News

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is urging agricultural producers affected by recent widespread wildfires in Iron, Beaver, Piute, and Tooele Counties to seek available recovery assistance, while reminding all Utahns to take extra precautions to prevent additional wildfires.  “Wildfires can change the course of a ranching operation in a matter of hours, but recovery often takes years,”

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced a voluntary recall on Nara Organics Whole Milk Organic Infant Formula. The formula has been implicated in three cases of infant botulism in California, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Investigations by the FDA and CDC are ongoing. Inspectors from the Utah Department of Agriculture & Food (UDAF) are conducting

The Utah Department of Agriculture & Food (UDAF) has been notified that USDA-APHIS identified a confirmed case of New World screwworm (NWS) in Texas near the southern border. It is currently the only confirmed case in the United States. There are not yet any confirmed cases in Utah. New World screwworm is a fly whose larvae invade warm-blooded hosts via

On June 1, 2026, officials with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) were notified of a sample from a dairy in Cache County that tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). As a result, UDAF is enacting mandatory weekly surveillance for HPAI in dairies in Cache County. Federal funding is available to cover the cost of this

The Utah Department of Agriculture & Food (UDAF) has recently published a report in collaboration with the University of Utah’s Medical Cannabis Outcome Research & Evaluation (MCORE) team. The study surveyed participants and non-participants of Utah’s medical cannabis program to identify successes and barriers to adoption. UDAF began partnering with MCORE in November of 2024 with the intent to complete

The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) has been selected as a Patrick Leahy Farm to School grantee by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This $350,000 grant will support a statewide initiative to increase the use of locally grown Utah fruit in school meals while integrating agricultural and nutrition education into classrooms. “This award is an exciting step

Governor Spencer Cox’s newest Declaration of Emergency regarding the drought in Utah has opened up the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF)’s Emergency Disaster Relief Loan (EDRL) Program to Utah agricultural producers in all 29 counties with urgent drought-related expenses. The loan program will remain open to accept applications related to this emergency for a period of 6 months,

As of the governor’s Declaration of Emergency on May 15 2026, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is able to open applications for the Emergency Disaster Relief Loan (ERDL) Program to Utah agricultural producers. The loan program will remain open to accept applications related to this emergency for a period of 6 months, from May 15 until November

On May 6, 2026, the Utah Department of Agriculture & Food (UDAF) implemented new requirements for kratom processors and kratom retailers, as directed by the Utah State Legislature under S.B. 45 Kratom Adjustments. The regulations that went into effect on May 6 ban any kratom product that is not “pure leaf kratom” as defined in Utah Code Section 4-45-102 .

On May 6, 2026, the Utah Department of Agriculture & Food (UDAF) implemented new requirements for specialized product retailers, as directed by the Utah State Legislature under H.B. 385 Specialized Products Sales Amendments. “Specialized products” as defined by H.B. 385 include cannabinoid products, kratom & tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and other substances described in  the bill.  The regulations that went