Commissioner Nikki Fried on Tropical Storm Eta Secretarial Disaster Declaration

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture informed Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried it has granted a Secretarial disaster declaration for several key counties impacted by Tropical Storm Eta, rain, flooding, and wind that occurred from Nov. 7 through Nov. 10. The storm was projected to cause at least $85 million in crop losses, especially in seasonal produce. Those counties include Collier, Hendry, Lee, and Miami-Dade …

Rules Clarified for Buying / Selling Seeds and Plants Online From Other Countries

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is providing additional guidance to help online buyers and sellers comply with U.S. laws when they import seeds and live plants from other countries. The information, available on the APHIS website, is essential to help protect critical U.S. agriculture infrastructure and natural resources from potential invasive pest and disease …

Parasite Hijacks Iron in Honey Bees

(USDA/ARS) — An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) entomologist has discovered the Nosema ceranae parasite that causes major problems and death in honey bees works by hijacking its host’s iron for itself. Iron is as essential a micronutrient for honey bees as it is for people. Honey bees usually get enough to meet their needs from their flower pollen diet. They use iron …

USDA, FDA Offer Update on Transmission of COVID-19 Through Food or Food Packaging

The following statement about COVID-19 and its impact through food or food packaging can be attributed to Acting USDA Secretary Kevin Shea and Acting FDA Commission Janet Woodcock: After more than a year since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was declared a global health emergency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. …

University of Florida Focusing on AI

Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are working as teams to use artificial intelligence (AI) to attack complex issues. An example of such teamwork is Arnold Schumann, a professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center, working with weed scientist Nathan Boyd at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. They use machine …

Reviewing 2020 Peanut Crop Numbers

Looking back at all of the numbers from the 2020 U.S. peanut crop, Tyron Spearman reports there won’t be enough peanuts to go around from last year’s crop. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics Offers Growers Targeted …

New BQA and MBA Program Updates for 2021

This week, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced new updates and initiatives to its Beef Checkoff funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) and Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) programs for 2021, as well as updates to their educational training modules. NCBA Director of Beef Quality Assurance Programs Chase DeCoite told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman they will also be launching a …

National FFA Week Starts Saturday

Starting Saturday, more than 760,000 FFA members across the country will share the story of agriculture as part of National FFA Week. Whether it is through service projects or community gatherings, this special week is a time for FFA members to raise awareness about the role the National FFA Organization plays in developing agriculture’s future leaders and the importance of agricultural …