In an effort to help teach students about aquaculture, Dan Conner, an aquaculture teacher and member of the board of directors for the Florida Aquaculture Association (FAA), has helped spearhead a certification program. Conner says he feels this program needs to be available to students due to the popularity of aquaculture in the state. The program also helps aquaculture farmers …
Cotton Industry Seeking Help for Producers
We told you last week that leaders in the cotton industry continue to try and find ways to help producers who are seeing trying times right now. One of those ways is asking agribusinesses who depend on the economic impact of cotton to sign on to a letter that will be sent to the White House. Time is running out …
UF/IFAS’ Crane Honored by Horticultural Society
by Brad Buck, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences As a scientist and tropical fruit Extension specialist, Jonathan Crane has spent most of his adult life trying to help South Florida farmers grow crops in the Sunshine State’s hot, humid weather. In recognition of Crane’s work, the Florida State Horticultural Society has honored the University of Florida Institute …
Natural Resource Meeting Explains Farm Bill Programs, Seeks Recommendations
Gainesville, Fla. – In an effort to assist agricultural producers in meeting their land management goals while protecting our natural resources, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will conduct a State Technical Advisory Committee meeting Aug. 17, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Doyle Conner Agriculture Building Auditorium. Located at 1911 SW 34th …
Picking Your Produce in a Grocery Store Farm
Instead of going to the field to pick your vegetables, herbs or spices, what about the grocery store? Cathy Isom tells us about the company that wants to put a farm in every grocery store. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The way we eat food, how we eat it, and also how we buy it, is constantly changing. …
Hampton Creek Pledges to Market Lab-grown Meat by 2019
A leader in the vegan food industry claims lab-grown meat will be on the market by the end of next year. Hampton Creek, the company behind vegan mayonnaise and cookie dough revealed this week it has been secretly developing technology to produce lab-made meat and seafood, or as they call it, “clean meat.” Business Insider reports that if Hampton Creek …
Brazil Cattle Prices Stumble Following Meat Inspection Scandal
Cattle prices in Brazil are posting the biggest losses in a decade to start a year following this springs investigation into a meat inspection scandal. Bloomberg News reports that since the scandal, JBS SA, Brazil’s largest cattle buyer, is purchasing fewer cattle due to a financial squeeze on the company. Even worse, JBS no longer offers cash upon delivery of …
USDA Seeking Public Input on GMO Labeling
The Department of Agriculture is seeking public input on GMO labeling. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service posted 30 questions for the public this week regarding labeling food items containing genetically modified ingredients. The feedback, according to Politico, will help the agency develop a proposed rule governing how food manufacturers disclose when products contain genetically engineered ingredients. Questions include: What terms …
House Ag Budget Not Aligned with Trump Proposal
The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee budget discussed Wednesday does not align with the budget proposal for agriculture by President Donald Trump. The bill totals $20 billion in discretionary funding, which is $876 million lower than the fiscal year 2017 enacted level and $4.64 billion above the president’s budget request, according to the Hagstrom Report. The bill allows for a total …
BPI Settles With ABC over Pink Slime Lawsuit
Beef Products Inc. and ABC News have reached a settlement in a lawsuit over ABC’s use of the term pink slime. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports that no terms of the settlement have been disclosed, but BPI announced Wednesday morning that the company was “extraordinarily pleased” to have reached a settlement. ABC also released a statement, saying, “ABC has reached …