WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday projected a rebound in U.S. corn and soybean yields in 2013 that, along with high planted acreage, opens the door to record-large crops and for prices to tumble from 2012/13 levels.

The USDA forecast the U.S. corn crop at 14.350 billion bushels, up 35 percent on the year, and soybean output at 3.405 billion bushels, up 13 percent.

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture on
Thursday projected a rebound in U.S. corn and soybean yields in 2013 that, along
with high planted acreage, opens the door to record-large crops and for prices
to tumble from 2012/13 levels.

The USDA forecast the U.S. corn crop at 14.350 billion bushels, up 35
percent on the year, and soybean output at 3.405 billion bushels, up 13 percent.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Although federal budget cuts are scheduled for March 1, it could be months before a threatened shutdown of U.S. meat plants would occur because of a furlough of meat inspectors, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Thursday.

Vilsack said work rules vary for USDA employees, who get from 30 to as many as 120 days, or four months, notice of impending layoffs.

WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) – The United States is expected
to get the top safety rating for mad cow disease in spring,
under a recommendation from international livestock health
experts that was greeted on Wednesday as a sure-fire boost to
U.S. beef exports.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the recommended
upgrade, to “negligible” from “controlled” risk, was proof that
U.S. beef meets the highest safety standards in the world. A
trade group, the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, said the move was
“a big step forward towards enhancing our export opportunities.”

WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) – The U.S. Agriculture
Department would furlough up to one-third of its workers if
automatic spending cuts take effect at the end of the month, the
agency warned, with effects ranging from a two-week shutdown of
meat plants to summertime closure of hundreds of national forest
campgrounds.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack described the impact of
the cuts, amounting to $2 billion, in a letter that warned
“these furloughs and other actions would severely disrupt our
ability to provide a broad range of public services.”

WASHINGTON, Feb 14 (Reuters) – U.S. farmers will plant crops
this spring under the shadow of a persistent drought that grips
prime farmland from the Mississippi River to the Rocky
Mountains, with grain supplies already tight from drought losses
in 2012.

In all, 56 percent of the contiguous United States is under
moderate to exceptional drought, twice the usual amount, the
Senate Agriculture Committee was told on Thursday.

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) – The Obama administration
warned on Friday that across-the-board spending cuts set to take
effect in March may result in furloughing every U.S. meat and
poultry inspector for two weeks, causing the meat industry to
shut down.

By law, meatpackers and processors are not allowed to ship
beef, pork, lamb and poultry meat without the Agriculture
Department’s inspection seal.

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) – U.S. farmers will plant huge
amounts corn and soybeans this year, producing a record corn
crop and ending three years of razor-thin supplies barring
weather problems, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office projected
on Tuesday.

The CBO projected a corn crop of 14.454 billion bushels,
which would be the biggest ever, and a soybean crop of 3.306
billion bushels, the third-largest on record.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Snacks sold in U.S. schools would need to be lower in fat, salt and sugar and include more nutritious items like fruits, vegetables and whole grains, under standards proposed on Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The proposal, more than a year overdue, also calls for a limit of 200 calories on items sold during the school day at vending machines or other venues outside the school lunch line.

WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) – The government will stick to
its new schedule of releasing major crop reports when the U.S.
futures markets are running at full volume, the Agriculture
Department said on Wednesday, despite plans for a shorter
trading day at the premiere Chicago exchange.

USDA switched to a Noon Eastern time release of its
market-moving estimates on Jan. 11 because the futures industry
had adopted nearly all-day trading. The reports are produced in
“lock ups” protected by armed guards to keep the information
confidential.