Insights and Stories of Charles Abbott

Mar. 14, 2013 at 11:04 am CDT

All U.S. meat inspectors will be furloughed on the same days as the federal meat safety agency, a top U.S. ag department official said, leading to spotty meat shortages in the summer and fall as automatic spending cuts shave US$53 million off the agency’s budget. Agriculture undersecretary Elizabeth Hagen told […]

By Charles Abbott

Feb. 22, 2013 at 2:52 pm CST

Although U.S. federal budget cuts are scheduled for March 1, it could be months before a threatened shutdown of meat plants would occur in that country because of a furlough of meat inspectors, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Thursday. Vilsack said work rules vary for the U.S. Department […]

By Charles Abbott

Feb. 21, 2013 at 6:29 pm CST

The United States is expected to get the top safety rating for BSE in spring, under a recommendation from international livestock health experts that was greeted on Wednesday as a sure-fire boost to U.S. beef exports. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the recommended upgrade, to "negligible" from "controlled" risk, […]

By Charles Abbott

Jan. 2, 2013 at 8:52 am CST

A deal approved by the U.S. Congress late on Tuesday to avoid the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff" also includes measures to avert the "dairy cliff" — a steep increase in milk prices. The tax agreement contains a nine-month fix for expiring farm subsidy […]

By Charles Abbott, Roberta Rampton

Nov. 9, 2012 at 7:26 pm CST

The U.S. soybean crop is much bigger than expected, helping to ease a worldwide supply squeeze, thanks to late-season rains that offset the impact of the worst drought in half a century, the U.S. government said Friday. In an report on crops around the world, the U.S. Agriculture Department raised […]

By Charles Abbott