Gov. Rick Scott confirmed Monday his budget request for the 2018 legislative session will include $50 million to help speed federal repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee. “These repairs are a priority, and that’s why I’m proposing $50 million in state funding to help expedite the project,” Scott said in a prepared statement. Scott last week announced …
Key Market Access Issues to Be Discussed at Conference
This week the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) will hold its Strategic Planning Conference in Tucson, Arizona. Joe Schuele has details about the meeting. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Provided Opportunity To Highlight Difficult Farming SubjectMarch 20, 2026Valley Helps Growers Get The Most Out Of Every AcreMarch 19, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Builds Relationships Between Researchers and Cattle …
Perdue to FFA: Be Agriculture’s Communicators
Communication was the theme when Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue talked with students during last week’s National FFA Convention. Rod Bain has the story. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Provided Opportunity To Highlight Difficult Farming SubjectMarch 20, 2026Valley Helps Growers Get The Most Out Of Every AcreMarch 19, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Builds Relationships Between Researchers and Cattle ProducersMarch …
Florida Commissioner’s Spotlight: Rural Farmlands
On this week’s Commissioner’s Spotlight, Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam speaks on the importance of Florida’s farming families, and the efforts to preserve Florida’s rural family lands and conserve our natural resources. The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program is an agricultural land preservation program designed to protect important agricultural lands through the acquisition of permanent agricultural land conservation easements. View …
Clever Ways for a Sustainable Halloween
Cathy Isom has some spooktacular ideas for some clever ways to have a more Earth-friendly Halloween. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. When we think Halloween, some things that come to mind include ghosts, goblins, trick or treaters in scary and cute disposable or plastic costumes, plastic bags, plastic buckets, and ultimately millions of plastic candy wrappers at …
Ethanol Versus Big Oil Politics Fueling Fight in U.S. Senate
Ethanol versus Big Oil politics is apparently fueling a fight in the U.S. Senate over the president’s nomination of Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey to a top USDA post. Northey’s nomination was blocked last week by oil-patch Republican Ted Cruz of Texas. Another Republican, Mike Lee of Utah, had lifted his ‘hold’ on the nomination. But the Cruz ‘hold’ sparked …
One Step Closer to Tax Cuts?
National Hog Farmer says the fiscal year 2018 budget proposed by Republicans and passed by Congress is a step forward toward possible tax cuts. Republicans will be able to use a procedural move that lets tax legislation be passed in the Senate with 50 votes. The goal of the Trump Administration and Republican leaders is to get the tax bill done …
New Film Discusses GMO Misinformation
The maker of a film called Food Evolution, supported by the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance, says his documentary shows how easily misinformation can overwhelm objective analysis. Scott Hamilton Kennedy is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker who produced the movie. Kennedy says the GMO story shows how important it is to use science to make decisions. “I was very honored that …
EPA Releases Guidance on Air Emissions
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released guidance to help farmers report the release of hazardous air emissions from animal waste at their farms. Pork Business Dot Com says the EPA made the information available to aid farmers in preparing for the reporting deadline, which is November 15. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt says his agency is working on addressing the undue …
NAFTA Notice Would Devastate Farm Economy
President Trump has been weighing the idea of giving notice that the U.S. intends to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a way of taking a tough stance on the negotiations. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says even giving the notice would cause immediate harm. A group of 86 food and agriculture groups sent a letter to …