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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requesting more than a half-century to review and release information to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to the public. The agency is being sued by Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency, a group made up of more than 30 professors and scientists, hoping to access information they believe can help cure vaccine skepticism in some people. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was filed by the group in September and they were hoping the courts could expedite the process of getting them the requested information. The FDA is asking the court to...

From tractor parts to fertilizer, farmers are plagued with problems in the U.S. supply chain. And with labor already being an issue across the U.S., some fear it could get worse as vaccine mandates are prompting some employees to walk away from their jobs. After USDA said late last week it’s not approving a vaccine mandate exemption for Farm Service Agency (FSA) employees, farmers could see another shortage: FSA field staff. The request was made by National Association of FSA County Office employees who filed the request. The Association, which represents 6,700 FSA employees, asked that county offices be allowed...

The USDA has announced it will establish an Equity Commission to address historical discrimination and disparities in the ag sector. The announcement is an important step toward implementing President Biden’s commitment to address racial equality issues within USDA and its programs. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says this is just the first step in dismantling barriers historically underserved communities have faced in accessing USDA programs and services.

An influential hog dealer sanctioned twice for defrauding pork producers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars says it has fired employees responsible for its latest violations and paid restitution to affected sellers.USDA said its investigation found the practices went on for three years, from January 2018 through 2020. The agency ordered Lynch Livestock to pay $445,626 in penalties and restitution, and to stop recording false weights, altering classifications of hogs delivered, and creating false scale tickets.In the press release, his company said the USDA received a complaint in January that employees at its Waucoma buying station were manipulating the...

DES MOINES, Iowa — The federal government promised Friday to spend $500 million to encourage the construction of smaller meat processing plants located closer to farmers who raise chickens, pigs and cows with the goal of diversifying an industry now largely run by a small number of large corporations. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the program in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in addition to another $150 million to be used for existing small processing facilities with unexpected costs. The goal is to help them recover from the coronavirus pandemic and compete better in the marketplace. Vilsack said he wants to...

This provision Democrats specifically wrote into the American Rescue Plan pushes a blurred vision of ‘social equity’ by providing relief for farmers based on the color of their skin. Last week, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law. The bill, comprised of $1.9 trillion in the name of “COVID relief,” received no support from Republicans in the House or Senate, and it’s not hard to see why. The legislation includes carveouts for dozens of leftist priorities, including a bridge in Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s New York and a tunnel in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Silicon...

FRESNO, Calif. — On March 10, 2021, Jatinderieet “Jyoti” Sihota, 34, of Selma, was arrested on a federal indictment charging her with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and mail fraud for the submission of over $790,000 in fraudulent crop insurance claims, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. The indictment was unsealed today following her arrest.According to court records, from at least November 2013 through September 2016, Sihota controlled her family’s farms in Fresno and Tulare Counties that produced table grapes, plums, and other crops. The crops were sold through fruit brokers in California’s Central Valley to supermarket chains and...

Jack LaPant didn’t come from a farming family and had no personal knowledge of agriculture. But once he switched careers in his early 20s and bought a ranch in a remote area of Northern California, farming became his life and his livelihood. He never expected this decision would lead to his being targeted by the U.S. Army over an environmental law they had no authority to enforce. Yet, after 47 years in the industry, Jack found himself in an eight-year legal battle in which he suffered losses of upward of $1.2 million. As a young man, Jack worked for Pacific...

AMARILLO, Texas State health officials are looking into how a Panhandle man contracted a rare bacterial disease typically tied to the livestock industry. The Texas Department of State Health Services says the Moore County man doesn't work around livestock or in a laboratory or slaughterhouse. Department veterinarian James Alexander also says the man isn't a veterinarian. He says it's possible the man might have caught the disease from contaminated soil. Alexander says the disease can spread from animals to humans. The patient says he has a friend with livestock but that he had no contact with the animals. Common symptoms...

Deadly germs may be more likely to be spread due to a biodefence lab accident than a biological attack by terrorists. Plague, anthrax, Rocky Mountain spotted fever - these are among the bioweapons some experts fear could be used in a germ warfare attack against the US. But the public has had near-misses with those diseases and others over the past five years, ironically because of accidents in labs that were working to defend against bioterrorists. Even worse, they may be only the tip of an iceberg. The revelations come from Ed Hammond of the Sunshine Project, a biosafety pressure...

