How to enjoy your garden during the winter months. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you can’t get outside and enjoy the garden. By now you may be feeling a little cabin fever. During the winter when many flowers are no longer blooming, and branches of trees are bare, there are …
Farm Bureau Establishes 2021 Policies
(AFBF) — Farmer and rancher delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 102nd Annual Convention adopted policies to guide the organization’s work in 2021. Key topics ranged from farm diversity to farm labor and dairy policy to livestock marketing. For the first time in AFBF history, delegates met and voted virtually due to COVID-19. “Our Farm Bureau delegates showed that …
Environmental Groups Challenge Permitting Change
(NSF) — A coalition of environmental groups Thursday filed a federal lawsuit challenging a potentially far-reaching move by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to shift permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands. The coalition, represented by attorneys from the Earthjustice legal group, contends that the EPA and other federal agencies did not comply with a series of laws …
2020 Crop Production Numbers
Tyron Spearman has a look at more numbers from this week’s crop production forecasts from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics Offers Growers Targeted Application of Herbicides or Beneficials through SharpShooter™June 16, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Resources To Researchers For Applied ResearchJune 12, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement …
Pushing for Improved Dairy-Pricing
Many dairy producers have suffered losses due to the extreme price disruptions that have been caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) is calling for changes to the so-called Class I fluid milk price mover to help producers recover from those losses. They note dairy farmers may lose roughly $800 million in revenues under the current Class …
Stabenow Urges USDA to Prioritize Protections for Food Workers
Senator Debbie Stabenow, the incoming Senate Agriculture Committee chair, urged the Department of Agriculture this week to implement the bipartisan worker protection provisions in the COVID-19 assistance package. The Michigan Democrat says, “In order to repair our food supply and feed families in need, USDA must prioritize safety in addition to food purchases.” In the recently passed COVID-19 assistance package, …
Meat Worker COVID-19 Cases Five Times Lower
A new analysis of independent data for 2020 shows that new COVID-19 infection rates amongst meat and poultry workers were five times lower in December than in May. Meanwhile, rates in the general population rocketed up nine times in the same period. According to data from the Food and Environment Reporting Network, the meat and poultry sector were reported to …
What to Plant Together while Planning the Spring Garden
Some ideas to get a jump start on planning your Spring Garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. If you’re thinking about what plants will go together for your spring garden, think about color, season of bloom, and shape, but also care needs when you’re planting. Get an early start on spring with a generous helping of bulbs …
Huanglongbing (HLB): The Microbiome’s Role
Researchers Caroline Roper and Nichole Ginnan at the University of California, Riverside led a large research collaboration that sought to explore the microbiome’s role in HLB disease progression. Their recent article in Phytobiomes Journal, “Disease-Induced Microbial Shifts in Citrus Indicate Microbiome-Derived Responses to Huanglongbing,” moves beyond the single-snapshot view of the microbial landscape typical of microbiome research. Their holistic approach to …
New Rule Improves Partner Flexibility in RCPP
(USDA/NRCS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule for its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The rule updates USDA’s partner-driven program as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and integrates feedback from agricultural producers and others. “The Regional Conservation Partnership Program is a powerful program that enables us to co-invest with partners on win-win solutions that benefit agriculture and natural …