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March 6 (Reuters) - Companies labeling their meat, poultry, or eggs as a U.S. product must raise and slaughter the animals within the country under a new rule proposed by the Biden administration on Monday. The administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pledged to review the "Product of USA" and "Made in the USA" label standards for meat early last year as part of a broader strategy to encourage competition in the economy as a whole and in the highly consolidated meat sector. "American consumers expect that when they buy a meat product at the grocery store, the claims they see on the label mean what they say," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. U.S. meat labeling has been contentious for years. The "Product of the USA" label will remain voluntary under USDA's proposed rule.

Conforming borrowing limits are the same throughout Alaska and FHA borrowing limits vary by county. FHA mortgage limits start at $472,030 and go up to $586,500, depending on what county you're buying a home in. In 2023, Alaska homebuyers can borrow a conforming mortgage up to $1,089,300 in all counties. The Federal Housing Finance Agency sets loan limits for conforming mortgages, while the Federal Housing Administration sets limits for FHA mortgages. Alaska borrowing limits in 2023 by countyCounty Conforming mortgage limit (single-family home) FHA mortgage limit (single-family home) Aleutians East Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Aleutians West Census Area $1,089,300 $545,100 Anchorage Municipality $1,089,300 $472,030 Bethel Census Area $1,089,300 $472,030 Bristol Bay Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Chugach Census Area $1,089,300 $472,030 Denali Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Dillingham Census Area $1,089,300 $472,030 Fairbanks North Star Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Haines Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Hoonah-Angoon Census Area $1,089,300 $472,030 Juneau City and Borough $1,089,300 $524,400 Kenai Peninsula Borough $1,089,300 $533,600 Ketchikan Gateway Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Kodiak Island Borough $1,089,300 $485,300 Kusilvak Census Area $1,089,300 $485,300 Lake and Peninsula Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Matanuska-Susitna Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Nome Census Area $1,089,300 $472,030 North Slope Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Northwest Arctic Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Petersburg Census Area $1,089,300 $472,030 Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area $1,089,300 $472,030 Sitka City and Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Skagway Municipality $1,089,300 $586,500 Southeast Fairbanks Census Area $1,089,300 $524,400 Valdez-Cordova Census Area $1,089,300 $472,030 Wrangell City and Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Yakutat City and Borough $1,089,300 $472,030 Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area $1,089,300 $472,030Quick tip: You'll need to get a jumbo mortgage if you want to borrow more than $1,089,300, regardless of which Alaska county you live in.

The agency did not respond to requests for comment on its record monitoring animal research experiments nationally. The USDA inspector general has published at least three reports since 2014 critical of the agency’s lax oversight, though its criticism dates back to the 1990s. Neuralink says on its website that it champions animal welfare and tries to reduce animal testing where possible. Two academic studies conducted in 2009 and 2012 found that animal research committees approved between 98% and 99% of experiments proposed by researchers. Envigo was made to sign the consent decree giving up the beagles only after the USDA inspector general and the Justice Department investigated and found evidence of inhumane treatment.

☆ U.S. lawmakers push for more oversight of Elon Musk's Neuralink
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Rachael Levy | Thomson Reuters | Award-Winning Journalist Covering Corporate Governance. Her Reporting Has Prompted Federal Investigations | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - U.S. House Representatives Earl Francis Blumenauer and Adam Schiff want further U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scrutiny of Elon Musk's Neuralink following a Reuters report that outlined mistakes in the brain chip company's animal testing program, their offices said on Thursday. A USDA spokesperson said the agency could not comment on Neuralink and referred Reuters to the inspector general's office, which also declined to comment. In total, the company has killed about 1,500 animals, including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys, following experiments since 2018, Reuters found. Blumenauer's and Schiff's offices declined to comment on what they want the USDA to do beyond the inspector general's investigation. Schiff has also been critical of Musk's $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc, accusing him of "sabotaging safeguards against digital misinformation and hate."

Chicago wheat futures are still elevated versus most years, though they are slipping significantly versus prices elsewhere and against competing grains, even as supplies remain tight. Most-active CBOT wheat settled at $7.29 per bushel Tuesday after hitting a 14-month low. By the first week in March, most-active CBOT wheat had surged more than 50% within 10 sessions. Through Tuesday, CBOT wheat's 10-session decline totaled 11%, almost a record for the time of year. CBOT wheat usually sits at a premium to CBOT corn, but it has lost significant ground to its yellow grain competitor.

