Facial Recognition May be the Future of Livestock Identification

We’ve heard about facial recognition technology, something that is used for various human applications. But according to a story from Gary Crawford, a simple smart-phone app paired with facial recognition technology may also be the future for livestock identification and traceback. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Opportunities to Develop Preliminary Data For Future Grant ProjectsMay 1, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement …

Fried Releases FDACS & Biden Administration Partnership Plan

(FDACS) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet, hosted a press conference announcing the release of the FDACS Biden-Harris Administration Partnership Plan: Keeping Florida & America Growing, a state-federal partnership plan. The plan outlines areas of future collaboration between the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, The White House, and federal agencies including the U.S. Departments …

Alabama Agriculture, Food Workers Eligible for Covid Vaccine

As the Covid-19 vaccination process continues across the county, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted food and agriculture workers were among the 30 million frontline essential workers who should be in line for the vaccine. Over the past few weeks, individual states have begun to include this segment in their vaccination programs and that includes Alabama. According …

Florida Senators Question Governor’s Budget

We told you last week that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had proposed a record 96.6-billion-dollar state budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Lawmakers this week started reviewing the proposal and after members of the Senate Appropriations Committee heard a presentation on his proposal, Senate budget chief Kelli Stargel signaled the Senate will take a more conservative approach when it draws up a …

Uncle Matt’s Launches E-Commerce Site

Uncle Matt’s Organic® has made its juices and functional beverages accessible to more consumers with the launch of a new e-commerce site. Currently, shipping is available to most of the East Coast, with plans to expand nationwide. The online store brings organic orange juice, lemonade and functional beverage bundles directly to consumers’ doors in one to two days via FedEx. Because …

Ag Economy Barometer Drifts Lower

The Ag Economy Barometer drifted lower in January to a reading of 167, a decline of seven points compared to December and equal to the index’s November reading. Organizers say the barometer’s decline over the last three months is attributable to weaker expectations for the future. The Index of Future Expectations has fallen 35 points or about 19% since October. …

Farm Bankruptcies Decline During 2020

Farm bankruptcies slightly decreased in 2020, but an industry economist warns farmers are “not out of the woods yet.” Caseload statistics from U.S. Courts indicate that Chapter 12 family farm and family fishery bankruptcies totaled 552 filings during 2020, down 43 filings, or 7%, from 2019, the third highest over the last decade. American Farm Bureau Federation Chief Economist John …

Tom Vilsack Approved by Senate Ag Committee

The U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Tuesday afternoon did approve President Biden’s nomination of Tom Vilsack to return to the helm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as Secretary of Agriculture. Many commodity and other agriculture groups are pleased to see Vilsack resume his role at USDA. According to a story from Gary Crawford, Tom Vilsack’s confirmation hearing to be the …

Researchers Help Expand Indoor Gardening Trend Triggered by Pandemic

(UF/IFAS) — COVID-19 led many people to start gardening, and it’s no passing fancy. Recent research shows that about 80% of those who took up gardening since the beginning of COVID-19 will continue the pastime in 2021. Growing in the outdoor garden is one thing. Tending to plants indoors at home presents other challenges and opportunities. As they recognized the …