The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food’s Local Ag Listening Session on September 18, 2024, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM at the East Senate Building of the Utah State Capitol, 120 E Capitol St., Salt Lake City, UT 84103.

The Local Ag Listening Sessions were created to provide a forum for UDAF and other organizations to hear directly from producers and agricultural stakeholders. This session will follow the Utah Food Security Council meeting and will include an update on the Southwest Regional Food Business Center and an open discussion on key agricultural study items as directed by H.B. 525 from the 2024 legislative session. Topics will include local food supply chain challenges, alternative crop production, agricultural workforce issues, and funding solutions. Light refreshments will be provided, and virtual attendance is available via Google Meet.

Please RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/sept-local-ag-rsvp. We look forward to your participation and input on shaping the future of local agriculture.

View the agenda here.

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food announces applications are now open for the LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund. $1,000,000 in new funding is available for agricultural conservation easements in Utah. This significant financial opportunity aims to support the preservation and protection of working farms and ranches across the state, ensuring that these vital lands remain productive and accessible for future generations in perpetuity.

 “Agricultural land conservation is the key to our future food security. Preserving productive working lands ensures that future generations have the resources necessary to cultivate food and other products to nourish a growing population.”— UDAF Commissioner Craig Buttars.

The LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund uses appropriations from the State Legislature to promote agricultural sustainability and conservation, and provide essential resources for landowners seeking to preserve their agricultural lands through conservation easements which permanently restrict non-agricultural development, safeguarding the land’s agricultural use in perpetuity.

These funds are a critical source of matching dollars needed to unlock tens of millions in funding from other sources to complete the purchase of agricultural easements. This mechanism multiplies the impact of the state’s initial investment allowing for a significantly larger pool of resources and underscores a shared responsibility among the stakeholders for preserving agricultural landscapes for future generations.

Applications are open now through August 16, 2024, at 5:00 pm. For information on eligibility criteria and to apply, visit https://ag.utah.gov/leray-mcallister-working-farm-and-ranch-fund. For additional information, contact Jeremy Christensen, UDAF Land Conservation Program Manager, at (385)441-4106 or [email protected].

Utah has to be conscious of its water supply – it is one of the driest states in the nation, after all. Many of us know that Utah’s water supply mostly comes from melted snowpack, but how much do we actually use every year?

The average annual precipitation in Utah is 61,348,000 acre feet. For reference, one acre foot equals 325,851 gallons of water. That’s enough water to fill about two-thirds of an Olympic swimming pool. On average, we divert about 4.8 million acre feet for human use, which is almost 8% of that total precipitation. That means 92%, or 56.9 million acre feet, stays in nature!

Learn more about agriculture water use here in Utah, and have some fun, watch our newest animated episode below!

To watch all of our animated episodes, click here.

The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with America’s Poison Centers and state and local partners, are investigating a series of illnesses associated with eating Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars.  

As of June 7, 2024, a total of eight illnesses have been reported from four states including AZ (4), IN (2), NV (1), and PA (1). All eight people have reported seeking medical care; six have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. FDA is working to determine the cause of these illnesses and is considering the appropriate next steps. 

Product:

All flavors of Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars

Symptoms: 

People who become ill after eating Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars reported a variety of severe symptoms including seizures, central nervous system depression (loss of consciousness, confusion sleepiness), agitation, abnormal heart rates, hyper/hypotension, nausea, and vomiting.  

Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars can be purchased online and in person at a variety of retail locations nationwide including smoke/vape shops, and at retailers that sell hemp-derived products such as cannabidiol (CBD) or delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8-THC).  The full list of retailers is currently unknown, and FDA recommends that people do not purchase or consume any flavor of Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars from any retail or online locations at this time.  

Recommendations: 

• Consumers should not eat, sell, or serve any flavor of Diamond-Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars, and should discard them.  

• Consumers should check their homes and discard these products if found.  

• This product may appeal to children and teenagers as it is marketed as candy.  Parents and caregivers should consider discussing the information in this advisory with their children and take extra care to avoid this product being consumed by younger people.  

• Retailers should not sell or distribute Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars and should hold the product in a secure location until additional instructions can be provided on how to return or safely dispose of the product.  

• If you become ill after consuming these chocolate bars, please contact your health care provider and/or call the Poison Help Line at 1-800-222-1222. Let them know you have recently consumed the Diamond Shruumz-brand Microdosing Chocolate Bars. 

• Healthcare providers should report these illnesses to their local health department and/or the Poison Help Line. 

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Dairy Cattle:

• Early 2024- An unknown milk drop syndrome was identified in adult, mid- to late-lactation dairy cattle in the Texas panhandle area, and later affected dairies in Kansas and New Mexico.
• March 25, 2024 – Cattle on a Texas dairy were confirmed with the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus that has been circulating in poultry and wild birds in the United States since 2022.  Since then, numerous dairies across many states have tested positive for HPAI.
• Infected animals show a severe drop in rumination, feed intake, and milk production. Milk appears thick, discolored, and clumpy. Unlike other species affected by HPAI, dairy cattle do not die, but recover in health and some milk production over the course of weeks.
• It appears that all the cases in dairy have spread from 1 initially infected farm. The route of spread could be via milk, animal movement (even those that are not showing illness), people and equipment.
• April 24, 2024 – USDA issued a federal order stating that milk from lactating dairy cattle must test negative for HPAI before those cows cross state lines.

Click here to learn more here.