☆ Americans are eating more whole grains, but are still confused by the food labels
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Linda Carroll | Linda Carroll Is A Regular Health Contributor To Nbc News | Reuters Health. She Is Coauthor Of | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

At least half of the grains consumed daily should be whole grains, according to the USDA's recommendations. “Consumers need to be careful when they go shopping for whole grain foods,” said Zhang. What’s important is the percentage of the total grain in the food that is actually whole grain, Zhang said. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identifies whole grain foods as those containing 50% or more by weight of the grain- or flour-containing component as whole grain ingredients. For example, when a product is described as being made with whole grains, that doesn’t mean it’s 100% whole grains, Cholewka said.

☆ Avian flu outbreak wipes out 50.54 mln U.S. birds, a record
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The deaths of chickens, turkeys and other birds represent the worst U.S. animal-health disaster to date, topping the previous record of 50.5 million birds that died in an avian-flu outbreak in 2015. The U.S. outbreak, which began in February, infected flocks of poultry and non-poultry birds across 46 states, USDA data show. Farmers struggled to keep the disease and wild birds out of their barns after increasing security and cleaning measures following the 2015 outbreak. Government officials are studying infections at turkey farms, in particular, in hopes of developing new recommendations for preventing infections. Turkey farms account for more than 70% of the commercial poultry farms infected in the outbreak, the USDA said.

☆ The government has already canceled $800 million of debts for US farmers, and says that's 'just the first step' in its loan relief programme
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The USDA has canceled $800 million in debts for 13,100 farmers, it said Tuesday. The Inflation Reduction Act included $3.1 billion in assistance for distressed farm loan borrowers. The USDA said Tuesday's announcement was "just the first step" in aiding distressed farmers. This came from the $3.1 billion in assistance for distressed farm loan borrowers included in the Inflation Reduction Act, which President Joe Biden signed in August. The USDA said it would start processing up to $500 million more in debt relief for up to 23,000 more borrowers.

The upshot: The price of orange juice, which has already climbed to an all-time high of $2.90 per 12-ounce can because of soaring food inflation, could go even higher. "We’re factoring in a very tight [crop production] situation here," said Jack Scoville, vice president at PRICE Futures Group in Chicago. Tristan Wheelock / Bloomberg via Getty ImagesFlorida oranges serve as the feedstock for most orange juice produced in the U.S. He also predicted that more Americans will switch to Vitamin C supplements as the cost of orange juice begins to climb further. Both of those factors could ultimately prevent orange juice prices from rising faster, he said.

U.S. corn and soybean yields will be of top priority in Wednesday's reports, due at noon EDT (1600 GMT). Corn yield was lower in just five of the last 20 Octobers, most recently 2016 and 2012, the latter decent company for 2022. The Midwest this year recorded its driest September since 1979, though drier Septembers have not necessarily promoted lower soy or corn yields in October. Nine of the 11 Crop Watch soybean fields yielded at or just below pre-harvest expectations. Crop Watch corn harvest is only starting, but nationally the pace is 1 point ahead of average.

☆ Feds charge dozens in Minnesota in alleged scheme to steal $250 million in pandemic aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Prosecutors say few meals were actually served, and the defendants used the money to buy luxury cars, property and jewelry. "This $250 million is the floor," Andy Luger, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said at a news conference. According to court documents, the alleged scheme targeted the USDA's federal child nutrition programs, which provide food to low-income children and adults. But during the pandemic, some of the standard requirements for sites to participate in the federal food nutrition programs were waived. Luger said the scheme involved more than 125 million fake meals, with some defendants making up names for children by using an online random name generator.

Unlike VA loans, however, only borrowers who earn no more than 115% of the area median income are eligible for USDA loans. Yes — click here for detailsBest USDA lendersHere are some of our top choices for USDA loans in a variety of categories. Types of loans Conventional loans, construction loans, FHA loans, VA loans, USDA loans and Jumbo loansTerms 15-year to 30-yearCredit needed Some loans require a 620 credit score, some require a 540 credit score or no credit score at all. Yes, anyone can assume a VA loan, whether they are eligible for a VA loan or not. You can refinance a USDA loan using the USDA Streamline Refinance program.

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