USDA late Wednesday posted notice that $2.3 billion in supplemental Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) payments will be temporarily frozen.“In accordance with the White House memo, Regulatory Freeze Pending Review, USDA has suspended the processing and payments under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program - Additional Assistance and has halted implementation until further notice. FSA local offices will continue to accept applications during the evaluation period,” said a notice on the USDA CFAP page.“In the coming days, USDA and the Biden Administration intend to take additional steps to bring relief and support to all parts of food and agriculture during the...

Hey. I’m always here to offer advice to the Left, to make their road smoother, to point them in the direction of fellow travelers they should cancel for deficiencies of “wokeness.” Let’s start with the issue of GMOs, poisonous Roundup, and Monsanto (now swallowed up by Bayer). Joe Biden is going to appoint Mr. Monsanto, Tom Vilsack, as his Secretary of Agriculture. Tommy boy held that post under Obama. The Organic Consumers Association writes [1] (see also [2], [3], [4]): “If, like us, you dream of an organic, regenerative food system led by independent family farmers, then news that Joe...

After the long weekend, farmers will be able to start applying for some much needed financial relief. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump and USDA chief Sonny Perdue released the details of a previously announced $16-billion aid program for farmers and ranchers. Starting May 26, farmers will be able to apply for up to $250,000 in direct payments through the fund called the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). To qualify for the program, farmers must have suffered a price loss of at least 5 percent due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and must have significant additional marketing costs. Farmers can sign up...

@realDonaldTrumpStarting early next week, at my order, the USA will be purchasing, from our Farmers, Ranchers & Specialty Crop Growers, 3 Billion Dollars worth of Dairy, Meat & Produce for Food Lines & Kitchens. “FARMERS TO FAMILY FOOD BOX” Great news for all! @SecretarySonny @ZippyDuvall --- @RepThomasMassieThat’s great, but lots more people will be at the soup kitchens and food pantries if @SecretarySonny doesn’t start honestly explaining problems with our meat supply to @realDonaldTrump It’s been monopolized by Chinese and Brazilian companies, while USDA chokes USA competition. -- Looks like Rep. Massie doesn't think this will help and it will...

Complete title: US meat supply is riddled with feces, doctors claim in a lawsuit against the government in a bid to wipe fecal matter from our food The government maintains a 'zero tolerance' policy on feces in food The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says that only applies to 'visible' fecal matter They filed a lawsuit against the USDA on Tuesday calling for tighter regulations  The US meat supply is riddled with fecal matter, a new lawsuit against the government claims. While the government maintains a 'zero tolerance' policy on feces in food, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine says...

Democrats thought Donald was done – he’s just getting started! Thanks to President Trump, the U.S. economy is on fire like never before. Jobs are coming back and wages are on the rise. Companies are competing to keep Americans workers. In fact, there are more open jobs than people looking for work! But as good as things are, Trump wants them even better. The economy can only thrive when people are jumping in and getting back to work. But there’s one program that keeps people poor and out of the workforce. A program that also costs the taxpayers billions a...

More than 6.2 million individuals dropped off food stamps since President Donald Trump completed his first full month in office, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The most recent USDA data shows that 6,268,285 individuals discontinued their participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)— the program in charge of food stamps— since February 2017 when Trump finished his first month as president. Individual and household food stamp participation has consistently declined since 2013 back when the Obama administration was in power and enrollment in the program reached its highest point in U.S. history....

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reversed course late Friday, agreeing to key union demands as nearly two-thirds of its research staff will leave the agency rather than move to new headquarters in the Kansas City area. The announcement follows a tumultuous few weeks at the USDA where employees were given a month to decide if they would uproot from D.C. by Sept. 30 or lose their jobs that same day. Employees at both the Economic Research Service (ERS) and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) — two of the major research wings within USDA — unionized in...

FBI Documents Detail That Comey Had Trump FBI Docs At His Home! Judicial Watch Goes To Court on FBI Stonewall and Cover-Up U.S. Wastes $907 Million Tax Dollars on Useless “Nutrition Education” FBI Documents Detail That Comey Had Trump FBI Docs At His Home! As the Justice Department reportedly takes a step to give James Comey a pass for illegal activity, Judicial Watch is uncovering the details of these crimes. We received six pages of records from the FBI showing that in June 2017, a month after Comey was fired by President Donald Trump, FBI agents visited his home...

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials, the Trump administration will propose a rule Tuesday to reduce unwarranted access to food stamps, removing 3.1 million from the program and saving taxpayers $2.5 billion. President Trump has argued that many Americans now using SNAP are not in need, given the strong economy and low unemployment. Recommended changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would limit access to food stamps for households with savings and other assets. The goal is to end automatic eligibility for those already collecting other federal and state assistance. According to Reuters, the residents of 43...