PDA approves hydrogen peroxide for use in irrigation water.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) has approved a 24(c) Special Local Needs registration of B-Cap(R) 50 Microbial Agent. This hydrogen peroxide product can be used for whitening mushrooms and reducing bacteria with irrigation water applied to mushrooms. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While available to all growers...

City presents a perfect haven for hungry beetle.
Byline: Thomas Caywood WORCESTER - Federal agricultural authorities have done battle with Asian longhorned beetles several times over the years and won, but they've never before fought on terrain as favorable to the destructive insects as the Worcester area, experts said. The city is densely...

Uncle Sam (aka Wildlife Services) sports one gigantic bag limit.
Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard Who knew Uncle Sam is the country's most active hunter? The term "hunter" is used loosely, of course, because the federal government doesn't hunt wildlife in the classic sense (for food and/or sport). But it does find and kill animals....

Arab donors buy the limelight at the Rome food summit.
The Islamic Development Bank has raised $1.5bn to help the poorest countries cope with the savage current global rise in the price of food. Separately, Saudi Arabia alone has donated $500m and Kuwait $100m. The UAE has announced the establishment of an advanced regional research and development...

Inappropriate technology.
Carbofuran, a lethal insecticide, has been banned in Europe. In its granular form, carbofuran is also prohibited in the US, and the EPA is seeking a complete ban on the substance. In many parts of Africa, however, carbofuran is readily available and commonly used. Now some environmentalists fear that...

Pork produced with antibiotics safer.
While consumers are increasing demand for pork produced without antibiotics, more of the pigs raised in such conditions carry bacteria and parasites associated with food-borne illnesses, reveals a study at Ohio State University, Columbus. A comparison of swine raised in antibiotic-free and conventional pork production settings reveals that pigs...

Advocates call for overhaul of U.S. food safety system.
The recent nationwide salmonella outbreak traced back to contaminated fresh produce has public health organizations and consumers calling out for more preventive measures and better response efforts to stop the spread of food-borne illnesses. At a news conference in July in Washington, D.C., Caroline Smith DeWaal, director...

USDA to disclose stores tied to recalls.
In August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was scheduled to begin listing retail stores receiving meat and poultry products involved in Class I recalls, which are of the most serious concern to public health. In July, the agency announced the change, which has a goal of helping...

A Fateful MENA Choice Between Crops & Water.
Global food shortages have placed the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in a quandary, as they are forced to choose between growing more crops to feed an expanding population or preserving their already scant supply of water. Oil-rich GCC states are searching for farm-land in fertile but politically...

Beetles may kill city jobs; USDA seeks funds for first year's work.
Byline: Thomas Caywood WORCESTER - The fight to stamp out Asian longhorned beetles from the area could cost the city thousands of trees, but the city manager warns that teachers and police officers also could face the ax if the U.S. Department of Agriculture succeeds in getting...