Articles by Bill Tomson

The USDAs Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is working to certify U.S. mills so that they will be able to export rice to China, now that both countries have agreed on a phytosanitary protocol that paves the way for new trade, a USDA official told Agri-Pulse.

China, the worldps largest rice producer and importer, has agreed to open its market to U.S. exporters after years of negotiations between the two governments, the USA Rice Federation announced Friday.

The public debate over labeling food as `natural` when it contains genetically modified ingredients is about to heat up before the FDA can even finish collecting public feedback.

Barring any major weather disasters, 2016 is going to look a lot like 2015 when it comes to depressed prices for corn, soybeans and wheat, according to market analysts and agronomists. ThatÐs despite some market rallies for wheat, corn and soybeans on Tuesday, followin

- USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says heàs reluctant to overhaul the departmentàs structure in the final year of the Obama administration by creating a new under secretary position for trade, but farm groups are pressuring him to follow the instructions to do so set forth in the 2014

Ranchers failed last month to get Congress to delay USDAàs plan to lift bans on Brazilian and Argentine beef imports, but lawmakers did pass legislation that industry representatives hope will boost long-term protection from ailments like foot and mouth disease (FMD) that have

The number of retail stores being shut down because of food stamp fraud is on the rise, but officials say itÀs not because of a spike in criminal activity. Instead, itÀs a result of USDA and law enforcementÀs increasing efforts to crack down on stores that are milking ta

Catfish exporting countries including Vietnam will be getting some high-level help from USDA early next year as the nations prepare to apply to keep their ability to ship catfish to the U.S. after the department0s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) takes over inspect

The USDA today unveiled a new report warning that global warming will continue to cut agricultural production in the U.S. and around the world and reverse the recent trend of rising food security in some of the poorest countries.