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 …
Put the Brakes on Some Pesky Little Diggers in the Garden
How to put the brakes on some pesky little diggers in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Whenever you see rounded, raised ridges of soil running across your lawn with little volcanoes of soil, you know you have a mole around. These small mammals can cause quite a bit of damage in a short amount of time …
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 …
DeSantis, Cabinet Back North Florida Land Deals
(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday approved proposals to spend about $5.3 million to conserve more than 2,500 acres of land in Santa Rosa and Jefferson counties. The deals include paying $4.3 million to conserve 1,786 acres in Santa Rosa County that is used for hunting and to grow timber. The land, owned by Kingfisher Timber, …
Time to Cut the Dead Wood from the Citrus Trees
Dead wood has long been challenging for fresh citrus fruit production. Spores in twigs can form which causes blemishing diseases that downgrade fruit for lower profits. More recently, it has come to light that there are horticultural and entomological reasons to remove this wood as well. Many growers are familiar with melanose, the disease most widely associated with dead wood. …
Alabama Beekeeping Symposium Coming this Weekend
The 26th Annual Beekeeping Symposium will be held on Feb. 6 and 7 through Zoom. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is proud to host the symposium to provide timely information for Alabama’s beekeeping public. Because of the ongoing pandemic, this year’s event was forced to restructure, and therefore for the first time, it will be a digital event. The cost to …