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 »
Just before Fay hit south Florida this week, US Sugar Corp announced they were on track to set new production records by the end of August.
Listen to report here:
After Tropical Storm Fay hit, US Sugar reported that sugarcane operations were affected with 8-12 inches of rain and hurricane force winds of 80-85 mph. They have standing water and most cane stalks were blown over and tangled. However, officials say the Clewiston Refinery, which had shut down as the storm approached, started back up Tuesday and is still on pace to break several production records. There was no damage reported to the milling and refining complex.
USDA Undersecretary Mark Keenum this week announced a change in the tariff rate quota for sugar, due to a variety of factors, including the February explosion of a refining plant in Savannah, Georgia.
As we celebrate our country’s independence this weekend, many in the agriculture industry are continuing to push towards energy independence with the help of biofuels like soy biodiesel.
This news post taken from an American Sugar Alliance communique this week noting that Dalton Yancey is moving back to Florida to retire after years of service to the sugar industry in Washington D. C. Some of us have known Dalton simply as “D-Y” since way back when he represented the Florida Sugar Cane League. AgNet hats are off to Dalton Yancey and his wife Barbie as they return to the Sunshine State to enjoy their retirement years! Now, here’s the story published this week by the American Sugar Alliance: Read the rest of this entry »
Florida Governor Charlie Crist called the deal announced this week to buy US Sugar the missing link to providing true restoration of the Everglades. Meanwhile, US Sugar president Robert Buker says the sugar industry will remain strong.
In this post find more details, this from the Water Management District, about their intended purchase of one of Florida’s largest agriculture operations. Also, THIS PDF DOCUMENT (pdf file)provided by the Water Management District goes into more details about the purchase too. Hard to believe they were able to keep this so quiet until just hours before the final announcement!
QUESTIONS and ANSWERS
June 2008 - What is being announced?
A proposed real estate transaction of historic proportions between the South Florida
Water Management District and United States Sugar Corporation to bring up to 187,000
acres of agricultural land into public ownership to help revive, restore and preserve
America’s Everglades. The two parties signed a “Statement of Principles,” which
provides the necessary framework to move forward with negotiating a final purchase
agreement. Read the rest of this entry »
This in this morning from U S Sugar Corp. regarding the pending purchase plans of South Florida Water Management District to buy the company’s landholdings:
CLEWISTON — June 24, 2008 — The proposal announced by Governor Crist is the right thing for the State of Florida and appears to be at a fair price for our shareholders. It will preserve 187,000 acres of land (292 square miles or three times the size of the city of Orlando) located in environmentally strategic areas that will help resolve restoration issues for Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie estuaries and the Everglades. Sufficient land also will be available for critical water storage and treatment. This acquisition should allow remaining Everglades Agricultural Area farmers and the Everglades to be sustainable. Read the rest of this entry »
News is swirling early this week about a pending announcement that South Florida Water Management District plans to buy one of the largest agricultural operations in the state. Formal announcements are expected Tuesday about the pending purchase of U. S. Sugar Corporation, but already there is concern growing among masses of folks and local businesses in the region, for obvious reasons. Some are asking questions about the source of the money for the purchase at a time of such economic uncertainty, approximately 1.2-plus billion dollars. Others want to know what may become of the towns and jobs that could be so severely impacted. And already we’ve gotten other calls pondering what may have precipitated the purchase plan to begin with. Some even believe it’s a step toward a water management district plan to rid south Florida of agriculture in the future. This will be an interesting story to watch develop.
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 »
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 »
All over the nation, the pros and cons of the recently passed compromise version of the Farm Bill are being debated. In the first report posted herein, USDA Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner (photo left) explains some of the factors in the Bill that the administration feels will cause trouble for specialty crop producers down the road. In the second report, Florida Congressman Adam Putnam (photo right) discusses possible WTO concerns with the bill and why he still feels the bill is good for citrus and other U. S. specialty crop producers. Report (1:30 mp3) Report (1:30 mp3)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida’s quest to develop cost-effective methods of producing fuel ethanol from biomass received a $1 million boost this month, with a grant package for research aimed at increasing the amount of fermentable sugar obtained from sugarcane stalks and leaves. Read the rest of this entry »
It is a growing reality that major cuts to IFAS will impact far more than just agriculture industries in Florida. In these reports, comments from Florida Pest Control President/CEO Dempsey “D.R.” Sapp Jr, who is in Tallahassee this week as part of a Florida Pest Management Association member delegation.
