Cotton and Peanut Crop Nearly Planted

Planting of the nation’s cotton crop is nearing completion. As of this past Sunday, 92 percent of the crop was in the ground. And according to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey, a sizeable percentage of the crop looks good at this time.     In Alabama, 97 percent of the cotton crop has been planted as of this past Sunday, which …

Troutman Joins Lineup of Florida Ag Commissioner Hopefuls

by Lloyd Dunkelberger News Service of Florida Former state Rep. Baxter Troutman entered the race for state agriculture commissioner on Monday, priming his Republican bid for a Cabinet seat with $2.5 million of his own money. “For two decades, I’ve been building a business and continuing my work in Florida agriculture,” Troutman, of Winter Haven, said in a statement. “Real …

National Weed Your Garden Day

Grab your gardening tools. Cathy Isom is telling you why you’ll want to spend an extra 5 or 10 minutes celebrating in your garden today. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.       National Weed Your Garden Day is observed annually on June 13.  This is a day set aside for all gardeners to take an extra 5 or …

NPPC, Ports Coalition, Applaud Early West Coast Port Contract Talks

The National Pork Producers Council has signed onto a letter from the Ports Coalition applauding early contract talks between port unions and west coast port operators. The letter specifically applauds the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and Pacific Maritime Association for agreeing to early discussions on a contract extension. The extension will allow ports on the West Coast to operate …

National Farmers Union Submits NAFTA Comments to USTR

The National Farmers Union is urging the Donald Trump administration to craft a new, fair trade framework for international trade deals that benefits rural America through the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. In public comments submitted to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, NFU President Roger Johnson highlighted the alleged shortcomings of the United States’ current free trade …

Farmland Values Expected to Decline

Experts expect farmland values to decline as agriculture enters the projected fourth year of lower farm incomes. Agricultural real estate business Farmers National Company says agricultural land values in most areas can be expected to continue to gradually decline over the next several years if commodity prices and farm incomes remain at current low levels. However, despite anticipated additional declines …

Conaway, Rouzer Praise U.S.-China Beef Agreement

Following the announcement that the U.S. and China have finalized an agreement allowing for American beef exports, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman David Rouzer (NC-07) made the below comments: “As one of the world’s largest importers of beef, China has long been an area of great opportunity for the U.S. …

U.S., China Finalize Details to Send U.S. Beef to China

As part of the U.S.-China 100-Day Action plan announced on May 11, 2017, by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin, the Trump Administration has taken important steps toward commercial shipment of U.S. beef and beef products to China for the first time since 2003.  These shipments are results of the U.S.-China Comprehensive …