This information from the FL Dept of Agriculture:
With T.S. Fay making its way through the state, wanted to make sure everyone is aware that under the new Supplemental Agriculture Disaster Programs included in the 2008 Farm Bill, producers must have crop insurance or non-insured crop disaster assistance (NAP) coverage for the land for which assistance is being requested, and for all farms in all counties in which they have an interest, including grazing lands in order to be eligible to participate in the disaster programs. Since the 2008 Act was enacted after the application periods had closed for those programs, producers who did not have such coverage could not comply with this requirement in order to be eligible for the new disaster programs. However, the 2008 Act authorizes a waiver that allows producers to pay a fee, called a “buy-in” fee, to be eligible for this new disaster assistance. Read the rest of this entry »
Today Tyron Spearman updates us about funds needed to actually implement the farm bill and also on how certain Senators are working on an energy plan to be discussed more after the summer break. Listen to report here:
Alabama Congressman Terry Everett is retiring after serving eight terms in the US House of Representatives. He talked about the new farm bill and challenges facing agriculture last week at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference.
Advanced Direct Payments now available. This announcement made by U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Schafer. USDA’s Farm Service Agency distributes direct payments for the Commodity Credit Corporation. For more information on DCP, visit your local USDA Service Center or http://www.fsa.usda.gov.
Also in this report Tyron Spearman lets us know that the Southern Peanut Growers Conference award winners have been announced along with whom will be speaking at this conference.
Most producers are still trying to figure out exactly what is included in the new 2008 Farm Bill. Cotton grower Ronnie Lee of Broadwood, who attended one of the recent Farm Bill meetings sponsored by the National Cotton Council and the Georgia Cotton Commission, says he thinks it was as good a bill as could be expected.
Twenty-nine Suwannee River Basin farmers and ranchers were recognized for their outstanding natural resource stewardship during the 8th Annual CARES dinner held on the Dwight Stansel farm this week. Representatives from USDA in Washington DC and USDA-NRCS in Florida were on hand to celebrate the event.
The Florida Farm Bureau and the Suwannee River Partnership created CARES to bring agricultural associations, public agencies and institutions, and farmers together to increase environmental awareness on farms.
The National Cotton Council vice president of producer affairs Craig Brown has been attending meetings in the cotton belt to educate producers about what is in the new farm bill.
The Georgia Cotton Commission has co-sponsored the meetings in Georgia. One more will be held Wednesday, at the Lions Hall in Donalsonville starting at 10 am.
The vote-veto-vote-veto-vote tango of the 2008 Farm Bill finally came to an end last week and now USDA can get down to the business of full implementation.
GA Sen. Chambliss Applauds Senate Action to Override Farm Bill Veto
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) The U.S. Senate today overwhelmingly supported overriding the President’s veto of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (H.R. 6124), coauthored by U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Ranking Republican Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. The Administration officially rejected the farm bill earlier today, including the most significant reforms to payment limitations in the history of American farm policy, as well as increased funding for nutrition, energy, specialty crops and conservation programs. The Senate voted to override the veto 80-14. Read the rest of this entry »
There are many who don’t understand what all the farm bill actually does as Tyron Spearman has a look at some more of the facts about the new bill which was recently passed. Report (1:10mp3)
The Senate passed the farm bill for a third time last week – this time the corrected version with the missing trade title. However, Senate work on the farm bill is still not done – they still have to override yet another presidential veto.
The conservation title in the new farm bill offers some new and expanded programs for farmers, including increased funding for EQIP, expansion of the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program and a new, improved and renamed Conservation Stewardship program, formally the Conservation Security Program.
There has been a lot said in recent days about how “fat” the recent Farm Bill is that finally got through Congress. The fact is, as central Florida Congressman Adam Putnam explains in this report, regardless of what you may hear about the recently passed Farm Bill, the fact is the vast majority of the funding involved in the bill is for things that are not “farm” related at all. Report (1:00 mp3)
Congress is back inWashington following a week-long recess for Memorial Day and the first item on the Senate’s agenda is fixing the Farm Bill. Title Three of the bill, which covers trade, was inadvertently left out of the bill vetoed by President Bush. The veto of the incomplete bill was overridden, making 14 of 15 farm bill titles law. However to make sure the entire bill is enacted, both chambers are expected to pass a new, complete bill and that will be sent to Bush for yet another veto.
As far as most are concerned, however, the bill is over and done with except for the technicalities and specialty crop growers are celebrating success at finally being considered part of the agriculture industry.
The Farm Bill has benefits for both producers and consumers - in fact, everyone in the country will be touched by provisions in the legislation. Laura McNamara reports.
