(USDA/ARS) — A team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists is investigating a new “ingredient” for use in vaccinating cattle against Johne’s disease, a chronic wasting affliction that costs the U.S. dairy industry more than $200 million per year. The ingredient in question is a type of protein on the surface of the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), which causes Johne’s …
FFBF Sends Letter to Gov. DeSantis About Final SFWMD Board Seat
The Honorable Ron DeSantisGovernor of FloridaPlaza Level 05, The Capitol400 S. Monroe StreetTallahassee, FL 32399-0001 Dear Governor DeSantis, On behalf of Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) and our 147,000 member families, we respectfully request that you consider filling the final South Florida Water Management Governing Board seat with someone who can represent agricultures interests. Agriculture is a primary consumptive user …
Majority of U.S. Pastures are Lush and Green
Right now, more than 20-percent of the country is reporting a topsoil moisture surplus. And according to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey, most of the pastures across the county are benefiting from excessive wetness. Rippey has details on which states have surpluses or shortages of topsoil moisture. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune …
What Japan Means to U.S. Red Meat Industry
During last month’s U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Spring Conference, USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom talked about Japan, and what that country means to the U.S. red meat industry. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics Offers Growers Targeted Application …
Massive Yellow Jacket Nests Appearing
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. (ACES) — Imagine a colony of yellow jackets the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, filled with 15,000 of the stinging insects. Now, imagine more than 90 of these super nests in Alabama. It happened in 2006, and Charles Ray, an entomologist working with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said that 2019 may be shaping up to mirror …
Child Friendly Rose Varieties for Your Garden
If you have a flower garden, you have roses. Cathy Isom tells you about a few of the rose varieties that are ouch-free for your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Roses are known for both their beauty and their thorns, or prickles, that have a tendency to draw blood if we aren’t careful. Accidents and stumbles …
NPPC Thanks USDA For Implementing Farm Bill Program to Reduce Feral Swine Populations
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPPC) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was offering $75 million in funding—as part of the 2018 Farm Bill– for the eradication and control of feral swine through the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program. The pilot program is a joint effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Animal and Plant Health …
Peanut Trade Advisory Committee Appointed
Back in 1974, U.S. Congress established the advisory committee system to ensure that U.S. agricultural trade policy objectives reflect U.S. public- and private-sector commercial and economic interests. And according to a story from Tyron Spearman, a peanut trade advisory committee has been appointed. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded …
Disrupting One Gene Could Be First Step Toward Treating Honey Bee Parasite Nosema Ceranae
BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND (USDA/ARS) —Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have taken the first step towards a weapon against the major honey bee parasite Nosema ceranae. There is currently no treatment for this parasite. The scientists found that feeding honey bees a small amount of an interfering RNA compound (RNAi) could disrupt the reproduction of N. cerana by as much as 90 percent in the …
USDA Opens Signup for Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program Grants
(USDA/NRCS) The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP) was established by the 2018 Farm Bill to respond to the threat feral swine pose to agriculture, native ecosystems, and human and animal health. USDA is focusing efforts through this pilot where feral swine pose the highest threat. Program at a Glance FSCP is implemented jointly by NRCS and USDA’s Animal and Plant …