(UF/IFAS) — Chew on this the next time you eat a blueberry: Every single blueberry is the result of a flower that was pollinated by a bee. In other words: no buzz, no berry. With that in mind, it’s no wonder blueberry growers bring in hives of honey bees or bumble bees when their blueberry bushes are in flower. “We …
RFA Thanks President-Elect Biden, Congratulates Vilsack on USDA Nomination
(RFA) — President-elect Joe Biden nominated Tom Vilsack to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The following is a statement from Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Tom Vilsack is an excellent choice to serve in this role. During his last term as secretary, he has shown clearly and continually that he can work effectively with …
EU Announces Tariffs on U. S. Peanuts and Other Products
Just as the pandemc has spiked a second time, the European Union (EU) has imposed a 25 percent tariff on U.S. peanuts and other products. Tyron Spearman reports the market is trying to figure out how to get around the tariffs. Listen to Tyron’s report. There are hopes that this will sometime in January. The tariffs went into effect on …
USDA Updates Cotton Production Estimates
USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released its December crop reports today. Becky Sommer with NASS in Washington D.C. says the U.S. cotton production estimate is still down 20% from last year’s crop. All cotton production is forecast at 15.9 million 480-pound bales, down 7% from the previous forecast, and down 20% from 2019. All cotton planted totaled 12.1 million acres, unchanged from the previous …
Pondering adding passion fruit to your edible home landscape? UF/IFAS offers tips
(UF/IFAS) — Got a passion for fruit? Perhaps you have been pondering the mystery of the passion fruit tree? If it is on your must-try list to add to your edible home landscape, then you are in luck. Extension agents and faculty at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have just released Passion Fruit Problems in …
New Report Assesses Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviors
The “State of the Consumer” Report Highlights Opportunities, Impact of COVID-19 on Beef Demand (NCBA) — The number of consumers who say they intend to eat beef at least weekly increased from 67 percent to 72 percent compared to 2019, and consumer positive perceptions of beef reached 70 percent for the first time,[1] according to a new report released by the …
NPPC Supports Vilsack Nomination to Head USDA
(NPPC) — President-Elect Joe Biden today nominated Tom Vilsack to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), an agency he led for eight years under the Obama administration. The following statement may be attributed to National Pork Producers Council President Howard “AV” Roth, a hog farmer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin. “We congratulate Tom Vilsack on his nomination. …
Cattlemen’s Beef Board: Change for Change’s Sake
(CBB) — You don’t have to look too hard to find history’s repeating patterns and, as in the past, the call for change is in the air. Even within the beef industry, there’s a movement urging producers to throw off traditional institutions, like the Beef Checkoff, simply because it’s “too old” or they weren’t alive when it was established. It’s …
Backroom Briefing: Simpson Not a Fan of Reservoir
(NSF) — Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-FL/District 10) said he wasn’t sold on a $1.6 billion reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee when he voted in 2017 for the project, which was a priority of then-President Joe Negron, R-Stuart. And with the coronavirus pandemic punching a $3 billion to $4 billion hole in the state budget for next fiscal year, Simpson …
Ranchers Ready To Work With Tom Vilsack As USDA Secretary
(PLC) — The Public Lands Council (PLC) released the following statement in response to the expected nomination of Tom Vilsack as the next U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary: “Livestock producers have a long history of working with Former Secretary Vilsack at the Department of Agriculture. Few have the breadth and depth of experience he has in facing issues confronting multiple …