USDA

The hotter temperatures of summer mean more cookouts and get-togethers. But taking the proper precautions when preparing food will keep everyone from getting sick.

“We really are asking our farmers to be patient as we try to work this out with the federal government.”

According to Feeding America, the proposal stands to save the government $4.5 billion and would impact 7-million Americans.

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) recently announced that the project will get $500,000 of federal funding. The new seed bank will be located at Cornell AgriTech in Geneva, New York.

Beginning January 26, Farm Service Agency offices across New York and Pennsylvania will reopen. Nationwide, the USDA is recalling almost 10,000 workers to help farmers affected by the partial federal shutdown.

New Yorkers who receive federal food assistance, also known SNAP, will get their February payments early. SNAP, which a federal program and part of the Agriculture Department, is caught up in the federal shutdown, but earlier this month the USDA instructed states to issue the February payments early.

Maize—or “corn”—has a history dating back to the beginning of agriculture, and today is used for everything from livestock feed and human consumption, to…