Wet ‘Dry Season’ Damaged Valuable Ornamentals

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Nursery Crops

by Brad Buck, University of Florida/IFAS Florida’s winters are usually dry, but the wet winter of 2015-2016 helped spread pathogens that destroyed ornamental plants in Miami-Dade County. That’s a problem in an area where the industry generated an estimated $998 million annually in sales in 2015, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers say.

Democrat House Member to Introduce Perdue at Hearing

Dan Industry News Release

Democrat David Scott, a U.S. Representative from Atlanta, Georgia, will introduce Sonny Perdue at his Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation hearing Thursday. The Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper reports that Perdue has tapped Scott, an old friend from when Perdue was a Democrat, to make the introduction before Perdue gives testimony to the Senate panel in hopes of boosting Perdue’s bipartisan credentials. …

Funding to Support Specialty Crop Pest Management

Dan Industry News Release, Specialty Crops

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $11 million in available funding through the Minor Crop Pest Management Program (also known as Interregional Research Project or IR-4). “The IR-4 funding allows NIFA to ensure that new, robust crop protection products are created,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “These investments will lead to improved …

USDA Announces Funding to Support Antimicrobial Resistance Research

Dan Industry News Release, Research

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $11 million in available funding for projects that mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing public health issue that affects more than 2 million people annually. Funding is made through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

Subcommittee Examines Livestock Producer Perspectives on Next Farm Bill

Dan Cattle, Farm Bill, Industry News Release, Legislative, Livestock

Rep. David Rouzer (NC-7), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, held a hearing to gather perspectives from key members of the livestock community as part of the committee’s hearing series on the next farm bill. Members of the committee heard from representatives of four major livestock producer groups who discussed the issues facing their …

Acting Agriculture Deputy Secretary Michael L. Young on National Agriculture Day

Dan Industry News Release

Acting Agriculture Deputy Secretary Michael L. Young released the following statement: “Today is National Agriculture Day, set aside to pay tribute to the farmers and ranchers of our nation.  The work of American producers and growers ensures consumers in our country have plenty of safe food and a wide variety at a cost lower than much of the world. “Through …