To further protect the U.S. livestock industry from the threat posed by highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, USDA is sharing a number of actions that we are taking with our federal partners to help us get ahead of this disease and limit its spread. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a Federal Order requiring the following measures, effective Monday, April 29, 2024: Mandatory Testing for Interstate Movement of Dairy Cattle and Mandatory Reporting. The Federal Order may be viewed here.
As the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a nationwide order including requiring lactating dairy cows to test negative for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) before interstate transport, the Meat Institute said that properly prepared beef remains safe to eat and called for USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide worker safety guidance specific to beef processors to ensure workers are protected from infection.
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) President Mark Eisele, a Wyoming rancher, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final traceability rule: “USDA’s final traceability rule updates the existing requirement for animal identification that has been in place since 2013, switching from solely visual tags to tags that are both electronically and visually readable for certain classes of cattle moving interstate. Many producers are already familiar with using these visual tags and under the new rule, they will instead use electronic tags. NCBA has worked hard to secure $15 million in funding for producers to reduce the cost of implementing this change. We also remain committed to safeguarding producers’ private data and continuing to reduce the cost of ear tags for farmers and ranchers. Our industry faces a tremendous threat from the risk of a future foreign animal disease on American soil. To avoid devastating financial losses during a potential outbreak and to help producers quickly return to commerce, we need an efficient animal disease traceability system.”
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced that applications are now open for two internships that give students an opportunity to support the cattle industry and gain valuable experience. The programs include a public policy internship and a meetings and events internship.
The Dairy Business Association, Wisconsin’s leading dairy advocacy organization, announced its 2023-24 legislative awards. More than two dozen lawmakers earned the association’s recognition for their commitment to the state’s nearly $50 billion dairy industry. Representative Travis Tranel, R-Cuba City, received DBA’s 2023-24 Legislative Champion Award, the association’s highest honor, for leading the effort to create the state’s Agriculture Roads Improvement Program.
Get ready for a fish-out-of-water journey into the world of dairy farming with Emmy-nominated sketch comedian and actress Vanessa Bayer. Brought to you by U.S. dairy farmers, processors and importers, “Dairy Diaries” premieres on April 22 exclusively on the Roku Channel in the U.S. and takes viewers behind the scenes at Beck Farms, a fourth-generation dairy in upstate New York. Dairy Diaries will be available to stream for free on a Roku device, the Roku mobile app, therokuchannel.com, plus Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV and Google TV.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed again that pasteurization of milk consistent with the federal Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) destroys harmful pathogenic bacteria and other microorganisms, including Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and other viruses. The data cited by FDA is consistent with many other studies demonstrating that the legally required temperature and time for milk pasteurization will readily inactivate HPAI. Viral fragments detected after pasteurization are nothing more than evidence that the virus is dead; they have zero impact on human health. Further, the federal PMO prohibits milk from sick cows from entering the food supply chain. Milk and milk products produced and processed in the United States are among the safest in the world.
FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative proudly announces Mick Homb as the newly appointed General Manager, bringing expertise and a proven track record to lead the cooperative into its next chapter of growth and success.
A checkoff-led pilot in Cincinnati schools that offered lactose-free chocolate milk increased consumption and reached students who weren’t drinking milk because of real or perceived lactose intolerance. National Dairy Council (NDC) and American Dairy Association Mideast worked with Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) to offer the country’s first single-serve lactose-free chocolate milk package to six elementary and four high schools in the fourth quarter of 2023. Because of the program’s success, it was expanded to include all 15 CPS high schools through June of this year.
Alltech and Archbold formed a strategic research alliance in 2019 to jointly develop beef management approaches, specifically to increase the quality and quantity of beef produced in subtropical regions while maintaining and enhancing the environment. The Archbold–Alltech Alliance brought together scientists from two different disciplines — ecologists from Archbold and ruminant nutritionists from Alltech — to understand the impact that cattle production at Archbold’s Buck Island Ranch has on the ecosystem and the ability to sequester carbon.
