Study Sheds Light on Major Disease in Roses

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Beltsville, Maryland and their colleagues have discovered why a mite is causing extensive damages to the nation’s $250-million-a-year rose industry and why it’s so hard to detect and control. It seems the mite hides deep in the flower’s internal organs. The rose bud mite (Phyllocoptes fructiphilus) is about half the size of a grain of …

Preparing for Southern Peanut Growers Conference

Registration is underway for the annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference, July 18-20, at the Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort in Panama City, Florida. Tyron Spearman has more details. 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 …

Rubio, Colleagues Raise Concerns Regarding Lack of Effective Trade Enforcement for Seasonal Produce in USMCA

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), and Al Lawson (D-FL) led a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives in a letter raising concerns to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer regarding the lack of progress in the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) with respect to improved mechanisms to initiate and sustain legitimate anti-dumping and countervailing …

Ag Economy Barometer Drifts Lower

Farmers are expressing more concerns regarding the future as the monthly Ag Economy Barometer drifts lower. Released this week, the March survey fell to 133 down from 136 a month earlier. Organizers say increasing concerns about future economic conditions drove the barometer lower as the Index of Future Expectations declined to 139 in March compared to an index value of …

Report Details Risks of U.S. Hemp Industry

The U.S. hemp industry is poised for growth, but there are serious financial, regulatory and agronomic risks that farmers must understand. A report by Rabo AgriFinance says the market is “highly fragmented,” and there is no reliable source for pricing and production data. The report notes that the 2018 Farm Bill set off a process to completely overhaul hemp industry …

Cotton Industry Hopeful About China Trade Talks

The National Cotton Council (NCC) recently joined with more than 40 other agricultural organizations in writing a letter to President Trump regarding the current trade situation with China. Reece Langley, NCC vice president of Washington Operations, is hopeful the current United States-China talks will restore normal trade relations. Last week, President Trump said trade talks with China “are rounding the turn” …

Pork Producers to Lobby Congress

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) will host its spring Legislative Action Conference in Washington, D.C. April 10-11. The biannual fly-in brings in more than 100 pork producers from around the country to meet with members of Congress to discuss issues of importance to the U.S. pork industry. At the top of the list this year is the importance of maintaining and …

New Georgia Cattlemen’s EVP on Convention

Today is the final day of the 2019 Georgia Cattlemen’s Association Convention and Trade Show and Beef Expo at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry. After moving from Hawaii and starting his new job this week, GCA Executive Vice President Dale Sandlin told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman, things are going great with the convention. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, …