The Seafood Trade Relief Assistance Program (STRP) provides direct payments to eligible commercial fishermen, but the deadline to apply is nearing. Through the program,the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing relief to commercial fishermen in response to trade disruptions by foreign governments that have affected seafood commodities. Payments are not loans and do not have to be repaid (unless …
National 4-H Council Awarded $3 Million to Support 4-H at Home
The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture is investing more than $10.5 million to support educators across the country. Funds are going to technical schools, community and junior colleges, and youth development programs, including the Cooperative Extension’s 4-H program. NIFA is giving a $3 million grant to the National 4-H Council to support the continued development of 4-H at …
Alabama Cattlemen Promoting ‘Drool Log’
You might remember for the holiday’s last year, Beef: It’s What’s For Dinner released the ‘Drool Log’, a two-hour long video of a Beef Prime Rib Roast slowly cooking over an open flame. This year, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, has taken that a step farther by creating Beef Checkoff-funded advertisements for television. Alabama Cattlemen’s Association (ACA) Director …
Promoting Florida Beef via New Digital Campaign
The Beef Checkoff program in Florida is presenting the beef message to consumers with a little help this holiday season. Florida Beef Council (FBC) Director of Education & Promotion, DeAnne Maples, says they received financial support to help them with a new digital campaign. For more information about this and other Beef Checkoff promotions in Florida, contact the FBC office in Kissimmee …
‘Beefing Up the Holidays’ in Georgia
With that time of the year here, the Georgia Beef Board (GBB) is once again ‘Beefing Up the Holidays’. Taylor Evans, GBB director of public relations, says they are asking people to pardon the turkey this year and put beef on their dinner tables. For more information about Beef Checkoff programs in Georgia, contact the GBB office in Macon at 478-474-1815 or go …
Georgia Peanut Commission Accepting Nominations for Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer Award
The Georgia Peanut Commission is accepting nominations for the Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer Award, which will be presented at the Georgia Peanut Farm Show in January, 2021 in Tifton, Georgia. Nominations will be accepted until Dec. 1. The Georgia Peanut Commission sponsors this award in conjunction with BASF. Who is Eligible? The award is open to any active peanut …
Cotton Harvest Picks Up; Peanut Harvest About to Wrap Up
Efforts continue to wrap up both the cotton and peanut harvests. USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey notes cotton harvest picked up this past week in most areas. Rippey has the latest look at the nation’s peanut harvest which is close to seeing an end. In Alabama, cotton harvest was 81% complete, while last year it was at 90%. The 5-year average is 83%. As …
Ag Secretary Discusses Rural Broadband Access
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue made an appearance during the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) virtual annual convention last week. Among the topics discussed was rural access to broadband, something he noted is another vital issue that USDA is working on. “It’s vital. It’s no longer a luxury. When we first began, after the day I was sworn in, President …
FSA Reverses Rule on Family Eligibility for Farm Subsidies
The Farm Service Agency restored the previous definitions of terms like “active personal management, significant contribution, and related phrasing” in a rule regarding farm program subsidy eligibility and payment limitations. FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce says the change is more of a “correction.” He says, “These revisions mean that members of a family farm operation are not subject to the more …
Chicken: The No. 1 COVID-19 Protein
As Americans cooked more food in their homes than they had before over the past year, chicken became the top choice for a healthy and convenient protein that the entire family can enjoy. Approximately 75% of Americans who eat chicken say they make it at home at least once a week. During the past nine months of COVID-19, retail chicken …