Department of Agriculture and Food
Department Leadership:
Leonard M. Blackham, Commissioner
Mission Statement:
To Protect and Promote Utah Agriculture and Food.
More Department Performance:
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Learn more at the Department of Agriculture and Food website |
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Department of Agriculture and Food Annual Report |
Overview
The UDAF is one of the state's oldest agencies, dating back to the year of statehood—1896. Our dedicated employees enforce many of the laws that guard our food supply as it moves from the farm to the table. Inspectors regulate seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, food processing plants, meat inspection, as well as plant and animal health, and many other functions.
- Our emphasis on making farming more profitable has broad positive contributions to Utah 's rural economy and quality of life.
- Our focus on healthy landscapes is helping to fight global warming by improving air and water quality.
- Utah farmers dedicate themselves to providing a safe and wholesome food supply for our citizens and people across the U.S. , and the people of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food are dedicated to helping them reach their goals.
- Our eight divisions are staffed by experienced and caring people who are devoted to service and customer satisfaction.
- The UDAF is assigned by law to protect the state's agricultural industries and our people. We do this so that fair commerce and human health and safety are safeguarded.
There are nine Divisions of the Department of Agriculture and Food:
Healthy Landscapes
Utah 's agricultural economy heavily relies on livestock production. Therefore, improvements to the health of our grazing landscape generate long term positive impacts for ranchers, their families, their communities, and the state as a whole.
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Data Source: UDAF
Why this is important:
Improving Utah 's rural economy is one of the Department's main goals. Agriculture is a major economic force in the dozens of small and medium sized communities outside of the Wasatch Front. A sustainable population base helps a community thrive and grow. Young farmers and ranchers who work on a financially viable farming and ranching operations are more likely to stay in the community, send their children to local schools, and generally support local businesses.
The Department's ARDL and Rural Rehabilitation loan programs, provide financial incentive to keep farming profitable, while our Grazing Improvement Program (GIP) helps ranchers make choices that improve the health of their rangeland and increase their profitability. The loan programs also enable operators to use more modern farming equipment and practices that are generally considered better for the environment.What we're doing about it:
The ARDL program has made more than 2000 loans during its 30 year history. During that time many alfalfa farmers could afford to switch to center-pivot irrigation systems that helped them raise more crops using less water. New irrigation technology has also helped farmers in Eastern Utah reduce the amount of salt that is washed through the soil into the Colorado River.
ARDL loans helped livestock ranchers afford to remove invasive pinion-juniper and sage brush and replant healthy grasses. Such projects increase the quantity and quality of our water supply.
The Department's new Grazing Improvement Program (GIP) is expanding the emphasis on healthy landscapes to provide ranchers with important tools to protect their resources and improve production capacity.
Food Safety
Data Source: UDAF
*In year 2004 the division experienced a 50% turnover in program personnel reducing capacity to conduct inspections.
Why this is important:
Food recalls and terrorist threats to our food supply are a growing concern among consumers. The UDAF has implemented a number of additional food safety steps to protect our food from the farm to the table. The main results of this action -- more effective prevention programs, new surveillance systems, and faster foodborne illness outbreak response capabilities -- have enabled us to protect the safety of our food supply against natural and accidental threats. Inspections that confirm retailers' adherence to strict food safety regulations is a significant tool used to prevent foodborne illnesses.
What we're doing about it:
The department has expanded its Homeland Security activities by coordinating efforts with local, state and federal food and health organizations to respond rapidly to evidence of threats to the food supply. Follow up inspections of food recalls have identified and removed hundreds of items from commerce, thus preventing potential food borne illnesses.
Consumers are the final judges of the safety of the food they buy. Consumers need to be alert to abnormal odor, taste and appearance of a food item. If there is any doubt about its safety, don't eat it. If the food appears to have been tampered with, report it to your local health department.
The Department has also implemented a state-of-the-art (web based) Food Safety Management System inspection program that focuses on high-risk food borne illness factors and reduces the risk of those incidents.
Animal Health
Data Source: UDAF
Why this is important:
Much of Utah 's $1.5 billion agriculture economy is tied to livestock. Therefore, healthy livestock are vital to the state's economy and consumer confidence in their food supply. Livestock inspections determine the health of the more than one million head of cattle and sheep in Utah . Livestock numbers, and farm visits, are on the rebound (graph) following years of drought and poor market conditions.
The U.S. livestock industry spends millions of dollars annually on health and disease prevention programs. Utah 's healthy agricultural environment fosters a quality of life that promotes traditional rural values.What we're doing about it:
The UDAF employs nearly 65 full and part-time inspectors who regularly visit livestock herds to monitor health and locate lost or stolen animals.
The department has a broad network of local, state and federal veterinarians trained to identify and respond to animal disease outbreaks. A recently completed Avian influenza surveillance and response plan identifies specific steps to be taken to halt the spread of AI in Utah poultry, thus posing a threat to public health. A similar plan is in place for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ( BSE ) in cattle. The Department ranks 4 th in the nation in the number of farms moving toward a computerized animal tracking system that will help locate and remove diseased livestock from the food supply during an animal disease emergency.
Insects and Plants
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Data Source: UDAF
Why this is important:
The Department works to protect Utah consumers and businesses from hundreds of varieties of insects and plant diseases. Left unchecked, our plants, trees and gardens would be devastated by these enemies. Utah's fruit and nursery business total's more than $150 million dollars and employs thousands of people. Eradicating the Japanese beetle is one of the numerous UDAF programs that protect commerce and human health and safety. Citizen support and participation plays an important role in the success of many of our programs.
What we're doing about it:
The Department is granted legislative authority to declare agriculture emergencies and take necessary action to prevent the spread of insects or plant diseases. The Department also regulates the safe application of pesticides and farm chemicals and periodically recovers unused chemicals from farmers, other members of the public, and industry free of charge. The Department also works to protect endangered species through proper pesticide application. West Nile Virus (WNV) prevention is the goal of a program that makes grants available to counties and mosquito abatement districts, to help control the spread of WNV.