Further strengthening of the U.S. Ag economy bolstered farm credit conditions in the first quarter of 2021. A Federal Reserve survey of agriculture credit conditions shows farm loan repayment rates continue to improve rapidly. After many years of growing financial stress and weakness in the Ag economy, bankers reported that farm income was higher than a year ago for the …
Planter Considerations for Cotton During Dry Conditions
By Clint Thompson The Georgia Cotton Commission cautions producers about planting this year’s cotton crop in extreme hot and dry conditions. That’s why Simer Virk, University of Georgia Assistant Professor and Cooperative Extension Precision Ag Specialist, recommends growers wait as long as possible for rainfall to provide moisture to the soil. “If you can wait, definitely wait. But if you …
USDA Forecasts Record Farm Exports in FY 2021
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) just released its quarterly agricultural trade forecast, and it is projecting fiscal year 2021 U.S. farm exports at $164 billion – the highest total on record. This represents an increase of $28 billion, or 21%, from last fiscal year’s total, and a $7-billion increase from USDA’s previous FY 2021 forecast published in February. The …
National FFA Organization Picks New CEO
The National FFA Organization and the National FFA Foundation have new leadership after picking Scott Stump as the new CEO of both organizations. Stump lives on a small ranch in Colorado with his wife, Denise, and their three children. He has a background in agricultural education, career and technical education, and the FFA. “It’s with great anticipation that I return …
GCC Reminds Producers About Thrips
The Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC) reminds producers that thrips damage can be harmful to young cotton plants. Management for thrips begins at planting, says Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension cotton entomologist. “We need to be concerned with thrips from the time that plant emerges until we reach the fourth true leaf stage, and that plant is growing rapidly,” …
Rain Causing Cotton Planting Delays
Planting of cotton and peanut seed continues across the Southeast. But according to the weekly report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS), the number of acres planted are a bit behind what has been normal over the past five years. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says rain is causing delays, especially in cotton planting. In Alabama, …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Celebrates New Tampa Bay Agribusiness Investment
St. Petersburg, Fla. — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced on Thursday that Lykes Bros. Inc., one of Florida’s largest landowning agribusinesses, will invest in Brick Street Farms, a hydroponic vertical agriculture company. The two Tampa Bay companies were introduced through the Florida-Israel Agriculture Innovation Summit last November, hosted by Commissioner Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer …
Georgia Peanut Commission: Fitting Time to Make Extra Donation
The donation of more than 50,000 jars of peanut butter to Georgia food banks by the Georgia Peanut Commission will help those in need during COVID-19, according to Assistant Executive Director Joy Crosby. “The Georgia peanut farmers are proud to partner with the Food Bank Association in Georgia and also through Peanut Proud, which is the peanut industry’s humanitarian relief …
Generous Donation: Georgia Farmers Donate 70,560 Jars of Peanut Butter
TIFTON, Ga. (May 20, 2021) – The Georgia Peanut Commission and its 4,500 farmers are celebrating the start of peanut season with a generous peanut butter donation. Though a partnership with the Georgia Food Bank Association, farmers are donating an additional 50,400 jars of peanut butter to America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, Feeding the Valley Food Bank, the Food …
House Ag Republicans Introduce Broadband for Rural America Act
Washington, D.C. — Nowhere in the country is the “digital divide,” or lack of broadband access, more prevalent than in rural America. Hopefully, that will soon change. House Agriculture Republicans introduced the Broadband For Rural America Act today. It would provide more than $7 billion in authorizations for USDA broadband connectivity programs. It authorizes $3.7 billion per year for critical …