The Obama administration wants to tighten meat testing procedures to try to prevent recalls which have sickened millions of Americans. CBS News Correspondent Barry Bagnato says the idea is to keep meat and poultry from being sold to you before it is proven safe:
“The agriculture department is proposing a ‘test and hold’ requirement for meat and poultry. What that means is that after a sample is tested for safety, products will be withheld from the market until the results are known. The Department believes that if this process had been in place between 2007 and 2009, 44 of the most serious meat recalls could have been prevented.”
Time to Vaccinate Horses
Horse owners in Virginia are being urged to consider having their animals vaccinated against two mosquito-borne diseases. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has said owners should ask their veterinarians for vaccine recommendations regarding the West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
Only one case of EEE was confirmed in Virginia last year, and there were no West Nile cases. But Joseph Garvin with the agency's Office of Laboratory Services says horse owners shouldn't be lulled by last year's low activity.
Fuel Costs go Beyond Sticker Shock for Farmers & Ranchers
Americans are experiencing sticker shock at the gas pump these days - but high fuel costs are hitting America’s farmers and ranchers especially hard. Colorado Farm Bureau president Don Shawcroft dispels the rumor that ethanol causes higher fuel prices:
“To be clear, ethanol production has no impact on the cost of a barrel of crude oil. In fact, as oil prices rise ethanol becomes more important, keeping gasoline costs lower.”
Shawcroft says U.S. agriculture is in danger if fuel prices keep climbing:
“Unfortunately, our nation’s dependence on foreign sources of fuel threatens our livelihood. The prices of energy-related inputs and interest rates most affects US agriculture’s bottom line on an annual basis.”
South Carolina Frog Jump to Go as Planned
A North Carolina company is helping to make sure Rock Hill's Come-See-Me festival has enough frogs for its signature bullfrog jump event. The festival was struggling to find frogs because a cold snap early this winter kept bullfrogs from growing big enough for the jumping contest. Event organizer John Talley made one last phone call after a thorough pet store search to Carolina Biological Supply in Burlington, NC and has saved the frog jump. The company plans a shipment of 24 bullfrogs to arrive later this week.
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