Biden Administration Asked to Utilize USMCA Enforcement Measures

A bipartisan group of Representatives sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack regarding dairy and the U.S-Mexico-Canada Agreement. They’re asking the administration to move ahead with enforcement measures negotiated in the USMCA to support U.S. dairy farmers. A key part of the USMCA agreement was the promise of new export opportunities for America’s …

May Report Shows U.S. Cattle on Feed Up 5 Percent

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released their May Cattle on Feed Report, and the new numbers show the number of cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the U.S. for feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 11.7 million head on May 1, 2021. The inventory was 5 percent above May 1, 2020 …

USDA Announces Plan for Black Farmer Payments

The USDA says it plans to make debt relief available to Black farmers. The announcement came one day before Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack participated in a roundtable discussion with Black farmers in Georgia. A spokesman says Vilsack will be traveling to other states to discuss the plan in the weeks ahead. Late last week, the Farm Service Agency published the …

Chickens are Amazing, Intelligent, and Affectionate Animals

Some of the things to love about chickens. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Chickens, which are descended from dinosaurs, are amazing, intelligent, and affectionate animals. Here are some things you might not have known about these adorable birds. They can solve problems, understand cause and effect, and anticipate and plan for the future. Mother hens begin to teach …

Crew Leaders Backed in Overtime Fight

A federal appeals court sided with two crew leaders on Friday in a dispute about whether they should be paid overtime for driving farmworkers to accomplish tasks like buy groceries, go to the bank and do laundry. Crew leaders Jose Ramirez and Joel Santana filed the lawsuit in 2017 against Statewide Harvesting & Hauling, LLC, which is a Florida company …

Commissioner Nikki Fried Celebrates New Tampa Bay Agribusiness Investment

St. Petersburg, Fla. — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced on Thursday that Lykes Bros. Inc., one of Florida’s largest landowning agribusinesses, will invest in Brick Street Farms, a hydroponic vertical agriculture company. The two Tampa Bay companies were introduced through the Florida-Israel Agriculture Innovation Summit last November, hosted by Commissioner Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer …

Georgia Peanut Commission: Fitting Time to Make Extra Donation

The donation of more than 50,000 jars of peanut butter to Georgia food banks by the Georgia Peanut Commission will help those in need during COVID-19, according to Assistant Executive Director Joy Crosby. “The Georgia peanut farmers are proud to partner with the Food Bank Association in Georgia and also through Peanut Proud, which is the peanut industry’s humanitarian relief …

How You Can Grow an Avocado Tree from the Pit

How to grow an avocado tree from the pit. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. While it takes a lot of patience to grow an avocado tree, about five years before it starts producing fruit, you’ll have everything you need to get one started the next time you cut open an avocado. Take the pit of the fruit, wash …

Over $2.3 Million Invested in Small Business Innovation Research

Small businesses play a vital role in driving innovation and technology advancements, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is investing over $2.3 million in such projects through its Small Business Innovation Research program. As the program aims to encourage participation by women-owned and socially or economically disadvantaged small businesses, it can greatly benefit …