USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Jason Weller invites folks who have not tried their new Conservation Client Gateway to do so. It’s a secure online portal that lets individual landowners and land managers track their payments, request assistance, sign documents and request conservation assistance anytime, anywhere. Download Audio
The Science of Soil Health: Nature’s Way of Extracting Minerals from Soil
Breathtaking symbiosis… Through respiration, soil microbes provide key benefit to plants, scientist says Just when you thought soil microbes couldn’t possibly be more helpful, Dr. Will Brinton tells us they provide another, often overlooked benefit to plants. Microbes take in sugars from plant roots and respire carbon dioxide, Dr. Brinton explains, which then combines with the soil water to form …
Southeast AgNet This Week: Cotton Program; Biosecurity Principles
Today’s issue of Southeast AgNet This Week includes a report on the Cotton LEADS program as well as biosecurity principles for poultry producers. Want to learn more? Click here to subscribe and view the current issue.
National Chicken Council Identifies Biosecurity Principles
From the National Chicken Council: WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 25, 2015 – In preparation for the potential re-emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the fall as wild birds begin to migrate south from Canada, the National Chicken Council (NCC) has identified the top biosecurity principles for broiler and
Competition to Crown Florida’s Next Great Student Chef Begins
From the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The search for Florida’s next great student chef has begun with the start of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ “Student Chef Cook-Off.” Students in 4th through 12th grade can submit snack recipes featuring Florida-grown products for a chance to compete in the regional and state …
USDA Video: USDA Week In Review August 21
A weekly look at some of the events and activities at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In this edition of USDA Week In Review: Feeding Families with the People’s Garden, Back To School Food Safety, and the Salmon Cam! For more information go to: www.usda.gov www.fsis.usda.gov www.fs.fed.us blogs.usda.gov www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Leads Avian Influenza Planning Efforts
From the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: TALLAHASSEE, Fla.–The country has seen the West and Midwest’s poultry industry devastated by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). While not detected in the state, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam’s department has been working with partners to keep the disease at bay. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers …
It’s a Bug-Eat-Bug World Out There for Strawberry Growers
From the University of Florida/IFAS: GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A new University of Florida scientist is trying to find an insect that will eat the fly that’s damaging such fruit as strawberries and blueberries in the Sunshine State. Such a finding would be critical in Florida, where the strawberry harvest brought in $267 million in 2013, according to the
University of Florida/IFAS Researchers Earn $450,000 Grants to Study Cows
From the University of Florida/IFAS: GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Geoff Dahl wants to know why heat makes cows less prone to produce milk, even when they are not lactating. Dahl, a UF/IFAS animal sciences professor, has won a $450,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study how to reduce mammary cell growth so he and his colleagues …
USDA Designates Palm Beach County in Florida as a Primary Natural Disaster Area
From the U.S. Department of Agriculture: WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2015 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Palm Beach County in Florida as a primary natural disaster area due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought. “Our hearts go out to those Florida farmers and ranchers affected by recent natural disasters,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. …