebrating the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to walk back its new cattle-tagging regulations after the ranchers challenged the rules in court.
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Aiming to open up the country’s largest national forest to logging operations, the Trump administration on Tuesday announced plans to roll back federal protections on Alaska’s Tongass National Forest.
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Food workers unions sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court Monday, challenging a Trump administration rule change that would speed up pork production by shifting food quality and safety responsibilities from regulators to workers in pork processing plants.
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The number of households in the United States that are “food insecure” dropped for a second year, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture study.
Read moreA trio of wildlife groups sued the federal government Tuesday seeking a new environmental analysis for what they claim is an outdated wildlife killing program targeting thousands of native carnivores including coyotes and foxes in 10 Northern California counties.
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Prized horses are blistered and maimed to obtain a show-winning gait, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture illegally withdrew a federal rule that would prevent it, the Humane Society said this week in a federal lawsuit.
Read moreThe Seventh Circuit ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture arbitrarily determined that a farm was no longer eligible for certain benefits, because a farmer cut down nine trees. The agency determined that the tree removal converted several acres of wetlands into croplands, but it did not present any evidence that the tree removal “altered the wetland hydrology.”
Read moreA federal judge refused to dismiss the Animal Welfare Institute’s claims that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service failed to deliver records on humane treatment of livestock.
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If you build it, they will come. Unfortunately for potential picnic-goers, Denver’s lush parks and predator-free ponds are the perfect habitat for Branta Canadensis – the Canada goose – to thrive.
Read moreTechnology has ushered in a new era for food, prompting lawmakers across the nation to ask: What is meat?
Read moreEnvironmental groups have standing to sue the U.S. Department of Agriculture for neglecting to study the impact of killing gray wolves in mountainous portions of Idaho and whether the slaughter affects elk populations, the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday.
Read moreBad news for the millions of Americans on food stamps: The Trump administration plans to propose a rule Thursday to restrict states’ abilities to provide federal food assistance to people who are not steadily employed.
Read moreThe Ninth Circuit on Monday signaled it will likely revive a public-records lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture which seeks to restore online access to animal welfare compliance records which was removed two years ago over privacy concerns.
Read moreIn an effort to boost California’s water infrastructure and alleviate the state’s perpetual drought worries, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Tuesday his department will spend more than $449 million to help fund projects to increase the reliability and efficiency of the water supply across the state.
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