The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that starting Nov. 1, farmers and ranchers with base acres in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) safety net program may enroll for the 2018 crop year. The enrollment period will end on Aug. 1, 2018. “Since shares and ownership of a farm can change year-to-year, producers must enroll …
Breeding Resistant Chickens for Improved Food Safety
A new test developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in College Station, Texas, could make it easier to breed pathogen-resistant chickens. The test identifies roosters whose blood contains naturally high levels of two key chemicals, cytokine, and chemokines. These chemicals mobilize the birds’ innate immune response, according to ARS microbiologist Christi Swaggerty, in ARS’s Food and Feed Safety Research Unit. Using …
Commodity Credit Corporation Selling Peanuts
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) has announced they plan to exchange CCC-owned bulk peanuts for commercial peanut butter. Tyron Spearman has the details. The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) is a Government-owned and operated entity that was created to stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices. CCC also helps maintain balanced and adequate supplies of agricultural commodities and aids …
Georgia Student Is New FFA Southern Region Vice President
Ian Bennett from Valdosta, Georgia, was elected 2017-2018 FFA southern region vice president during the 2017 National FFA Convention & Expo held in Indianapolis. The University of Georgia student is majoring in agriscience and environmental systems – plant breeding and genetics. FFA convention broadcast intern, Thomas Shaw, talked with Ian about becoming the new southern region VP. Read more …
Scott to Seek More Money for Lake Okeechobee Dike
Gov. Rick Scott confirmed Monday his budget request for the 2018 legislative session will include $50 million to help speed federal repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee. “These repairs are a priority, and that’s why I’m proposing $50 million in state funding to help expedite the project,” Scott said in a prepared statement. Scott last week announced …
Key Market Access Issues to Be Discussed at Conference
This week the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) will hold its Strategic Planning Conference in Tucson, Arizona. Joe Schuele has details about the meeting. 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 of …
Perdue to FFA: Be Agriculture’s Communicators
Communication was the theme when Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue talked with students during last week’s National FFA Convention. Rod Bain has the story. 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 of Herbicides …
Florida Commissioner’s Spotlight: Rural Farmlands
On this week’s Commissioner’s Spotlight, Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam speaks on the importance of Florida’s farming families, and the efforts to preserve Florida’s rural family lands and conserve our natural resources. The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program is an agricultural land preservation program designed to protect important agricultural lands through the acquisition of permanent agricultural land conservation easements. View …
Clever Ways for a Sustainable Halloween
Cathy Isom has some spooktacular ideas for some clever ways to have a more Earth-friendly Halloween. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. When we think Halloween, some things that come to mind include ghosts, goblins, trick or treaters in scary and cute disposable or plastic costumes, plastic bags, plastic buckets, and ultimately millions of plastic candy wrappers at …
Ethanol Versus Big Oil Politics Fueling Fight in U.S. Senate
Ethanol versus Big Oil politics is apparently fueling a fight in the U.S. Senate over the president’s nomination of Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey to a top USDA post. Northey’s nomination was blocked last week by oil-patch Republican Ted Cruz of Texas. Another Republican, Mike Lee of Utah, had lifted his ‘hold’ on the nomination. But the Cruz ‘hold’ sparked …