wotus rule

EPA Announces Intent to Revise WOTUS Definition

Dan Environment, Water

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this week their plans to repeal and rewrite the definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS). They are looking to repeal the Trump-era Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which replaced the Obama-era WOTUS rule. A review of the rule, requested by President Joe Biden, claims stakeholders are seeing destructive impacts to critical water bodies. …

court

Court Blocks Controversial Pesticide

Dan Citrus, Environment, Huanglongbing (HLB)/Citrus Greening

(TALLAHASSEE/June 9, 2021) — In a victory for environmental and farmworker groups, an appeals court has overturned federal approval of a controversial pesticide that supporters say could help fight a disease that has caused heavy damage in Florida’s citrus industry. The decision this week by a panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia came …

plant

Plant Things That Keep Bees Coming Back for More

Dan Fruits, Herbs, Nursery Crops, Pollinators, Pollinators, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

How to plant things that will keep bees coming back for more.  That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Bees are one of our most valuable pollinators, responsible for pollinating 80 percent of the world’s plants! That means 1 out of every 4 bites of food we eat is due to the hard work of bees. Its up to us …

soil surveys

Conservation Finance Can Mean Cleaner Air and Water and Healthier Soil

Dan Conservation, Environment, USDA-NRCS

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the largest funder of conservation on private land in the U.S., supports producers’ transitions to beneficial farming and ranching practices. While these transitions can require an upfront cost, they also often lead to financial rewards. Healthy and resilient soils may lead to more productive crops requiring less fertilizer. And watersheds protected by forests and riverbanks with …

climate benefits

USDA Announces New Initiative to Quantify Climate Benefits of CRP

Dan Conservation, Environment, USDA-FSA

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced this week an initiative to quantify the climate benefits of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts. The multi-year effort will enable USDA to better target CRP toward climate outcomes and improve existing models and conservation planning tools while supporting USDA’s goal of putting American agriculture and forestry at the center of climate-smart …

florida

Florida Webinar to Explain How to Apply for CIG

Dan Conservation, Education, Environment, Florida, USDA-NRCS

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Florida recently announced they will be investing $300,000 for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for high tunnel systems that improve weather resiliency and improve degraded plant conditions. The deadline to submit a proposal is July 12. And for those who would like more information on how to apply for a Florida state grant, a webinar will be held Thursday, May …

agriculture

USDA to Invest $15 Million through CIG Program

Dan Conservation, USDA-NRCS

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is investing up to $15 million to support the development of new tools, approaches, practices and technologies to further natural resource conservation on private lands through the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. CIG partners use creative problem solving and innovation to address our nation’s water quality, air quality, soil health and …

Tractor-spraying-pesticides-on-cherry-orchard.shutterstock_1083807734.jpg

Florida Challenged Over Pesticide Decision

Dan Citrus, Cotton, Environment, Florida, Huanglongbing (HLB)/Citrus Greening, Peanuts

(TALLAHASSEE, Wednesday, May 12, 2021/NSF) — Amid arguments about the troubled citrus industry and the health of farmworkers, a chemical company is challenging a state decision to block a pesticide that could help fight a disease that has caused massive damage in citrus groves. AgLogic Chemical, LLC filed an administrative challenge Tuesday, about three weeks after the state Department of …

money

Growing Matters: Protect Bees, Environment and the Applicators Themselves

Taylor Hillman Growing Matters, Pollinators, Sponsored Content

Companies spend a lot of time developing product labels. “The companies that make the crop protection products work very hard to make them right,” Valent USA’s Senior Field R&D Scientist Craig Campbell said. “I work on labels, they are there as the most important guide for a grower, an applicator or anyone using a pesticide.” In the latest episode of …