Officials with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) have reinstated the permit to sell raw cow’s milk to Utah Natural Meat and Milk (dairy) located in West Jordan, Utah. The dairy’s Raw for Retail permit was suspended in September 2023 after Campylobacter bacteria found in their milk samples was linked to 14 illnesses.

“Food and consumer safety are our priorities at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food,” said UDAF Commissioner of Agriculture, Craig Buttars. “While we did not take suspending the license of this small farm and business lightly, it was important that we ensure the milk products were safe for consumption. We are grateful for the efforts by the UDAF team as well as the dairy owners to isolate the cause of the illnesses and to ensure the milk is safe to be sold once again.”

Per state statute: 4-3-503 (12)(b), the dairy was required to have three clean tests following the outbreak for their permit to be reinstated. The dairy owners took appropriate actions and worked with UDAF inspectors to make improvements and ultimately get the three clean tests required.

All Raw for Retail Milk and milk products produced in Utah are subject to monthly sampling and testing by the state. Nevertheless, raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may be unsafe. Individuals who choose to consume raw milk or raw milk products are advised to observe the following to help decrease the chance of foodborne illness:

• Heat raw milk to 165° F for at least 15 seconds (and then cool it) before consuming.
• Keep raw milk and raw milk products refrigerated at or below 40° F; do not let raw milk sit out at room temperature.

In celebration of Harvest Gratitude Day on November 16, Utah Farm to Fork and the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) hosted an online learning event for middle and high school students to learn about the importance of agriculture and where their food comes from.

During this event, over 1,000 students heard from Utah’s farmers, ranchers, and producers and even got a virtual tour of their operations. Featuring:

• Commissioner Craig Buttars, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food
• Mike Mower, Senior Advisory on Community Outreach, Utah Governor’s Office
• Brittney Cummins, Senior Advisor for Education, Utah Governor’s Office
• Kent Pyne, Pyne Farms (Santaquin, UT)
• Matt Hess, Hess Dairy Farm (Garland, UT)
• Ron and Anita Murphy, R&A Hydroponics (West Jordan, UT)

Thank you to everyone who tuned in and participated. Events like these remind us how lucky we are to support Utah Agriculture and honor the hard-working farmers and ranchers who put food on our tables.

Watch the full recorded presentation, by clicking here.

With our newest animated video, we’re going on an adventure to learn more about the exciting process from Seed to Table with your favorite UDAF’s Animated Host, Farmer Mike.

To watch all of our animated episodes, click here.

Officials with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) confirmed a diagnosis of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on a turkey farm in Sanpete County on Friday, October 6, 2023.

“It is unfortunate to see new cases of Avian Flu in Utah again this year and affecting Utah’s turkey farmers,” said UDAF State Veterinarian, Daniel Christensen. “Our department is working hard to help this farm handle this situation as quickly and safely as possible.”

UDAF officials have worked closely with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) on their incident response. The area in which the birds were located has been quarantined and the infected birds have been depopulated to prevent further spread of the disease.

As part of existing avian influenza response plans, UDAF and its federal partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flock.

Anyone with birds located in Sanpete County please vigilantly watch your flock for symptoms of HPAI, which include high death loss among flocks, nasal discharge, decreased appetite or water consumption, and lack of coordination in birds. If birds are experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact the state veterinarian’s office immediately at statevet@utah.gov.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of this strain of HPAI have been detected in the United States. As a reminder, the proper handling and cooking of all poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F is recommended as a general food safety precaution.

Anyone involved with poultry production from the small backyard to the large commercial producer should review their biosecurity activities to assure the health of their birds. APHIS has materials about biosecurity, including videos, checklists, and a toolkit available at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian/defend-the-flock-program/dtf-resources/dtf-resources.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is hosting its third annual African Swine Fever (ASF) Action Week from October 2 – 6, 2023. They are encouraging U.S. swine producers, small farms and pig owners to join us and learn about ASF and what they can do to help protect the U.S. swine herd.

ASF has never been detected in the U.S., but since its detection in the Dominican Republic and Haiti in 2021, USDA has partnered with industry and states to enhance already strong safeguards to protect U.S. swine from this costly disease.

”The longer ASF continues to circulate around the globe, the greater the threat to the U.S. swine industry,”said Dr. Rosemary Sifford, APHIS Veterinary Services Deputy Administrator, and Chief Veterinary Officer. “Prevention is our best investment. If introduced here, ASF would devastate the pig herds that Americans and our trading partners rely on for food. And, if it were to become endemic, it could take us more than 10 years and about $75 billion to eradicate,” she added.

APHIS is asking producers and pig owners to join in efforts to stand vigilant against this disease.

Through the Protect Our Pigs campaign, USDA is raising awareness of ASF to help producers and veterinarians quickly find and share actionable information to defend their herds and livelihoods. Free resources, such as custom videos, downloadable materials, and interactive training guides are available at the Protect Our Pigs website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/asf.

.