USDA

Gloved hands handle oral rabies vaccine bait

Health & Safety

Officials to distribute oral rabies vaccines to raccoons in western N.C.

11:07am April 01, 2025

Vaccine baits coated in fishmeal will be dropped by air in 17 counties including Ashe, Avery and Watauga. When bitten, the bait releases liquid triggering an immune response that protects against infection.

Image shows second harvest food bank building

Politics & Government

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest N.C. stands to lose $2M following USDA cuts

4:10pm March 19, 2025

by Paul Garber

Second Harvest Food Bank CEO Eric Aft says the cuts come at a time when the need is growing. In February the agency provided meals to more than 76,000 people in an 18-county area of Northwest North Carolina. That was an increase of more than 50 percent from just two years ago.

Nearly 6,000 USDA workers fired by Trump ordered back to work for now

12:43pm March 05, 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture must temporarily reinstate nearly 6,000 probationary employees fired since Feb. 13, according to a ruling by the Merit Systems Protection Board.

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USDA scholarship for students at historically Black colleges suspended

8:25pm February 23, 2025

by Associated Press

A federal scholarship aimed at boosting students from underserved and rural areas attending historically Black colleges and universities has been put on hold.

wetransfer_ddwyer_deep-roots-farm-jpg_2025-02-19_0154/DDwyer_Deep Roots Farm-25.jpg

National

Black farmers among those left in limbo amid federal funding freeze

5:00am February 20, 2025

The federal government has historically discriminated against Black farmers. The recent funding halt from the Trump administration presents yet another hurdle to those who have spent decades fighting for equity in farming.

A military vet and a scientist were securing America's food system. Trump fired them

5:00am February 20, 2025

More than 10,000 federal employees who had yet to complete their probationary periods have been fired by the Trump administration, including those who work to protect American agriculture.

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The USDA fired staffers working on bird flu. Now it's trying to reverse course

1:02pm February 19, 2025

The USDA says "several" staffers working on the bird flu response were terminated over the weekend, and "we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters."

Millions of pounds of meat are being recalled. Here's what to look for in your fridge

12:41pm October 16, 2024

Over 11 million pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry were recalled over listeria concerns, affecting salads, wraps, frozen meals and more from popular chains like Target, Trader Joe's and Walmart.

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Perdue recalls 167,000 pounds of frozen chicken that may contain metal

2:57pm August 17, 2024

The voluntary recall of frozen breaded chicken breast tenders and nuggets comes following multiple consumer complaints about metal wire found inside the products.

Animation of a cute azalea plant walking in front of the USDA plant hardiness map

The USDA's gardening zones shifted. This map shows you what's changed in vivid detail

5:01am May 13, 2024

There's a good chance your zone shifted when the USDA updated its plant hardiness map in 2023. Zoom in on what that means for your garden.