Livestock Auctions Scramble and American Farmers Get Older & Younger
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.
**Efforts to understand and curb the spread of H5N1 avian influenza in dairy cows have livestock auction yards in a scramble as new federal testing requirements take effect.
All lactating dairy cows must test negative for the virus before they’re allowed to cross state borders.
Businesses that market livestock say they’re trying to adapt to the mandate, which has impacted sellers and buyers of milking cows.
**The average age of U.S. farmers remains a concern.
Farmdoc Daily says the 2022 Census of Agriculture confirms U.S. farmers continue getting older, but relative to the rest of the population, American farmers have become slightly younger.
Since 1960, farmers’ ages have increased 7.6 years while the median age of the U.S. population has increased 8.8 years.
The average age of the U.S. farmer … 58.1 years.
**The EPA, the FDA, and USDA have developed a plan to update, streamline, and clarify regulations and oversight mechanisms for biotech products.
The joint plan is intended to ensure public confidence in the biotechnology regulatory system and improve its transparency, predictability, coordination, and efficiency.
The agencies intend to implement their efforts by clarifying and streamlining regulatory oversight for genetically engineered plants, animals, and microorganisms.
