Ag News: County Fairs & COVID and U.S. Red Meat to Bolivia
**Stay-at-home protocols have caused severe losses for county fairs and some fair boards have said their operations may not survive losses in revenue from canceled events at local fairgrounds.
The closures have also hurt students who raise livestock for 4-H or FFA projects.
County fairs have organized online auctions to sell students' livestock, and at least one has managed to hold on-site livestock competitions with social-distancing rules.
**Bolivia is the latest nation to open to U.S. red meat.
U.S. Meat Export Federation’s Cheyenne McEndaffer says this is part of a longstanding effort to improve access for U.S. meat products throughout South America.
McEndaffer says like several other South American countries, Bolivia has plant and product registration requirements that must still be finalized before U.S. exporters can begin shipping there.
She says while Bolivia is not a high-volume destination, there are already some inquiries from interested buyers.
**The USDA joined government partners to release a Progress Report detailing the accomplishments of the American Broadband Initiative one year after the release of the initial ABI Milestones Report.
The report shows significant progress in removing regulatory barriers to broadband deployment, leveraging public resources for broadband expansion, and maximizing the impact of federal broadband funding.
Since its launch last year, the American Broadband Initiative has made important progress in removing barriers to broadband deployment and spurring investment.