USDA: Flushed Away…Probing For Antibiotic Presence in Our Food Supply

It’s a question with major public-health implications: Could antibiotics and other widely used medications get into our food supply when they are flushed into our sewers?
To try to answer that question, researchers from USDA and Penn State University (PSU) assessed whether some commonly used pharmaceuticals could get into a wheat crop irrigated with recycled wastewater.
Clinton Williams, a soil scientist with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Maricopa, AZ, and Alison Franklin, a Penn State doctoral candidate, along with her PSU adviser Jack Watson, evaluated wheat irrigated with treated wastewater at a specially designed site at University Park, Pennsylvania. The site was spray-irrigated with treated recycled wastewater over a 12-hour period at weekly intervals.
https://blogs.usda.gov/2017/02/17/flushed-away-probing-for-antibiotic-presence-in-our-food-supply/

More USDA NEWS...

Research Can Help the Economy and Inform Policy
When most people think of forests, science isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but, perhaps, it should. That’s because the U.S. Forest Service Research and Development program oversees projects across many science disciplines including forestry, genetics, wildlife, forest products and wildfire.
And the agency has been using this science to deliver returns on investments for stakeholders, industry partners, and the public.
For instance Forest Service research supported the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s decision to not list the Greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act, listing the species would have necessitated restrictions on economic activity across 163 million acres.
Because monitoring and managing rare species can be expensive, Forest Service researchers developed new environmental DNA (eDNA) technologies that make it easier and less expensive to monitor rare fish species. Additionally, Forest Inventory and Analysis research estimates the value of carbon sequestered in U.S. forestlands from 2016-2045 at $450 billion.
https://blogs.usda.gov/2017/02/16/research-can-help-the-economy-and-inform-policy/

Tornado Devastates NFC Building, But Not NFC Workers
Within minutes of being notified of an impending storm, the employees of the US Department of Agriculture’s National Finance Center (NFC) in New Orleans felt the devastating impact of the EF-3 tornado that descend upon the two-story building with enough force to tear away whole sections of the brick façade in eight places and leave portions of its interior exposed to the elements.
“I could see it coming,” said Tara Gilliam, chief of Human Resources Management Staff. “It swallowed the building in a matter of seconds.”
Acting Deputy Director Michael Jackson saved countless lives by running down the halls to alert his coworkers of the incoming danger. He yelled for people to take cover before the pelting rain and heavy winds, reminiscent of the thunderous sound of a freight train, engulfed the NFC.
https://blogs.usda.gov/2017/02/15/tornado-devastates-nfc-building-but-not-nfc-workers/


Acting Secretary of Agriculture Visits Workers Impacted By Louisiana Tornado and Tours Storm Damage
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2017 - Acting Agriculture Deputy Secretary Mike Young visited the displaced workers of the USDA Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) National Finance Center (NFC) Monday after an EF-3 tornado hit the New Orleans-based NFC building last week, causing severe damage. No one was seriously hurt as a result of the storm, which struck at approximately 11:20 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017.
Following the tornado, the NFC immediately implemented its Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) and within 12 hours advance teams were relocated to the alternate work site (AWS) in Bossier City, near Shreveport, La., to begin the resumption of business operations. The tornado struck NFC in the beginning of a pay week and NFC was able to ensure the safety of all employees, recover from the tornado, deploy staff to the AWS site in Bossier City, and still make timely payroll deposits to all employees they service.
"I wanted to say thank you," said Young addressing a crowd of NFC employees. He stressed the work they do is incredibly important, and commended them for their ability to execute their COOP in an instant and still deliver on providing the vital services without interruption. Young, along with the USDA Acting Chief Finical Officer Lynn Moaney, met with employees to express his gratitude and admiration for their hard work and personal sacrifice that kept the NFC running.
https://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2017/02/0014.xml&navid=NEWS_RELEASE&navtype=RT&parentnav=LATEST_RELEASES&edeployment_action=retrievecontent

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News Notebook: DNR offering 3,000-acre agricultural lease in Paterson’s Horse Heaven Hills (from a Feb. 8th news release)
Bids, due April 6, to include water delivery
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering for lease approximately 3,000 acres of agricultural land in the Paterson-Horse Heaven Hills region. The bid opportunity is unique for its large size, atypical lease structure and the ability to tap into 3.9 acre feet of non-interruptible Columbia River water per acre.
 http://www.dnr.wa.gov/news/dnr-offering-3000-acre-agricultural-lease-paterson%E2%80%99s-horse-heaven-hills

(In case you missed it category)