Financial Relief for Landowners to Fight Cogongrass
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Financial relief will soon be available to assist Alabama landowners adversely affected by the non-native, invasive noxious weed, cogongrass. Administered by the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Cogongrass Mitigation Program is made possible through a grant from the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection & Quarantine (PPQ). The goals of this program are to reduce the number of infested acres, eliminate cogongrass’s damaging effects on existing ecosystems, and improve the productivity of impacted sites.... read more ❯
New Cogongrass Campaign Addresses Threat to Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) has initiated a new social media campaign to raise awareness of the dangers cogongrass poses to the state. With agriculture and natural ecosystems at risk, ADAI is calling on Alabamians to recognize this threat and share the information. Cogongrass has now infested more than 75 percent of Alabama’s counties. This federally regulated noxious weed was introduced in the U.S. in 1911 as packing material in the port of Mobile. In... read more ❯
USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Applications Being Accepted
MONTGOMERY, Ala.- The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) is accepting grant applications for projects that enhance the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops in foreign and domestic markets. The application deadline for these specialty crop block grants through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is April 12, 2022, 5:00 p.m. CST. Specialty crops are defined by USDA as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture (including maple syrup and honey) and nursery crops (including floriculture). Commodity groups, agricultural organizations,... read more ❯
EPA Takes Next Step to Keep Chlorpyrifos Out of Food, Protecting Farmworkers and Children’s Health
WASHINGTON (Feb. 25, 2022) - Today, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protect human health, including that of children and farmworkers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking the next step to discontinue use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on food by denying objections to EPA’s rule revoking all chlorpyrifos tolerances. "Today’s action shows how EPA continues to put the health and safety of the public first, particularly that of children and farmworkers” said Assistant Administrator for the Office... read more ❯
Food Safety Inspectors Conducting Effectiveness Checks on Recalled Infant Formula
Montgomery, Ala. - Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries food safety inspectors are conducting recall effectiveness checks on Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare powdered infant formulas manufactured at an Abbott Nutrition facility located in Sturgis, Michigan. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and state and local partners are investigating four consumer complaints of infant illness related to products received from 9/20/2021 to 1/11/2022. All of the cases are reported to have... read more ❯
Food Safety Inspectors Conducting Effectiveness Checks on Recalled Infant Formula
Montgomery, Ala. - Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries food safety inspectors are conducting recall effectiveness checks on Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare powdered infant formulas manufactured at an Abbott Nutrition facility located in Sturgis, Michigan. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and state and local partners are investigating four consumer complaints of infant illness related to products received from 9/20/2021 to 1/11/2022. All of the cases are reported to have... read more ❯
FDA Investigation of Cronobacter and Salmonella Complaints: Powdered Infant Formula (February 2022)
Do not use certain powdered infant formulas produced at Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, MI facility The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners are investigating four consumer complaints of infant illness related to products from Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, MI facility received from 9/6/2021 to 12/18/2021. All of the cases are reported to have consumed powdered infant formula (IF) produced from Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, MI facility. These complaints include three reports of Cronobacter sakazakii infections and one report of Salmonella Newport... read more ❯
FDA Investigation of Cronobacter and Salmonella Complaints: Powdered Infant Formula (February 2022)
Do not use certain powdered infant formulas produced at Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, MI facility The FDA, along with CDC and state and local partners are investigating four consumer complaints of infant illness related to products from Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, MI facility received from 9/6/2021 to 12/18/2021. All of the cases are reported to have consumed powdered infant formula (IF) produced from Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, MI facility. These complaints include three reports of Cronobacter sakazakii infections and one report of Salmonella Newport... read more ❯
USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a Flock of Commercial Broiler Chickens in Kentucky and Backyard Mixed Species Flock in Virginia WASHINGTON, February 14, 2022 – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in birds in two states – a flock of commercial broiler chickens in Fulton County, Kentucky, and a backyard flock of mixed species birds in Fauquier County, Virginia. Samples from two... read more ❯
Citrus Canker Quarantine Established in Baldwin County Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Citrus canker, a federal and state regulated plant disease, was detected in Baldwin County, Ala. in June of 2021. As required by federal law, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) established a citrus canker quarantine for Baldwin County on February 9, 2022. Citrus Canker is caused by a bacterial pathogen (Xanthomonas axonopodis citri) and affects all citrus species. This was the first detection of citrus canker in our state despite biannual surveys conducted by ADAI plant inspection... read more ❯