Most everyone was hoping work on the new farm bill would be completed before Congress took their Memorial Day recess, but as Tyron Spearman reports, it’s not over yet. Report (1:00 mp3)
Congress moved quickly last week to repair a procedural error that threatened the new farm bill, but the final action on the complete package will have to wait until Congress returns to Washington from the Memorial Day recess.
Don’t try to figure this one out. Bottom line is that somebody screwed up and sent the Farm Bill to the president’s desk missing some pages. Because of that, it was technically not the bill that Congress passed, so they have to go back and fix it. But, it will get done at some point.
A clerical error means that the Farm Bill conference report is going back to Congress and will have to go through the whole process again after the Memorial Day holiday.
The president vetoed the bill Wednesday, the House overrode the veto, but since the bill was somehow missing the trade title, the whole process must be redone, starting with Congress voting on the conference report. This means the bill’s official passage will be pushed back to June since the Memorial Day recess starts Friday for Congress.
It is with great sadness and tremendously heavy hearts we report of the passing of Lee V. McCoy, known to many of his legions of friends and colleagues as the “RealMcCoy”. Lee lost his battle with cancer early morning Thursday May 22 in a Georgia hospital, admitted the Monday before in a bout with pneumonia.
Please find details regarding Lee’s memorial services at the end of this news post.
For nearly a decade until making a move into a new career opportunity last year, Lee was a regional representative of this radio network. He travelled the region and nation, and occassionally overseas, newsgathering and representing the network from his home location Read the rest of this entry »
The House this afternoon voted 316-108 to override the president’s veto of the bill and the Senate is expected to follow suit tomorrow. The Senate originally passed the bill by an overwhelming margin of 81 to 15. President Bush did veto the farm bill approved by Congress last week, but after an hour of debate, House members voted to override that veto. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the override vote in the Senate will take place Thursday.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 -For Immediate Release: (WASHINGTON, D.C.) U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Ranking Republican Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, today released the following statement after President Bush vetoed the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, which passed in the Senate last week by a vote of 81-15: Read the rest of this entry »
Even though the president is unhappy with the overall farm bill package passed by Congress, there are a few provisions the administration is happy with - and one is the conservation title which includes new funding and improvements in programs such as EQIP and CSP.
The president still intends to veto the Farm Bill when it arrives on his desk this week, according to deputy agriculture secretary Chuck Conner who explains some of the reasons why.
Today Tyron Spearman updates us about funds needed to actually implement the farm bill and also on how certain Senators are working on an energy plan to be discussed more after the summer break. Listen to report here: 
Georgia Congressman Sanford Bishop provided an update on the new farm bill to peanut growers meeting in Panama City Florida last week.
Alabama Congressman Terry Everett is retiring after serving eight terms in the US House of Representatives. He talked about the new farm bill and challenges facing agriculture last week at the Southern Peanut Growers Conference.
Advanced Direct Payments now available. This announcement made by U. S. Secretary of Agriculture Schafer. USDA’s Farm Service Agency distributes direct payments for the Commodity Credit Corporation. For more 
information on DCP, visit your local USDA Service Center or 
Most producers are still trying to figure out exactly what is included in the new 2008 Farm Bill. Cotton grower Ronnie Lee of Broadwood, who attended one of the recent Farm Bill meetings sponsored by the National Cotton Council and the Georgia Cotton Commission, says he thinks it was as good a bill as could be expected.
Twenty-nine Suwannee River Basin farmers and ranchers were recognized for their outstanding natural resource stewardship during the 8th Annual CARES dinner held on the Dwight Stansel farm this week. Representatives from USDA in Washington DC and USDA-NRCS in Florida were on hand to celebrate the event.
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service chief Arlen Lancaster talks about implementation of the conservation title of the new Farm Bill.
The National Cotton Council vice president of producer affairs Craig Brown has been attending meetings in the cotton belt to educate producers about what is in the new farm bill. 
The vote-veto-vote-veto-vote tango of the 2008 Farm Bill finally came to an end last week and now USDA can get down to the business of full implementation.
The conservation title in the new farm bill offers some new and expanded programs for farmers, including increased funding for EQIP, expansion of the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program and a new, improved and renamed Conservation Stewardship program, formally the Conservation Security Program.
There has been a lot said in recent days about how “fat” the recent Farm Bill is that finally got through Congress. The fact is, as central Florida Congressman Adam Putnam explains in this report, regardless of what you may hear about the recently passed Farm Bill, the fact is the vast majority of the funding involved in the bill is for things that are not “farm” related at all. 
It is with great sadness and tremendously heavy hearts we report of the passing of Lee V. McCoy, known to many of his legions of friends and colleagues as the “RealMcCoy”. Lee lost his battle with cancer early morning Thursday May 22 in a Georgia hospital, admitted the Monday before in a bout with pneumonia. 
