The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced further changes to the Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) insurance plan. These changes take effect today, Jan. 20, for crop year 2021 and succeeding crop years. The improvements include: Increasing livestock head limits for feeder and fed cattle to 6,000 head per endorsement/12,000 head annually and swine to 40,000 …
Peanut Contracts Offered
In peanut marketing news, Tyron Spearman reports some contracts are being offered for growers right now. Sponsored ContentStrong Relationship Exists Between the Florida Cattle Enhancement Board and UF-IFASApril 17, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Funding For Quicker Response to Research QuestionsApril 10, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Opportunities That Spark Research ProjectsApril 3, 2026United Dairy Farmers of Florida Director Encouraged …
ACA Pleased with Alabama Steak Championship
The Alabama Steak Championship, an event held in Pelham, Alabama this past Saturday, saw competitors from nine states. Alabama Cattlemen’s Association (ACA) Director of Education and Outreach Ali Cantrell says 71 cooks came for the contest. To learn more about Beef Checkoff promotions in Alabama, contact the ACA office in Montgomery or go to its website, bamabeef.org. Sponsored ContentStrong Relationship …
Georgia Beef Board Promoting Atlanta Chili Week
The Beef Checkoff program in Georgia is ready for a brand new event. Georgia Beef Board (GBB) Director of Public Relations, Taylor Evans says various restaurants in Atlanta will be taking part in Atlanta Chili Week, which starts Jan. 25th. For more information about this and other Beef Checkoff promotions, contact the GBB office in Macon. Sponsored ContentStrong Relationship Exists …
USDA Measuring Financial Well-Being of Southern Farmers, Ranchers
Late last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) started gathering information about farm economics and production practices. NASS is reaching out to nearly 4,000 farmers and ranchers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina through March, as the agency conducts the final phase of the 2020 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). “ARMS is the …
Sunbelt Ag Expo Monthly Blog Series Continues
The Sunbelt Ag Expo started its monthly blog series last September, where each month it provides information on a new topic. Every Tuesday, new information on that topic is released on its Facebook page, Instagram or at http://sunbeltexpo.com/blog-series/. For January, the Sunbelt Ag Expo staff looks at its Farmer of the Year competition. Each week it breaks it down into …
KC Fed: Fewer New Loans to Farmers
Fewer new loans to farmers continued to drive a pullback in agricultural lending activity. The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank reported this week that stronger prices for agricultural commodities, alongside continued support from government payments, may have reduced financing needs for some farmers and contributed to the slower pace of lending. In the face of slowing agricultural lending activity, farmers …
Agriculture Better Prepared for Next Pandemic?
The agricultural production system was not prepared for the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Crops were left in the field or plowed under because of decreased demand. Loads of milk were even dumped. Scott Angle, Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Florida/IFAS hopes farmers and agricultural leaders can learn from last season’s initial outbreak. …
Stabenow Urges USDA to Prioritize Protections for Food Workers
Senator Debbie Stabenow, the incoming Senate Agriculture Committee chair, urged the Department of Agriculture this week to implement the bipartisan worker protection provisions in the COVID-19 assistance package. The Michigan Democrat says, “In order to repair our food supply and feed families in need, USDA must prioritize safety in addition to food purchases.” In the recently passed COVID-19 assistance package, …
Meat Worker COVID-19 Cases Five Times Lower
A new analysis of independent data for 2020 shows that new COVID-19 infection rates amongst meat and poultry workers were five times lower in December than in May. Meanwhile, rates in the general population rocketed up nine times in the same period. According to data from the Food and Environment Reporting Network, the meat and poultry sector were reported to …