The idea of slower-growing broilers has caught on quickly in both food production and consumption circles as it appeals to consumers’ desire for “simpler,” old-fashioned means of food production. [node:read-more:link]

In the coming weeks, swarms of sterile screwworm flies will blanket parts of the Middle Keys, an army of millions manufactured in Panama to combat an outbreak of the flesh-eating pest attacking the islands’ beloved Key deer. No screwworms have been detected on the mainland, but because so little is known about the dog — a German shepherd — or where it came from, officials want to act aggressively to prevent the spread of the grisly outbreak that has ravaged endangered Key deer. Since September, at least 135 deer, part of the last herd on the planet, have died in the Lower Keys. [node:read-more:link]

For more than 20 years, Federal law has expressly provided that states may test welfare recipients for use of controlled substances free from interference of federal agencies. 21 U.S.C. §862(b).  Relying upon this Congressional enactment, Wisconsin passed Act 55 during 2015.  Act 55 authorized new drug screening and testing requirements for certain SNAP beneficiaries in the Badger State.  These new requirements teed up a conflict with a long-standing U.S. [node:read-more:link]

An unusual type of contagious foot disease may be affecting Kansas’ deer population at a higher than average rate, and the cause isn’t yet known.  Tim Donges, president of the Quality Deer Management Association’s Bluestem branch, said reports of foot rot have been coming in at an alarming rate in recent weeks. [node:read-more:link]

Powdered gloves will no longer be permitted for use in veterinary medicine beginning January 18, under a rule issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  For veterinarians who already use non-powdered gloves, the rule will have no impact. In fact, the FDA indicated that Global Industry Analysts projected the share of powdered disposable medical gloves sales to decrease to only 2 percent in 2015, so many medical providers likely won’t feel an effect from the rule. [node:read-more:link]

More than one-third of farmland in Iowa is owned by people 75 and older, and increasing land prices can make it difficult to pass the torch to the next generation of farmers. A social impact company is working in Iowa to help make these transfers possible.  Through financing from Iroquois Valley Farms, fourth-generation farmer Jim Peterson of Knoxville purchased 320 acres from elderly owners whose family had owned the land since 1903. Peterson says it will be used for organic grains, cattle and sheep production, perhaps for many years to come. [node:read-more:link]

Quick, accurate access to state import requirements for livestock. [node:read-more:link]

HowGood ratings will soon be available at Giant Food stores around the country, according to an emailed company statement. Stores will support the HowGood program with in-store communication including signage, education at shelf, and a trained staff member to answer questions. HowGood researches and rates products based on sustainability, including aspects such as fair wages for employees, ethical animal treatment and environmental impact. Once HowGood has the data, ratings are included on grocery store shelves across the U.S. [node:read-more:link]

Americans love their cheese, but maybe not as much as dairy farmers do. Even after people cut back on milk use for decades -- a consequence of more drink options including juices, sodas and sports drinks -- U.S. cows are producing the most ever. While the glut has eroded dairy income, the industry is getting a jolt from demand for high-fat byproducts that have given the world creations like the Grilled Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza and led McDonald’s Corp. to start using butter on its Egg McMuffins rather than margarine. [node:read-more:link]

Half a million Dutch dairy cows have a pretty big problem. If the Netherlands can’t find a way to manage the dung they produce, European Union environmental rules mean they will have to be killed. If those cows are culled, it would remove roughly a third of the dairy cows in the Netherlands, which wouldn’t be good news for the dairy sector; the Dutch dairy industry had a production value (pdf) of €7 billion ($7.4 billion) in 2014, the last available year for records. The problem has to do with groundwater. [node:read-more:link]