Florida Agricultural Landowners Encouraged to Apply for EQIP

Agricultural producers and landowners in Florida are encouraged to apply to participate in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).  The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida can provide producers and landowners with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement improvements that address resource concerns. “Using EQIP conservation practices can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife …

Beef Variety Meat Exports are at a Record Pace

Record-breaking U.S. beef exports was a hot topic at this week’s Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting in Reno, Nevada. This includes strong interest in exports of beef variety meat. During a session highlighting checkoff-funded efforts to expand beef demand, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Senior Director of Marketing Programs, Scott Reynolds, detailed how international demand for specific beef variety meat items helps …

NCBA Backs Food and Energy Security Act

During this week’s Cattle Industry Summer Business meeting, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced it does support the Food and Energy Security Act introduced by Senator John Thune of South Dakota. The bill would require federal regulators to disclose how proposed rules would impact food and energy prices. “The Biden administration proposed a massive climate disclosure rule that will …

High Oleic Soy Oil for Cooking

Promoting a certain type of cooking oil for chefs. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. United Soybean Board farmer-leaders recently met with a group of professional chefs to promote the use of high oleic soybean oil in the restaurant and food service industries. Chuck Prellwitz is a soy checkoff leader from Wisconsin who took part in the event. …

House Agriculture Subcommittee Hearing on Hemp

The House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research held a hearing Thursday to get a closer look at USDA’s Hemp Production Program in preparation for the 2023 Farm Bill. Subcommittee chair Stacey Plaskett explained some of the history of hemp regulations in her opening statement. “Until recently, the hemp industry was outlawed due to restrictions put in place by …

NCBA Tracking Efforts on Traceability

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) staff continues to track a variety of issues being discussed. One of those concerns traceability. NCBA Director of Animal Health and Food Safety Policy, Chase DeCoite, notes a proposed rule is coming sometime this year from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Traceability was one of the topics discussed this week during the Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting …

Recent Rains Affecting Crops in Some Areas

While we’ve seen recent rains in areas of the Southeast that has needed it, other areas continue to be a bit dry. But according to Mark Oppold, recent rains in parts of the Midwest may have been a bit too much for areas that were previously dry. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, …

Survey: Consumers Rely on Chicken Even as Inflation Affects Prices

A new survey presented by the National Chicken Council (NCC) and WATT Global Media shows while consumers average rating for their current financial situation is in the middle between “poor” and “excellent,” 87 percent are buying more or the same amount of fresh chicken now compared to six months ago. The study, presented this week during the 2022 Chicken Marketing Summit in …

USDA Says Rising Food Prices Could Ease in 2023

Could we see lower food prices next year? That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The all-items Consumer Price Index increased 1.4 percent from May to June and is 9.1 percent higher than in June of last year. USDA once again raised its consumer food price inflation forecast from 8.5 percent to 9.5 percent for 2022. In their first …

Syngenta Opens $15 Million Global Vegetable Seeds Quality Control Lab

It’s the culmination of ten years of plans and $15 million in investments, as Syngenta’s new Global Vegetable Seeds Quality Control Lab debuted this month in Nampa, Idaho. The lab is an expansion of the $30 million Trait Conversion Accelerator that opened at the site in 2019. The new quality lab conducts seed health and quality testing for vegetable seeds …