Category Archives: USDA

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY – Alabama/Texas: Wildlife Services (WS), a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, has issued a Decision and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for a Supplement to the Environmental Assessment (EA) entitled “Field Evaluation of HOGGONE® Sodium Nitrite Toxicant Bait for Feral Swine”. The Supplement to the EA analyzed data from past research field trials and highlighted changes incorporated into the application strategies and the product HOGGONE® and their potential environmental effects. Based on the analysis in the Supplement and the associated Decision/FONSI, WS concluded that implementation of the proposed action alterative (Alternative 2) would not have a significant impact upon the quality of the human environment. WS signed the Decision and FONSI on May 3, 2021 selecting the proposed action alterative. [Source: USDA APHIS 25 May 2021]

Swine operations in 38 states will be contacted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) starting in June 2021 and asked to participate in a national level study. This study focuses on the health, health practices and biosecurity employed by swine producers in this country. These confidential national studies have been occurring every 5-8 years for 30 years. National estimates of this type have found use in trade negotiations and providing objective information to the swine industry, policymakers and researchers of all types.

The Veterinarian Shortage Situations for fiscal year (FY) 2021 have been designated. The VMLRP application cycle is now OPEN. VMLRP application forms, application guide, and other applicant information are available online under VMLRP Applicants. The deadline for VMLRP applications is April 16, 2021 at 5 P.M. EST.

Swine operations in 38 states will be contacted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) starting in June 2021 and asked to participate in a national level study. This study focuses on the health, health practices and biosecurity employed by swine producers in this country. These confidential national studies have been occurring every 5-8 years for 30 years. National estimates of this type have found use in trade negotiations and providing objective information to the swine industry, policymakers and researchers of all types.

The Veterinarian Shortage Situations for fiscal year (FY) 2021 have been designated. The VMLRP application cycle is now OPEN. VMLRP application forms, application guide, and other applicant information are available online under VMLRP Applicants. The deadline for VMLRP applications is April 16, 2021 at 5 P.M. EST.

President Biden recently announced his goal of distributing 100 million COVID-19 vaccines to Americans in the first 100 days of his Administration. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is leading the vaccination effort, and APHIS has deployed 119 employees to assist in several states. We are fortunate to have many highly skilled veterinary medical officers and animal health technicians who have the proper training, experience, and certifications to help accomplish this life-saving task, and we expect more deployments in the coming days. [Source: USDA APHIS 17 February 2021]

The newest video in the ongoing series, Feral Swine in America: Episode 3- Texas looks at the impacts feral swine have on cattle, sheep, and goat ranchers in Texas. [Source: USDA APHIS 2 February 2021]

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Assistant Secretary for Health and Head of the Public Health Service Admiral Brett Giroir, M.D., establishing a regulatory environment at the Department of Agriculture for agricultural animal biotechnology innovation. [Source: USDA 19 January 2021]

The Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is designed to support education and extension activities and practice enhancement initiatives that will enable veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technician students to gain specialized skills and provide practices with additional resources (e.g., equipment, personnel) needed to more effectively mitigate veterinary service shortages in the U.S. Ultimately, this program will bolster the capacity of private practitioners to provide food animal veterinary services in designated rural veterinarian shortage situations. The purpose of VSGP is to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services and relieve veterinarian shortage situations in the U.S., which includes insular areas (see Part VIII, D of this RFA for a definition of “insular area”). [Source: USDA 15 January 2021]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $11.65 million in 14 projects to help agricultural producers and private landowners trap and control feral swine as part of the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program. This investment expands the pilot program to new projects in Alabama, Hawaii, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas. [Source: USDA NRCS 13 January 2021]