The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $5 million of investments in customer service projects to improve and modernize application processing in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The USDA Process and Technology Improvement Grants (PTIG) awarded to the District of Columbia and state and county agencies in Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina, New Mexico, and New York aim to: Make the …
Signup Batching Deadline Announced for Alabama’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Landscape Initiatives
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist for Alabama Ben Malone announced that October 19, 2018 is the signup batching date for producers for 2019 program funding for the following national landscape initiatives: Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) which includes only 3 national landscape initiatives identified below. These include: Gopher Tortoise Habitat Improvement: includes forestry practices and prescribed burning for pre-commercial thinning. …
Scott Seeks Red Tide Research, Draws Criticism
Gov. Rick Scott wants state wildlife commissioners to seek funding for a red-tide research center and to restart a long-dormant task force, as waters along Florida’s Gulf Coast continue to face an expanding red-tide outbreak that began last year. Environmentalists said Scott’s latest proposals won’t cure the ongoing problems and criticized the funding proposal as a campaign stunt. In a …
USDA Secretary Working to Empower Local School Leaders and Improve the School Meal Programs
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue hosted a roundtable with local school officials to learn more about how USDA can best assist and enable their efforts to serve nutritious meals to our nation’s children. The meeting was part of the Secretary’s ongoing efforts to explore reforms that will make school meals more appealing by giving control back to local school food professionals …
Canada Farmers Say Dairy Not a Bargaining Chip in Negotiations
Talks between Canada and the U.S. regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement are intensifying in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg says Canadian dairy farmers recently told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to use access to the protected Canadian dairy market as a bargaining chip. The Dairy Farmers of Canada says it’s already lost $193 million because of past trade agreements and …
Beef Alliance Discusses Trade Issues
The International Beef Alliance held their annual meeting in Calgary, Alberta, Canada this week. One person attending was National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Director of International Trade and Market Access, Kent Bacus. He talks about one topic of discussion, President Trump’s trade policies and the use of tariffs. Beef Alliance Discusses Trade Issues Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL …
University of Florida Working on Egyptian Wheat Production
By Breanna Kendrick The University of Florida is developing simulation software that calculates crop growth to estimate yields for different crops in varying environments. These modeling tools can be run on computers quickly and can calculate how a yield might change in future climates. Senthold Asseng is a professor at the University of Florida who develops mathematical modeling and computer …
U.S. Cotton Exports and Demand Still Good
While the trade war with China continues, some wonder how it is affecting U.S. cotton exports to that country. Dr. Jody Campiche, Vice President of Economics and Policy Analysis for the National Cotton Council (NCC), looks at exports for U.S. cotton and notes what impacts the tariffs have had on demand. U.S. Cotton Exports and Demand Still Good Sponsored ContentCIR …
Livestock Losses Mounting after Florence
Recovery is underway in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence. The number of livestock lost to flooding is climbing in the aftermath. The North Carolina Ag Department says 5,500 hogs and 3.4 million poultry were lost due to the hurricane. In addition to damage on farms around the area, other reports included wind damage to hog farms, as well as substantial …
U.S. – India Closing In On Trade Agreement
India and the United States are currently in negotiations on a trade package. Reuters says Washington and New Delhi are looking to remove some long-standing disagreements between the two countries that would strengthen ties. Initial reports say it looks like Indian farmers and U.S. medical device manufacturers could be some of the early winners in the deal. The two countries …