U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Broader Competition For USDA's 'Rural' Dollars

Luke Runyon — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

As lawmakers debate the Farm Bill in Washington, millions of dollars are at stake for small businesses across the country. Rural development grants go out to everything from home loans to water projects to small co-ops.

Federal Funds Flow Into Rural Communities

Bill Wheelhouse and Harvest Public Media — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

In the small town of Staunton, Ill., the new $9 million water plant is a welcome addition. After all, when the 80-year-old facility it replaces seized up last year, the community’s 5,000 residents were without water for five days.

Flax Seed: The Next Superfood For Cows And Beef?

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:53:00 +0000

Flax is the oily seed usually spotted in the nutritional supplement or cereal aisles.

Congress: Where Food Reforms Go To Die?

Daniel Charles — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:47:00 +0000

Two seemingly common-sense, bipartisan food reforms have gotten mugged on Capitol Hill in recent days. If you're a loyal reader of The Salt, you've heard of them.

First, there's the proposal — backed by an odd-couple alliance of egg producers and animal-welfare activists — to set minimum standards for the housing of egg-laying chickens.

No More Smuggling: Many Cured Italian Meats Coming To America

Sylvia Poggioli — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:38:00 +0000

American gourmets and lovers of Italian food products, your days as food smugglers are over.

No more stuffing your suitcases with delicacies bought in Italy, hoping the sniffer dogs at JFK or other American airports won't detect the banned-in-the-USA foodstuffs inside your luggage.

In the U.S., they're called cured meats, the French say charcuterie and in Italy, the word for cured-pork products is salumi.