Speaking of industry events in the state Capitol, Florida Cattlemen’s Association members are arriving in Tallahassee early this week for several days of legislative visits, and next week is Florida Farm Bureau’s huge legislative reception Tuesday March 18th at the Civic Center located a couple blocks behind the state Capitol. More information on the Farm Bureau activities can be found through your nearest county Farm Bureau office. Report (1:00 mp3) Report (1:00 mp3)
This report is a brief interview with Senator J D Alexander from Polk County who chairs the Ag Committee in the Florida Senate. Speaking with us moments after Thursday’s Ag Committee meeting in the state Capitol, he says it will be an important Session for agriculture and that producers need to get involved in the process. Report (1:55 mp3)
In these reports, comments from commodities trader Roger Corrado at I C E Futures U S in New York. He says it’s a historic but sad time as the open outcry system for trading futures contracts is silenced. In the third report posted below, some interesting reflections about how Corrado and others got a start in the business. Report (2:00 mp3) Report (2:00 mp3) Report (2:00 mp3)
The following workshops have been scheduled in South Florida concerning the Water Restrictions from the South Florida Water Management District. Irrigation Restrictions: Production Implications” workshops (pdf file) are scheduled as follows: March 5th – Palm Beach County Extension, University of Florida/IFAS, 559 North Military Trail, West Palm Beach; 4:00pm – 6:00pm.
March 18th – Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, 2686 SR 29 N, Immokalee; 4:00pm – 6:00pm.
March 25th – Miami Dade County Extension, 18710 SW 288 Street, Homestead;
1:30pm – 3:30pm.
In these reports, Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney says south and central Florida could lead the cellulosic ethanol industry and that the federal goverenment is making serious investments to help spur the industry forward. Report (2:00 mp3) Report (2:00 mp3)
Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney discussed several issues with Highlands County citrus growers at their recent banquet. Southeast AgNet’s Ernie Neff reports on the event, and catches up with Mahoney for comments to share with our listeners. Report (2:00 mp3) Report (2:00 mp3)
Catching up with Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Bronson at this week’s Florida Ag Hall of Fame festivities in Tampa, he talks to our audience about the looming budget battle in the upcoming Legislature, and how producers themselves must become more directly involved in telling the story of the industry. Report (2:40 mp3)
Making a strong statement that the Florida agriculture industry is far from waning, well over a thousand producers and ag industry leaders joined Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Bronson for fellowship and dinner while honoring this year’s four inductees into the industry’s most exclusive club of pioneers. This year’s honors went to (l to r) “Pete” Clemons, Okeechobee; Hugh English, LaBelle; Fritz Stein Jr, Belle Glade & Dr Alto Straughn, Waldo. Each of this year’s winners were accompanied to the event by dozens of their own local supporters, and hundreds of producers and industry leaders made it a night as well. Southeast AgNet hats are off to these exceptional people who have had so much impact on an industry that is so important to all of us, economically and otherwise. Learn more about the winners Read the rest of this entry »
The Bush administration has taken a look at proposals to manage or restrict sugar or sweetener trade under the North American Free Trade Agreement that have been presented by U.S. and Mexican sugar producers and decided to oppose them.
LAKELAND, Fla. (February 6, 2008) – Florida Citrus Mutual commended the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wednesday for proposing changes to the H-2A agricultural guest worker program. Read the rest of this entry »
Regardless of what you may have been told about comments he “reportedly made…” you can now hear in the report below, in his own words, what University of Florida President Bernie Machen thinks of the Florida agriculture industry and the budget crisis facing the University and the State of Florida as a whole. Speaking to us here at Southeast AgNet moments ago in an effort to reach Florida agriculture directly, Machen wants to set the record straight about comments attributed to him that he says he never made. Machen also wants agriculture to understand the severe budget challenges facing the University of Florida and other state institutions going into this year’s legislative session. UF Pres Bernie Machen Interview (4:42 mp3)
New Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer says he’s willing to listen to a proposal being floated by US and Mexican sugar producers that would put some controls back on sugar and corn syrup trade between the two countries, controls that were lifted this year as the last part of the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.
We’ve been contacted by several farm groups and industry leaders who are urging farmers to contact University of Florida’s President and the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives to say “no” to disproportionate cuts to the IFAS budget.
Dade County Farm Bureau writes, “It seems that some people want to believe that agriculture in Florida is a dying industry. At the very least, some of our lawmakers want to use that as a reason for proposing drastic cuts to the IFAS budget.
In this report, comments from Acting U S Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner late last week, about the talk in some circles about the Farm Bill reverting to ‘permanent law’ should differences in House and Senate versions not get worked out. Report (2:00 mp3) Hear the entire Conner interview in a previous post to this website. BY THE WAY, BREAKING NEWS…Today the U S Senate voted unanimously to approve former North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer as the new Secretary of Agriculture.
This post sponsored by:
In these two reports, excerpts from an exclusive interview with Acting U S Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner during his quick visit to Florida this week. Conner explains concerns he says are holding up Farm Bill progress in Congress. Hear the entire Conner interview in a previous post to this website. Report (1:00 mp3) Report (1:00 mp3)
FEBRUARY 4TH IS THE DEADLINE - HAVE YOU RETURNED YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE YET?
