Very few think about the damage fire can do, until it happens. Cathy Isom has some helpful tips about how to make your landscape a fire fuel-free zone. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Fires require fuel to burn. If you’ve ever tried to start a fire with uncured or unseasoned wood without an accelerant, then you know …
New Rules Aimed at Protecting Tomato Crops
(NSF) — New federal inspection rules go into place Friday on tomatoes and peppers, a month after Florida agricultural officials expressed concern that a virus had been found in tomatoes imported from Mexico. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that tomatoes and pepper fruit from Mexico, Israel and the Netherlands must be inspected for tomato brown rugose fruit virus, …
Georgia Pecans Enter Taiwanese Markets
GDA Expands Trade Efforts (GDA) — More than 51,000 pounds of Georgia pecans are headed to Taiwan and are expected to enter retail stores by mid-December. The pecan export purchased from a grower in Ocilla, Georgia is a direct result of bilateral trade efforts between Georgia and Taiwan. During October, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black joined representatives from the Georgia Pecan Growers …
Farm Bureau Calls for Improvements to Ag Labor Bill
(AFBF) — The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Legislation advanced by the House Judiciary Committee falls short of a long-term solution to farm labor shortages, which constitute one of the most significant barriers to farm success in several regions of the country. “Before the bill was introduced, modifications were made in response …
Peanut Yield Forecast Raised
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently raised its 2019/20 forecast of the U.S. peanut yield. According to Tyron Spearman, the new numbers rank second only to the record 2012/13 yield. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics Offers Growers Targeted Application of Herbicides or Beneficials through SharpShooter™June 16, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement …
Georgia Cotton Commission Preparing for Annual Meeting
Each year, research efforts are a big part of the Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC) annual budget. And GCC Executive Director, Richey Seaton, said the goal of producer-funded research is to help cotton producers’ bottom lines. More information about these research efforts will be discussed during the GCC Annual Meeting and University of Georgia Cotton Production Workshop, January 29, 2020 in Tifton. Seaton said this will …
How Farm Credit Associations Treat Hemp Farm Loans
In late October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they were establishing the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program, which basically creates a consistent regulatory framework around hemp production throughout the U.S. So with efforts underway to get this established, some wonder how farm credit associations will treat farm loans for hemp. Chairman/CEO of the Farm Credit Administration, Glen Smith, recently told …
Application Deadline for RCPP is December 3
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) reminds potential partners the application deadline for the updated Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) is December 3, 2019. Potential partners are encouraged to submit proposals that will improve water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability. RCPP eligible partners include private industry, non-government organizations, Indian tribes, state and local governments, …
Amazing Creatures in Longleaf Pine Flatwoods and Sandhills
A wide diversity of remarkable animals calls longleaf pine flatwoods and sandhills habitats home. And USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) invites landowners to discover species special to naturalist Dirk Stevenson, who has spent much of his life in the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States wading swamps and exploring pine landscapes in his field studies of imperiled and declining amphibians, …
Things You Can Repurpose as Planters
You don’t have a lot of space to grow your vegetables. Not a problem. Cathy Isom has some fantastic suggestions about some things you can repurpose as planters. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Depending on where you live and how much space you have gardening is still possible with even the tiniest of spaces. Nowadays, it seems …