Some times I feel I've got to
unh unh skip the whey
I've got to
unh unh skip the whey
oh oh oh tainted milk
oh oh oh tainted milk
Don't touch my cheese!
I can't stand whey you breed...
#USDA

U.S. Crop Agriculture’s Government Payment Trap
#AureFreePress #News #press #headline #farmers #usda

https://www.agriculture.com/u-s-crop-agriculture-s-government-payment-trap-11719530

#USDA confirms 4 more #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy herds, 1 in California & 3 in Idaho, which has overtaken Colorado as the state with the 2nd highest number of infected herds. Calif's total is now 765 and Idaho's is 65.
Cumulative national total: 1,025 herds in 17 states. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock

So, when the time comes, our #Farmer friends already have #Pitchforks!

With tractor parade, Maine farmers protest #USDA cuts that could leave many in debt

by Eesha Pendharkar
Wed, April 16, 2025 at 4:12 PM EDT

"Steve Sinisi of Old Crow Ranch in Durham was among dozens of farmers who paraded through the streets of Augusta on Wednesday on tractors bearing signs like 'Support Farmers, Not #Billionaires' and '#CompostTrump.'

"The more than 100 farmers and supporters were there to protest the millions of dollars in federal cuts to agricultural grants and programs and raise awareness about the impacts they would have on their farms and livelihoods."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/tractor-parade-maine-farmers-protest-201230864.html

#USDA confirms one more #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy herd in California. The state's total is now 764, which is 79% of the CA herds. The state says 561 of those herds have recovered & are out of quarantine.
Cumulative national total: 1,021 herds in 17 states. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock

#USDA reports 11 new #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy herds across 3 states: Idaho, 8; Calif., 2; Arizona, 1. Idaho clearly has a problem.
The cumulative national total is 1,020 herds in 17 states. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5248758-agriculture-department-cancels-3-billion-grant-program-for-climate-friendly-crops/

#USDA confirms 2 more #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy herds in California, bringing the state's total to 761.
Cumulative national total: 1,009 in 17 states.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock

Following #Trump admin targeting of Maine for not banning trans athletes, USDA had frozen agricultural program funds.

Federal judge orders #USDA to unfreeze its funds to #Maine https://www.npr.org/2025/04/12/nx-s1-5362976/maine-usda-unfreeze-janet-mills-trump

Court rules federal government cannot freeze #Maine's funding from #USDA

by WGME StaffFri, April 11th 2025 at 8:46 PM

"A court says the federal government cannot freeze Maine’s funding from the Department of Agriculture.

"This comes after the USDA announced it was freezing Maine’s funding when the state would not comply with federal #TitleIX interpretations.

"Under this new ruling, the court is granting Maine a temporary restraining order, saying the federal government must unfreeze and release federal Department of Agriculture funding back to Maine.

"That includes money for things like #SchoolNutrition and #FoodBank programs.

"The Trump administration cannot freeze or withhold funding while this restraining order is in place, and the two sides will have to meet in court, though a date has not been set.

"Maine Attorney General #AaronFrey says this temporary restraining order confirms the Trump administration did not follow the rule of law when it cut program funds that go to feed school children and vulnerable adults.

" 'This order preserves Maine’s access to certain congressionally appropriated funds by prohibiting an unlawful freeze by the administration,' Frey said. “No one in our constitutional republic is above the law, and we will continue to fight to hold this administration to account.' "

https://wgme.com/news/local/court-rules-federal-government-cannot-freeze-maines-funding-from-usda-president-donald-trump-title-ix

#USDA confirms 2 more #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy herds in Idaho, bringing the state's total to 54. In late Feb, bulk milk testing found the first new detection there in months. Since then, 18 more herds have tested positive. We see this pattern over & over. Hard to stop spread.
Cumulative national total: 1,007 herds in 17 states.

Working on damage assessments for a heavily flooded area of our state. Then I remembered that the headwaters had burned over last summer, meaning increased runoff, faster snowmelt, etc. So I logged on to USDA's Burn Severity Portal... And all the past fire reports appear to have been deleted including recently completed ones from last summer's fires. Many links are dead.

I'll try contacting the forest offices to see if we can get a backup. This is a critical resource for the environment, our health, life, and safety.

I am at a loss, mad, and sad. These actions being taken are making our jobs and lives so hard and truly hurting everyone regardless of ideology.

Wife was watching a PBS American Experience documentary about Rachel Carson and was startled by what looked to be a very thin, very young version of me dealing with fire ants.

It's a very brief clip, but after she showed it to me:

If that wasn't my father (in Alabama who worked for the USDA, first job dealing with fire ants in the 1950s) he had a Doppelganger.

#USDA confirmed 5 new #H5N1 #birdflu infected dairy herds in Idaho, bringing the state's total to 52 and the cumulative national total to 1,005 herds in 17 states. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock

As #EggPrices soared, so did producer #profits

A #USDA program doled out hundreds of millions in relief payments to big egg companies, even as the largest earned record profits.

The #AvianInfluenza outbreak has had far-reaching consequences: >120M hens have been slaughtered & #egg #prices have risen to record levels. In his address to Congress, #Trump called the situation “out of control.”

Yet for some #corporate companies, these are good times.

#BirdFlu #Profiteering
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/04/08/egg-prices-profit-increase-cal-maine/

The cumulative number of confirmed dairy herds in the US that have been infected with #H5N1 #birdflu has hit 1,000, with #USDA confirming one new infection each in California and Nevada. 17 states have had confirmed infections since the outbreak was first recognized in March 2024.

"Cuts of 30 to 70% are rumored at USDA next week. NIH & NSF funding is being destroyed & the agencies themselves facing cuts.

About 3,500 nonfederal entomologists depend on these agencies. We'rerisking research that protects #ecosystems & #foodsecurity."

It's difficult to keep up with all the atrocities, but we amplify the gravity of the losing these experts, the firings, existential threats... of the #TrumpMusk admin.

#DOGE #Firings #Science #USDA #NIH #NSF #USPol https://www.govexec.com/management/2025/04/some-usda-rif-plans-take-shape-department-warns-employees-major-cuts/404247/