Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a new toolkit to help support the deployment of high-speed broadband e-Connectivity in rural communities. “High-speed broadband e-Connectivity is becoming more and more essential to doing business, delivering health care, and, for schoolchildren, doing homework in rural communities,” Hazlett said. “This …
Signup Batching Deadline for EQIP in Alabama
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama wants to remind producers the signup batching deadline for Fiscal Year 2019 funding for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and initiatives offered through the program is April 25, 2019. This EQIP signup includes wildlife, forestry, cropland erosion, cropland irrigation, grazing land, and water quality concerns. National and Statewide initiatives also included …
Florida Ag Hall of Fame Online Ticket Sales Close Friday
Online ticket sales for the 40th annual Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet will close Friday, February 8. The annual event, which will be held February 12 in the Special Events Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, will honor four inductees who have made invaluable contributions to Florida agriculture. Tickets are available online at http://floridaaghalloffame2019.eventbrite.com or by calling 813-230-1918. This …
Farmer Sentiment Improves in January
Farmers had more optimism about the agriculture economy in January than they had in previous months. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have concerns. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer says one of their biggest worries is farmland values. The January reading of 143 was a 16-point jump over December. The survey was the first opportunity to measure how …
Better Days Coming for Chicken Producers
Chicken, pork, and beef producers should all see better days over the next 12 months in spite of specific challenges in each segment. The industry website Meating Place Dot Com notes one industry analyst, Jeremy Scott of Mizuho Securities, who says the worst is behind us in the chicken market. That specific market segment had one of its most difficult …
Farm Bureau to USDA: New Regulations Must Protect Both Farmland and Wetland
As the Agriculture Department moves forward with Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation regulations, the department must ensure its new Interim Rule balances the benefits for both farmland and wetland, as Congress intended, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. As it was written, the Interim Rule makes program participation much more difficult and fails to give famers the opportunity …
Georgia Organics Conference This Week
Everyone interested in the organics industry is invited to attend the 2019 Georgia Organics Conference & Expo this week in Tifton, Georgia. Georgia Organics Community Outreach Manager, Suzanne Girdner, notes the two day event will take place Friday and Saturday, February 8th and 9th. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement …
Lone Cabbage Reef off Florida Coast
Back in December, the University of Florida/IFAS held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate construction of a three-mile-long artificial reef off the Nature Coast. UF/IFAS Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Jack Payne, says they restored a large oyster reef. Images courtesy of University of Florida/IFAS. See more here. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida …
Record Beef Exports Fuel Optimism
For thousands of producers attending the Cattle Industry Annual Convention in New Orleans last week, the record pace of U.S. beef exports was a major topic of discussion and great source of industry optimism. Joe Schuele with the U.S. Meat Export Federation has more details. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle …
Giving Your Garden a Head Start
In this, the third and final part of her series, Cathy Isom gives you a few tips about how you to give your garden a solid head-start into the growing season. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Whether you have much or little to do, every lit bit helps move things in the right direction. Of course there are …