Acting U S Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner is traveling heavily these days all over the nation, making talks and engaging agriculture folks in discussions about Farm Bill negotiations that seem logjammed in Congress. In Florida this week to talk citrus issues, and to meet with a national gathering of farm cooperatives going on in Orlando, we appreciate being given exclusive access to Conner for the phone interview posted in this report. All specialty crop producers should listen closely to Conner’s concerns about the Farm Bill. Report (9:00 mp3)
FEBRUARY 4TH IS THE DEADLINE - HAVE YOU RETURNED YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE YET?
Just before Fay hit south Florida this week, US Sugar Corp announced they were on track to set new production records by the end of August.
USDA Undersecretary Mark Keenum this week announced a change in the tariff rate quota for sugar, due to a variety of factors, including the February explosion of a refining plant in Savannah, Georgia.
As we celebrate our country’s independence this weekend, many in the agriculture industry are continuing to push towards energy independence with the help of biofuels like soy biodiesel. 
This news post taken from an American Sugar Alliance communique this week noting that Dalton Yancey is moving back to Florida to retire after years of service to the sugar industry in Washington D. C. Some of us have known Dalton simply as “D-Y” since way back when he represented the Florida Sugar Cane League. AgNet hats are off to Dalton Yancey and his wife Barbie as they return to the Sunshine State to enjoy their retirement years! Now, here’s the story published this week by the American Sugar Alliance: 
Florida Governor Charlie Crist called the deal announced this week to buy US Sugar the missing link to providing true restoration of the Everglades. Meanwhile, US Sugar president Robert Buker says the sugar industry will remain strong.
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. 
All over the nation, the pros and cons of the recently passed compromise version of the Farm Bill are being debated. 
In the first report posted herein, USDA Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner (photo left) explains some of the factors in the Bill that the administration feels will cause trouble for specialty crop producers down the road. In the second report, Florida Congressman Adam Putnam (photo right) discusses possible WTO concerns with the bill and why he still feels the bill is good for citrus and other U. S. specialty crop producers.
The 
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida’s quest to develop cost-
effective methods of producing fuel ethanol from biomass received a $1 million boost this month, with a grant package for research aimed at increasing the amount of fermentable sugar obtained from sugarcane stalks and leaves. 
It is a growing reality that major cuts to IFAS will impact far more than just agriculture industries in Florida. In these reports, comments from Florida Pest Control President/CEO Dempsey “D.R.” Sapp Jr, who is in Tallahassee this week as part of a Florida Pest Management Association member delegation.
This report is a brief interview with Senator J D Alexander from Polk County who chairs the Ag Committee in the Florida Senate. Speaking with us moments after Thursday’s Ag Committee meeting in the state Capitol, he says it will be an important Session for agriculture and that producers need to get involved in the process. 
In these reports, comments from commodities trader Roger Corrado at I C E Futures U S in New York. He says it’s a historic but sad time as the open outcry system for trading futures contracts is silenced. In the third report posted below, some interesting reflections about how Corrado and others got a start in the business.
In these reports, Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney says south and central Florida could lead the cellulosic ethanol industry and that the federal goverenment is making serious investments to help spur the industry forward. 
Catching up with Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Bronson at this week’s Florida Ag Hall of Fame festivities 
Making a strong statement that the Florida agriculture industry is far from waning, well over a thousand producers and ag industry leaders joined Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Bronson for fellowship and dinner while honoring this year’s four inductees into the industry’s most exclusive club of pioneers. This year’s honors went to (l to r) “Pete” Clemons, Okeechobee; Hugh English, LaBelle; Fritz Stein Jr, Belle Glade & Dr Alto Straughn, Waldo.
Each of this year’s winners were accompanied to the event by dozens of their own local supporters, and hundreds of producers and industry leaders made it a night as well. Southeast AgNet hats are off to these exceptional people who have had so much impact on an industry that is so important to all of us, economically and otherwise. Learn more about the winners 
Regardless of what you may have been told about comments he “reportedly made…” you can now hear in the report below, in his own words, what University of Florida President Bernie Machen thinks of the Florida agriculture industry and the budget crisis facing the University and the State of Florida as a whole. Speaking to us here at Southeast AgNet moments ago in an effort to reach Florida agriculture directly, Machen wants to set the record straight about comments attributed to him that he says he never made. Machen also wants agriculture to understand the severe budget challenges facing the University of Florida and other state institutions going into this year’s legislative session.
New Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer says he’s willing to listen to a proposal being floated by US and Mexican sugar producers that would put some controls back on sugar and corn syrup trade between the two countries, controls that were lifted this year as the last part of the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.
