Top Stories: Bird Flu in Milk and Chocolate Supply Threats

This week, we received updates on the bird flu?being present?in pasteurized milk, learned about a threat to the?world's?chocolate supply, PFA contamination, Native Plant Month, and so much more.?

Read on to learn what else the week had to offer.?

Bird Flu Found In Pasteurized Milk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said?Tuesday that?samples of pasteurized milk?had tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows. The agency stressed that the material?is inactivated?and that the findings?“do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.”?Officials added that?they’re?continuing to study the issue. Read more?about it?in our?Remnants of Bird Flu Virus Found in Pasteurized Milk, FDA Says ?article.?

World’s?Chocolate Supply Threatened

A rapidly spreading virus threatens the health of the cacao tree and the dried seeds from which chocolate?is made, jeopardizing the global supply of the?world’s?most popular treat. About 50% of the?world’s?chocolate originates from cacao trees in the West African countries of Ivory Coast and Ghana. The damaging virus is attacking cacao trees in Ghana, resulting in harvest losses of between 15 and 50%. Spread by?small?insects called mealybugs that eat the leaves, buds, and flowers of trees, the cacao swollen shoot virus disease (CSSVD) is among the most damaging threats to the root ingredient of chocolate. Read more about it in our?World’s?Chocolate Supply Threatened by Devastating Virus ?article.?

Sister Finds Her Farm Safety Voice as a Student and Athlete

College is a life-changing experience for many people, but Jaiden?Boomsma’s?life changed well before she arrived on the campus of South Dakota State University (SDSU). Seven years ago this month, when Jaiden was 15, she lost her little brother Jaxon in a tractor runover on their?grandparents’?farm. Soon after, the Boomsma family established a memorial to?“Keep his Smile Alive”?and try to?prevent a similar tragedy from striking another family.?Read more?about it?in our?Lessons for Life: Sister Finds Her Farm Safety Voice as a Student and Athlete ?article.?

Sustainable Agriculture

In honor of Earth Day 2024, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is funding more than 700 clean energy projects?to lower energy bills, expand access to domestic biofuels and create jobs and new market opportunities for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers. Many of the projects?are funded?by President?Biden’s?Inflation Reduction Act, the?nation’s?largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis. Read more about it in our?Administration Invests in Clean Energy and Domestic Biofuels ?article.?

In other news, the Biden administration?on Thursday?finalized a?new rule for public land management?that’s?meant?to put conservation on?more?equal footing with oil drilling, grazing, and other extractive industries on vast government-owned properties.?Read more about it in our?Biden Administration Moves to Make Conservation an Equal to Industry on?US?Lands ?article.?

Crop and Food World

After successfully securing Native Plant Month proclamations, resolutions, or laws in 48 states and the District of Columbia in 2023, The Garden Club of America aims to?secure?all 50 states in the?second year of the initiative.?As of April 17, 43 states plus the District of Columbia have established a Native Plant Month, with more states reporting?every day. Read more?about it?in our?GCA Aims to Establish Native Plant Month in All 50 States ?article.?

Livestock World

“USDA, FDA, and scientific research have established what accumulated science indicated?all along: The consumer milk supply is safe. Pasteurization renders the H5N1 virus, like other viruses, inactive, an important reminder to consumers of its value as a basic safeguard for human health.?We appreciate that these agencies are sharing this message, which will help alleviate?any concerns consumers may have."?Read more?about it?in our?NMPF Statement on H5N1 and Federal Order on Lactating Cows ?article.?

In other news, the new?corn silage hybrid evaluation index, MILK2024, is now available – 18 years after its predecessor. Also known to many as the?‘milk/ton’?model (milk/ton), this tool from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Luiz Ferraretto lab in the Animal and Dairy Sciences Department stands to offer dairy producers an even more accurate read for hybrid selection in one of their?biggest?decisions: home-grown corn silage.?Read more?about it?in our?Four Things Dairies Should Know About MILK2024 ?article.?

Also, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to?keep an eye out?for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds. Avian?influenza?has not?been discovered?in dairy cattle or other livestock in Canada. But since March, U.S. officials have confirmed cases of the illness in dairy cow herds in nine states. Read more?about it?in our?CFIA Monitoring for Avian Influenza in Canadian Dairy Cattle After US Discoveries ?article.?

Farming Economy/Policy

American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented on the Environmental Protection?Agency’s?(EPA) final rule to designate perfluorooctnoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), the two most common per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), as hazardous materials under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Read more about it in our?AFBF:?'Forever?Chemical'?Rule Creates Uncertainty for Farmers ?article.?

In other news, The?U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking another step?in its efforts?to protect people from the health risks posed by exposure to?“forever chemicals”?in communities across the country. Exposure to?per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has?been linked?to cancers, impacts on?the liver and heart, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children. This final rule will designate two widely used PFAS chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as Superfund, and will?help ensure that polluters pay to clean up their contamination.?Read more about it in our?EPA: Rule Aims to Clean up PFAS Contamination ?article.?

Also, the National?Cattlemen’s?Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) expressed serious concerns about the Bureau of Land?Management’s?(BLM) final?“Conservation and Landscape Health”?rule that reimagines the?agency’s?requirements to manage lands for multiple uses, including livestock grazing. Read more?about it?in our?BLM Rule Threatens Multiple Use Management of Public Lands ?article.?

New With USDA

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.?The?USDA’s?Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced a Federal Order?requiring?certain?measures, effective Monday, April 29, 2024.?Read more?about it?in our?USDA Actions to Protect Livestock Health From Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza ?article.?

Other Top Stories

Millennials and Generation Z have made a noticeable shift back to basics in recent years. Learn how and why these younger groups increasingly turn towards homesteading and how they differ from previous generations of homesteaders. The appeal of growing food, raising livestock, and living more sustainably has caught the imagination of younger generations under 40.?They’re?looking for meaningful ways to address climate change, deal with food supply issues, and live a lifestyle aligned with their values. And?they’re?taking action by pursuing traditional homesteading activities that let them live more independently of the systems and infrastructure they grew up with. Read more?about it?in our?Millennials and Gen Z Return to Their Roots With Homesteading ?article.?

In other news, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is excited to share its forecast for the?top trends?emerging?from?the 2024 Philadelphia Flower Show,?“United by Flowers.”?The Flower Show has a long history as a globally?recognized stage on which?innovative?floral?designers, garden?designers, and gardeners can?showcase?breathtaking and?risk-taking?creations.?In its long history, the Flower Show has?been credited?with?being the platform to show the?newest plant?introductions?and the birthplace?of?global?industry?trends. Read more?about it?in our?Global Gardening Trends Emerge From 2024 Philadelphia Flower Show ?article.?

Also, U.S. agricultural and aquaculture operators who welcome visitors — whether for on-farm education, direct sales, entertainment, recreation, special events, and more — are invited to provide input about the forms of support they access and the challenges they face via?an online survey, which will remain open until?April 30, 2024. Read more?about it?in our?National Agritourism Survey Seeks Input From Farms That Welcome Visitors ?article.?

Come Back Next Week!

Be sure to check in next week for our?weekly?national news roundup, and?don't?forget to follow us on all our socials! We?can't?wait to see what next week holds for agricultural news.