Proposed Ban on Brazilian Beef and Butter Sales Soar
**U.S. Senator Jon Tester of Montana introduced legislation to suspend Brazilian beef imports to the U.S.
The move comes after repeated issues with delayed reporting of BSE, or mad cow outbreaks in Brazilian beef.
Suspending the imports will give experts a chance to conduct a thorough review of the meat’s safety.
Tester says Americans deserve the highest level of safety and certainty in their beef, and Brazilian imports don’t make the cut.
**The USDA has begun issuing roughly $270 million in pandemic assistance payments to eligible contract producers of livestock and poultry who applied for help.
Earlier this year, the Farm Service Agency identified assistance gaps before USDA released an improved program for contract producers to help fill those gaps.
FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux says filling these gaps and not letting underserved producers slip through the cracks is a common theme throughout our approach under our Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative.
**As friends and family gather for the holidays, Americans are expected to purchase 161 million pounds of butter from the second week in November through Christmas.
While butter sales usually increase during the holidays, the pandemic, which spiked a rebirth of home cooking, has also caused butter sales to grow significantly year-round.
Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin saw a 400% spike in recipe searches during the pandemic.