University of Florida officials, citrus scientists, growers and other stakeholders will gather at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred this Wednesday, November 29 for the 100th anniversary of the CREC. Dr. Jack Payne, University of Florida senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, is looking forward to the big event. UF/IFAS Citrus REC celebrates …
Winter Mushroom Foraging
Cathy Isom fills you in about the mushroom you can still forage in the wintertime. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. It’s the time of year when many mushrooms disappear as the last of the autumn leaves fall to the ground. But there is one that’s a wintertime survivor. The oyster mushroom. It’s actually loves winter so much, it’s …
John Deere Sales and Income Numbers Climb
Improving farm and construction equipment markets contributed to higher sales and income numbers for the fourth quarter and full year for John Deere. The company’s performance benefitted from advanced products and a flexible cost structure. John Deere’s 2018 income forecast calls for a net income of $2.8 billion. Net income for Deere and Company was just over $510 million, or …
H-2A Minimum Wage for Guest Workers Likely to Rise in Several States
The minimum wage for H-2A guest workers is likely to rise in several states during 2018. The National Ag Statistics Service (NASS) surveys the prevailing wages of field and livestock workers in different regions across the country. The NASS calculations are normally adopted by the U.S. Department of Labor in December as the Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWR) for the …
South Korea Minister Says No Concessions in Farm-Sector KORUS Discussions
The South Korean trade minister says his country will not take a step backward in the upcoming discussions on updating the South Korean – U.S. free trade deal, known as KORUS. The Korean Herald Dot Com says he told reporters that the government is taking a “strong stand on the agriculture sector and will not retreat any further.” This was …
Grassley, Ag State Senators Maintain Push for NAFTA
Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley remains optimistic that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations will come to a conclusion that benefits agriculture. The Gazette Dot Com said Grassley’s optimism remains in spite of the hard-line taken by the Trump administration in the negotiations. Grassley and other ag-state senators have been continually pushing for the trilateral agreement to continue. …
Some Corn Belt Farmland Values are Stabilizing
Although it’s not region-wide, there are some signs that farmland values in the Corn Belt have begun to stabilize. A Top Producer report says Iowa farmland values rose two percent in the six months prior to September. Those same values are also three percent higher than at the same time last year. The Iowa Chapter of Realtors Land institute survey …
EPA Maintains RFS Point of Obligation Requirement
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided Wednesday to maintain the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) Point of Obligation. A Farm Futures Dot Com report notes that EPA administrator Scott Pruitt followed through on a promise to a group of Midwest senators that he would deny a petition from oil refiners to change the point of obligation. He followed through on Wednesday …
Agri View: California Winery Losses
Everett Griner talks about losses suffered to the California winery business due to the wildfires in today’s Agri View. Everett lets us know just what we can expect the price or our wine and grape juice to be over the next couple of years. Image:Â Wine rack from the now burned down Signorello Estate winery in Napa, CA. Apparently glass will …
Perdue Announces Soybean Board Appointments
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of 19 members and 3 alternate members to serve on the United Soybean Board. The producers appointed to serve three year terms include: Annie Dee, Aliceville, Ala. Robert Stobaugh, Atkins, Ark. Gary Berg, Saint Elmo, Ill. Tom Griffiths, Kendallville, Ind. Thomas E. Oswald, Cleghorn, Iowa Larry K. Marek, Riverside, Iowa Dennis Gruenbacher, …