Want to keep your vegetable garden productive? Slugs can be very costly. Cathy Isom fills us about how to deal with a slimy critter that you don’t want bugging your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Slimy Slugs Bugging Your Garden Slugs are slimy but tough-skinned terrestrial mollusks typically lack a shell and secrete mucus for protection. …
House Expects Farm Bill Vote on Friday
The House of Representatives continues its debate on the 2018 Farm Bill through Thursday evening, with the final vote on passage coming up on Friday. The Hagstrom Report says House Republican leadership and House Ag Chair Michael Conaway are still trying to round up enough Republican votes to guarantee passage. No Democrats will vote for the bill because of changes …
NAFTA 2.0 Likely Not Done This Year
At the Thursday, May 17 deadline for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations, there isn’t an agreement in place and no end in sight to negotiations. Politico says divisions among negotiators from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada on difficult issues are driving a stake through the heart of President Donald Trump’s goal of signing a new agreement into …
Cargill Survey: Consumers Believe Their Food is Safe
A recent survey by Cargill shows that approximately three-quarters of Americans plan to grab an apron and spatula to get grilling as the weather warms up. As consumers grill steaks, chicken, and burgers this year, Cargill wanted to find out if consumers trust that their food is safe. 94 percent of Americans believe that their food is safe as grilling …
China Looking to Russia for Soybeans
The world’s biggest importer of soybeans, China, almost tripled soybean purchases from Russia amid a growing trade dispute with the U.S. A Bloomberg report says Russia sold approximately 850,000 metric tons over the most recent twelve-month season. That compares to 340,000 tons sold during the previous period. China has already canceled several soybean purchases from the U.S. in anticipation of …
Culver’s Raises Over $100,000 for Agriculture Education
A $1 scoop of frozen custard at Culver’s recently went a long way in supporting local agricultural education at various Culver’s restaurants. Culver’s recent “Scoops of Thanks Day” at 650 restaurants around the country involved customers making a $1 donation for a single scoop of frozen custard. The project raised more than $111,000 dollars for local ag education during the …
Agri View: Crop Prospects
Everett Griner talks about the USDA forecast changes for the southeast in today’s Agri View. Everett gives his outlook of the report for the southeast, and his predictions of what is missing from the report. Crop Prospects The USDA Crop Planting Report came out back in late March. The portion I received only covered the Southeast. It prophesied some of …
Perdue Applauds Red Tape Reduction for Farmers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue applauded the removal of a burdensome regulation that has long plagued family farms. The rule requiring producers to obtain Data Universal Number System (DUNS) and System for Award Management (SAM) numbers to participate in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs has been eliminated. Congress included this repeal in the …
Under Secretary McKinney to Lead Southern China Trade Mission
U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney will lead a trade mission to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China, May 21-May 25, accompanied by a diverse delegation of agribusiness and state government leaders looking to establish new business connections in southern China. Southern China is a major import hub and a growing market for U.S. …
NPPC: Oppose Brat-Blumenauer Farm Bill Rider
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is urging House lawmakers to oppose an amendment to the 2018 Farm Bill that would gut the federally authorized commodity research and promotion programs, commonly known as checkoffs. NPPC joined more than 40 agricultural organizations on a letter sent to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway, R-Texas, and Ranking Member Collin Peterson, D-Minn., asking …