Department of Agriculture

Federal data shows ranks of scientists who carry out environmental research, enforcement and other jobs fell sharply in some agencies under former President Donald Trump.

Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese spoke with the media on Friday and outlined the details of President Joe Biden’s executive order on helping provide food assistance to Americans.

Maine officials are investigating four cases of people becoming ill from consuming raw milk products. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said four cases of cryptosporidiosis connected to raw milk were reported starting Oct. 4.

Scientists in Washington state have discovered the first nest of so-called murder hornets in the United States and plan to wipe it out Saturday to protect native honeybees.

President Donald Trump is directing the Department of Agriculture to provide U.S. lobster fishermen with financial assistance to make up for lost income from Chinese tariffs.

An invasion of Asian giant hornets became the latest 2020 worry — and internet sensation — as the term “murder hornet” began to trend over the weekend.

The company working at a bridge project in Haverhill, Massachusetts, where one worker died and another was injured Wednesday has a history of serious workplace safety violations, including a 2016 incident in which an employee was killed, according to federal records reviewed by the NBC10 Boston Investigators. Officials from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation identified the two workers who were...

Hector Muñoz owns a coffee farm in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, and hurricanes aren’t the only natural disasters he’s worried about. “If a drought comes it could be catastrophic,” he said. He has reason to be concerned. Powerful El Niños are expected over the next decade and they typically bring drought conditions. Adding to the challenge is the possible impact...

Dozens of cats are in Maine state custody after officials there say they seized them on an animal cruelty warrant. The seizure of 83 cats happened on Tuesday at a home that neighbors say is on Ridge Road in Wales, a small community just north of Lewiston.

Maine authorities seized dozens of cats and charged their owners with animal cruelty.

Florida’s iconic palm trees are under attack from a fatal disease that turns them to dried crisps in months, with no chance for recovery once they become ill.

Residents signing up for food stamps in Minnesota are provided a brochure about domestic violence, but it doesn’t matter if they even read the pamphlet. The mere fact it was made available could allow them to qualify for government food aid if their earnings or savings exceed federal limits. As odd as that might sound, it’s not actually unusual. Thirty-eight...

The Trump administration on Tuesday proposed tightening automatic eligibility requirements for the food stamp program, a change that could affect about 3.1 million people. The Agriculture Department said the rule would close “a loophole” that enables people receiving only minimal benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to be eligible automatically for food stamps. “For too long, this...

The market for CBD products is booming, but to make it you need hemp. Now local farmers worry transporting hemp could put them in legal jeopardy.

The market for CBD products is booming, and to make all those oils and creams you see in the store, manufacturers need hemp. Hemp is a key ingredient in cannabidiol products, which are sold to treat everything from anxiety to muscle pain. The rapid rise of the CBD industry means hemp is in demand. But before it reaches consumers, hemp...

When President Donald Trump’s administration announced a $12 billion aid package for farmers struggling under the financial strain of his trade dispute with China, the payments were capped. But many large farming operations had no trouble finding legal ways around them.

The leader of the agency that operates the Amtrak Downeaster service from Maine to Boston provided a letter to customers on Tuesday, acknowledging the train is not providing the desired experience for its passengers. However, the letter also admitted the over-crowding situation does not appear to have a quick fix.

Due to the lack of seats, a Massachusetts mom-to-be is expressing her frustrating with Amtrak after being consistently forced to stand during her hour-long commute into Boston.

Commuting into downtown Boston can be physically and emotionally challenging under normal circumstances. But these are anything but normal times for Maggie Kent and her husband, Gordon. Every day, the Bradford, Massachusetts couple hops on the Amtrak Downeaster at the station in Haverhill and takes the nearly one-hour trip into Boston.

The 1,100-pound animals, taking 20-foot-plus strides, gallop on ankles which have been likened to glass. Suddenly, the entire sport of thoroughbred racing stands on fragile legs.