For those of us that have been doing it for years, it’s nice to know that it’s now official; USDA is now recommending cooking all whole cuts of meat, including pork to 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer placed in the thickest part of the meat.
Previously, the recommended safe cooking temperature for pork was 160 °F. Cooking raw pork, steaks, roasts, and chops to 145 °F with the addition of a three-minute rest time will result in a product that is both microbiologically safe and at its best quality.
Ceci Snyder, vice president National Pork Board:
“Pork is way too lean to overcook, so it’s ideal at 145 with that three-minute rest time. That rest time allows the juices to redistribute in the meat, so it’s both for safety and quality.”
The safe temperature for cuts of beef, veal, and lamb remains unchanged at 145 °F, but the department is adding a three-minute rest time as part of its cooking recommendations.
Home Building Up, But Not Enough
The building of new homes picked up from March to April a little over 7%. The National Association of Home Builders, Robert Dank says while it is good news the pace of projects just isn't enough for a healthy housing market.
“It’s up from last month but it doesn’t really represent a whole lot of improvement over the last 12 months.”
Dank says home buyers and builders are finding it tough to get credit from the banks, even in markets were demand has picked up.
Farm Bureau Estimates Flooding Impacted More than 3.5M Acres
The American Farm Bureau Federation is now estimating that nearly 3.6-million acres of farmland have been impacted by recent flooding. Farm Bureau Chief Economist Bob Young says the effect of the flooding is being felt deeply across the south. Arkansas is at the top of the list of devastation with a million acres affected, including 120,000 acres of wheat. Tennessee has reported 650,000 acres - with Mississippi and Missouri falling next in line at 600,000 and 570,000 acres respectively. Illinois is estimated to have half-a-million acres under water, while Louisiana is pegged at 280,000 acres.
Coffee Prices on the Rise
It's going to cost you more money to open your eyes in the morning. The cost of unroasted coffee beans has gone up, forcing a price hike on brands such as Folgers and Dunkin' Donuts. Michael Murphy a commodity trading advisor with Excelsior Corp says coffee consumption has grown in China:
“The per capita consumption is growing quickly, and that’s the goal of all coffee producers is to get China consuming.”
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