The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) recently announced that Brent Sellers, a UF/IFAS agronomy professor, has been named director of the UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center in Ona, Florida. In 2004, Sellers started as an assistant professor of agronomy at the Center and for the past year served as interim center director. He …
Cotton Planting Season Underway in Alabama
By Clint Thompson Cotton planting season is underway in Alabama. Extension specialist Steve Brown says planting has already started in the southern part of the state. Once it dries out and weather heats back up after Wednesday’s expected low temperatures, the rest of the state will soon follow. “Looking at the temperatures, we’re going to see some 40-degree temperatures on …
Peanut Industry Donating to Food Banks
Due to COVID-19, the demand for food has grown tremendously at food banks across the country. Tyron Spearman reports the peanut industry continues to donate peanuts and peanut butter to help those in need at this time. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Plays Major Role in Applied Beef Cattle ResearchOctober 17, 2025FCEB Recurring Funding Provides Opportunity for Longer Term …
NCC on New Relief and Stimulus Efforts
Last week, members of Congress returned to Washington D.C. to pass the latest version of funding for relief and stimulus efforts in response to COVID-19. Reece Langley, Vice President of Washington Operations for the National Cotton Council (NCC), explains what the measure includes and how it will provide relief for America’s small businesses. For small business owners who applied before …
UGA Extension Ag Economist: Crop Rotation is Key
By Clint Thompson University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Ag economist Adam Rabinowitz is hopeful producers will stick to their usual crop rotations this year when considering what commodities to produce. Rabinowitz is wary of farmers who might be tempted this planting season to switch planned acreage of cotton to peanuts due to cotton prices being drastically low. “Certainly, the cotton …
Florida Drought Leads to Water Restrictions in Lee County
By Clint Thompson Florida’s long drought has led to water restrictions on Lee County in the southwest part of the state. On Friday, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Lee County announced mandatory irrigation restrictions. According to the press release, the restrictions addressed low aquifer levels. “On the coast, they rely a lot more on wells, well fields. …
FDACS Accepting Hemp Applications
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently approved Florida’s state hemp program and today, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) began accepting applications from farmers seeking to grow industrial hemp. A 2018 federal farm bill legalized hemp as an agricultural product after decades of debate about the issue. Industrial hemp can be used in numerous products and …
Groups Ask Treasury Secretary to Guard Against Further Ag Consolidation
A coalition consisting of 68 farmer, environmental, and antitrust groups across the country sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on consolidation. They’re asking him to ensure that pandemic relief funds do not lead to the further consolidation of the food and agriculture industry. The letter asks Mnuchin to invest the stimulus funds in farming systems that lift farmers …
NASS Preparing for 2022 Census of Agriculture
The National Agricultural Statistics Service recently mailed out the National Agricultural Classification Survey (NACS) to 350,000 potential farmers and ranchers. The NACS will help identify all those engaged in agricultural activity in the country to ensure that they are included in the 2022 Census of Agriculture. NASS requests that each person who receives the survey respond by May 4. “NACS …
U.S. Cattle On Feed Down 5%
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released its April Cattle on Feed Report. It shows 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 was 11.3 million head on April 1, 2020, 5% below April 1, 2019. The inventory included 7.08 million steers and steer …