By Clint Thompson The Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC) reminds cotton producers who are interested in serving on the Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commission, the deadline to receive nominations is Thursday, May 30. To serve on a Commodity Commission, a person must be a producer of that commodity, commit to attend meetings and represent the producers of that commodity. Those interested in …
Southeast Cotton, Peanut Planting Near Five-Year Averages
Many Southeast farmers dealt with cool, wet weather to start the 2021 planting season. But according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS), both cotton and peanut planting were close to the 5-year averages this past week. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says rain in other areas of the cotton belt hampered planting. …
Ag Businesses Report Favorable First Quarter Earnings
Earning reports topped headlines on Wall Street this week, and agriculture businesses seem to be doing well. Syngenta reported first-quarter sales of $7.1 billion, up 20% for the same period last year. BASF reported first-quarter sales were up 16% to 19.4 billion euros, or $23.52 billion. AGCO reported sales for the first quarter were approximately $2.4 billion, an increase of …
Vilsack: No Plans to Take Land to Meet Climate Goals
We told you last week that the Biden Administration’s goal to conserve at least 30% of U.S. land and water by 2030, commonly known as “30X30,” was raising a few questions. As a matter of fact, there have been rumors they are planning to take land away from people and discourage consumers from eating beef to help fight climate change. …
America Grows Act Introduced in the Senate
The America Grows Act of 2021 was introduced on Monday in the Senate. It would significantly increase U.S. public investment in agricultural research and development. The bill would increase funding for agricultural research by 5% every year on an inflation-adjusted basis at four USDA agencies over the next decade. Those agencies are the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, …
Cotton, Peanut Planting Underway
While the recent cool, wet weather hampered the start to planting season across the Southeast, both cotton and peanut seed are going in the ground. According to the weekly report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), planting progress is fairly even with what has been normal over the past five years. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says …
GCC Applauds Addition of New UGA Extension Cotton Agronomist
Camp Hand is the new University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Cotton Agronomist. After an extended period without an agronomist in place at UGA, the Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC) is excited for the newest member of the UGA Cotton Team, says GCC Executive Director Taylor Sills. “The University of Georgia has hired Dr. Camp Hand who is a recent Ph.D. graduate …
Concerns with Repealing the Stepped-Up Basis Tax Provision
The Family Business Estate Tax Coalition (FBETC) released an EY study this week, quantifying the impact a repeal of stepped-up basis would have on family businesses. The EY study found that family-owned businesses and the local economies they support would be hit hardest by a repeal. Based on the analysis of the study, this tax increase, whether via tax at …
Battle Continues Against Palmer Amaranth
What is the most challenging pest facing Georgia farmers? According to a University of Georgia (UGA) Extension survey, it’s not an insect or disease. It’s a weed, and that weed is named Palmer amaranth. UGA Extension weed scientist Stanley Culpepper issued the survey to gauge the severity of Palmer amaranth compared to other annual pests. The results were staggering. Of …
NMPF Supports Labeling Integrity Through DAIRY PRIDE Act
This week, the DAIRY PRIDE Act, a bill that would bring clear, accurate labeling information for consumers and end harmful mislabeling of dairy foods by peddlers of plant-based products, was re-introduced in both the U.S. House and Senate. The legislation requires the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce its own existing standards of identity on imitated dairy products …