While drought conditions are keeping some growers out of the fields, growers in other parts of the country have made progress on this year’s planting. USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey provides an update on corn planting so far this season. “Getting into the state numbers, Tennessee is showing some remarkable progress again this week. 64 percent of the corn acreage planted, …
NCBA’s Take On New World Screwworm Revised Playbook Release
Now that the USDA has released the revised New World Screwworm Playbook (.pdf), we caught up with Sigrid Johannes with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association to get their impressions of the playbook. “We’re extremely encouraged, frankly, by this second draft and this second round of documents we’ve seen out from USDA. I think when the first draft of the playbook and …
Alabama Cattlemen’s Association Leadership Heading to DC
The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association is headed to Washington DC this week to engage with legislators on Captiol Hill and we caught up with Erin Beasley with the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association to learn more. Beasley said, “Excited to take our officer team this week back to the Hill. We’re going for our annual fly-in with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, so we’ll be …
Florida Beef Council Shares Beef’s Value at Dieticians Symposium
The Florida Beef Council shared the value of beef with dieticians at a recent event. We caught up with Jamie Lee McIntyre Registered Dietician Nutritionist who presented on behalf of the Florida Beef Council at the event to learn more. McIntyre said, “We spoke at the Florida Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual symposium to about 200 to 250 dietitians in …
Georgia Beef Board Highlighting May as Georgia’s Beef Month
The Georgia Beef Board is gearing up for next month as May is Georgia’s Beef Month. We caught up with Wyatt Doolittle with the Georgia Beef Board to learn more. Doolittle said, “ It’s a great time to celebrate the hardworking farm families who raise high quality beef across our state. From the mountains of North Georgia to the farms and ranches …
USDA Breaks Ground on Domestic Sterile Fly Production Facility
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers, held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new domestic sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas last week. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Lieutenant General William H. Butch Graham, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commanding General led the ground breaking as part …
UGA Extension Cotton Agronomist: Cover Crops Need to be Dead
By Clint Thompson Cover crops have served their purpose. Cotton growers, who are on the verge of planting their crop this year, need to go ahead and kill their cover crops to preserve what moisture remains in the soils. That’s the message shared by the Georgia Cotton Commission and Camp Hand, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension cotton agronomist, amid worsening …
Patience is a Virtue: Dryland Peanut Producers Should Delay Plantings Until Rainfall
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s dryland peanut growers need to delay any plantings they might be planning, at least until much-needed rainfall is felt across the Southeast region. That’s the message that the Georgia Peanut Commission and Scott Monfort, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension peanut agronomist, are stressing to growers amid the current drought, which shows exceptional conditions spreading across South …
USDA Creates Office of Seafood
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the creation of the new USDA Office of Seafood, providing access to USDA programs for American seafood producers, cultivators and processors. Secretary Rollins said, “President Trump is the first President to recognize fisherman for the essential work they do to sustain our food supply. With the launch of the USDA Office of Seafood, …
USDA Announces New USDA National Proving Grounds Network
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced the creation of a National Proving Grounds Network for AgTech to help evaluate ag technology under real-world ranching and farming conditions. The initiative was designed to test and validate tools, existing and emerging, to provide farmers and ranchers with insights when choosing technology for their operations. Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics …










