Eating healthy and having fun. Today Everett Griner tells us just what we have to do to.
U.S. and Canada have reached a first-of-its-kind agreement that will expand market opportunities for organic producers.
In this report, USDA Radio’s Gary Crawford (photo) talks with Meteorologist Brad Rippey about the potential for an El Nino weather pattern to develop, and if it does, what the impacts on various areas of the U S may be.
In these two reports we look at Tomatoes and two separate issues that are currently affecting them.
USDA’s first cotton supply and demand estimate for the new crop year has an increase season ending average price. However, there is still some question in how this will all play out in export opportunities for the US.
Who is safe from recession? Everett Griner explains.
LEON, MEXICO - During a recent trade mission to Mexico in conjunction with former President Vicente Fox, Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks focused on helping Alabama manufacturing and service companies gain access to Mexican markets.
The cotton program will be receiving additional attention with the conclusion of the arbitration phase of the Brazil-U.S. dispute in the World Trade Organization expected in 4 to 6 weeks. Gary Adams, Vice-President of Economics and Policy Analysis for the National Cotton Council says the U.S. cotton industry believes that Brazil’s damage claims are overstated in its WTO challenge of the U.S. Export Credit Guarantee (GSM) program and certain aspects of the U.S. cotton program.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has been busy filling out the USDA staff with recent appointments including both Burnham John “Bud” Philbrook and Michael Scuse as USDA’s Deputy Under Secretaries for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services.
Everett Griner looks at COOL.
What is this? Everett Griner tells us just how good it used to be and still is.
Today Everett Griner gives us some statistics on just what is really affected by the recession.
Why do we still have children going to bed hungry? Everett Griner has some outlook on this today.
What caused the food prices to go up as much as they did? Everett Griner tells us what the experts are saying.
What segment of American Industry is suffering the least from this economy? Everett Griner has looked into this and tells us just what it is.
This comes to us from Florida Cattlemens’ Association members Jim and Renee Strickland who want to get the word out quickly about this show. To FCA Allied members they write: Dear Allied members;
March 20-22nd will be the 2nd annual Miami International Agriculture and Cattle Show at Tropical Park in Miami. This show is aimed not only at Florida cattle producers, nursery and plant enthusiasts and the general public, but especially aimed to attract an international audience. Your sales target will be an international buyer. Read the rest of this entry »
This release in this week from USDA in Washington DC:
New Methods Development Laboratory Planned for South Miami, Fla.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2009–The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) plans to open a new Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) and Port Technology Methods Development Laboratory in South Miami, Fla., later this year. Scientists at this new facility will work to develop and validate state-of-the art commodity treatments and port inspection technologies used by APHIS and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to ensure that agriculture imports are free of invasive species. Read the rest of this entry »
In this report, comments from the Director General of the World Trade Organization about the status of the long-stalled agriculture trade talks in the present Doha Round. It appears there will be no further attempts this year to get the stalled talks going again.
WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov 24, 2008 - (USDA) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer made the following statement regarding today’s fourth quarter farm financial forecast published by USDA’s Economic Research Service.
“America’s agriculture continues a positive growth - a fifth straight year of record crop receipts, historically sound farm asset balance, and the third-highest net cash income over the last 33 years. Farmers remain prudent in their borrowing amid increased costs for seed, fuel and fertilizer. Livestock receipts of the past two years are up although producers are managing the increased costs to their operations. Producers’ total expenses are expected to increase nearly 16 percent this year. The marketplace, not the government, has provided the source of income, with crop supports falling from $11 billion to $810 million in three years.”
In this report, Ernie Neff explains some changes in the rules affecting growers & shippers seeking to ship fruit to the European Union. Florida Citrus Packers Association was instrumental in seeking and obtaining these changes to clarify some of the barrier issues in the rules.
Trade issues could be used on the federal level to help jump start the economy, which could be a concern for Florida specialty crop producers, according to Pat Cockrell with the Florida Farm Bureau.
Florida Farm Bureau’s John Hoblick was recently re-elected to his second two-year term as president of the state’s largest general farm organization. In his position Hoblick has opportunities to meet frequently 
with other agriculture leaders across the state and nation, and to participate in targeted travel and learning opportunities in dealing with the many issues affecting the state’s agriculture industries. In these comments, Hoblick shares some insight from recent meetings overseas that focused on progress, or the lack of it lately, in World Trade Organization negotiations.
We told you late last week that U.S. beef was once again set to start flowing back into South Korea, but that has changed again after events which transpired over the weekend. And those events caused cattle futures to drop today. 
Report (:35 mp3)
President Bush was joined by members of congress and the administration at the White House Friday to celebrate World Trade Week and the importance of exports for American agriculture.
Report (1:00 mp3)
President Bush talks about how FTA’s with Columbia, South Korea and Panama would help specialty crops.
Report 2 (1:00 mp3)
President Bush talks about how FTAs with Columbia, South Korea and Panama would help dairy products.
Report 3 (1:00 mp3)
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)
Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer today announced the appointment of members to the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade, including Mike Stuart with the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association.
Report (1:00 mp3)
The Bush administration is urging Congress to ratify the Colombia Free Trade Agreement that was negotiated in 2006. USDA officials say it would be good for agriculture - including grains, meat, cotton, peanuts and specialty crops.
Report (1:00 mp3)
Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture Ron Sparks recently returned from the Eastern European Country of Ukraine. Commissioner Sparks led the first American trade mission to participate in a food based trade show in Ukraine. The trade mission included three Alabama poultry related companies and the trade show component showcased six Alabama food product companies and four additional Southern based food product companies.
Report (1:00 mp3)
At the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum, last week, Undersecretary Mark Keenum announced that US agricultural exports are now expected to hit another record with growth of nearly 20 percent compared to last year.
High-value product exports such as fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, combined with animal products are forecast to rise a combined $3.5 billion in 2008 to record levels.
Report (1:00 mp3)
