Federal agriculture officials are counting Georgia farmers as part of a nationwide census. They're asking about products, employees, incomes and expenses. The data will help the officials tailor programs and federal dollars to the states.
A University of Georgia food scientist has been awarded a federal grant worth nearly half a million dollars. Poultry, eggs, raw sprouts and unpasteurized juices are common sources of salmonella. Cooking and pasteurization kill the bacteria in those foods but not in dry and ready-to-eat foods.
More than half of U.S. counties now are classified by the federal government as natural disaster areas mostly because of the drought. The U.S. Agriculture Department on Wednesday added 218 counties in a dozen states as disaster areas, including six in Georgia.
Federal agriculture officials visited Georgia farmers. They say the state has the highest percentage of acreage in exceptional drought. In all 29 states have been named disaster areas because of the U. S. drought.
Under new U.S. Department of Agriculture rules announced Thursday, all but a handful of Georgia counties are considered disaster areas because of ongoing drought. The department is trying to shorten the time between a disaster and making aid available to farmers.