USDA enforces “Product of USA” label clarity

Mar 14, 2024

By Farms.com

The USDA has introduced a pivotal regulation to address the growing consumer demand for transparent food labeling. The newly published final rule stipulates that the “Product of USA” and “Made in the USA” labels are reserved for meat, poultry, and egg products derived entirely from animals within the United States, from birth to processing. This guideline is designed to eliminate misleading labels and ensure that consumers have accurate information about the origin of their food.

Accompanying the rule, the USDA has also released updated labeling guidance to assist establishments in adhering to these new standards, with a public comment period available. The deadline for compliance with this rule is set for January 1, 2026.

The USDA's investment of $9.5 million into the Local Meat Capacity Grant Program signifies an effort to bolster the meat and poultry supply chain's resilience. By supporting 42 innovative projects, the program aims to provide more local processing opportunities for producers, strengthening their competitive edge in the market.

The Agricultural Marketing Service’s Website Monitoring Program represents another stride towards transparency, focusing on compliance with the Federal Seed Act. This program aims to enhance the clarity of seed variety information available to farmers, thereby improving their decision-making process at the point of purchase.

These initiatives by the USDA underline a broader strategy to foster a more transparent, resilient, and consumer-friendly agricultural market. Through clear labeling standards, support for local processing, and rigorous compliance monitoring, the USDA is working to build a more sustainable and trustworthy food system that benefits producers, consumers, and the environment alike.

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

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