Last week, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Justice (DOJ) launched a new tool where farmers and ranchers can anonymously report potentially unfair and anticompetitive practices in the livestock and poultry sectors. This can be done online at farmerfairness.gov. “This new online tool will help USDA and the Justice Department address anticompetitive actions and create livestock and poultry markets that …
Pests and Diseases to Watch Out for This Spring
Some pests and diseases to watch out for this Spring. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Spring garden pests are with us all year. In the winter, many of them sleep cozily in our gardens, waiting for the cool rains and sun to wake them up. One thing we can do to reduce the spring pest population is to …
Livestock Market Reports for Week Ended 02-4-2022
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia for the week ended February 4, 2022, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions, for the week ending-February 04, 2022, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 14,000 head compared to 12,378 last week and 9,196 …
Update for Producers Impacted by Freezing Temperatures Provided by Florida Ag Commissioner
Emergency Order Issued as Assessments Continue (Tallahassee, FL/February 4, 2022/FDACS) — The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) had staff in the fields as producers continue to assess damages caused by recent freezing temperatures and work to salvage impacted produce. On Thursday, the Florida Department of Transportation issued an emergency order helping farmers impacted by freezing temperatures to move as …
Florida Lawmakers Discuss Budget Issues Important to Agriculture
Week 4 of the 2022 Florida Legislative Session has wrapped up and in her weekly report Mary Ann Hooks, director of the University of Florida/IFAS (UF/IFAS) Government Affairs, said they are pleased to report that their budget priorities are alive and moving forward. The Senate and the House Appropriations Sub-committees released the first run of the budget numbers, and UF/IFAS looks good in the …
NCBA Unhappy with JBS Court Settlement
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is upset with a court settlement reached by JBS as part of a class-action lawsuit against the four biggest meatpackers in the U.S. DTN says the court case and the $52.5 million settlement involves price-fixing and the four meatpackers constraining the fed cattle supply. The NCBA wants to find out what happened to the …
Record U.S. Beef Export Numbers for 2021
Record export numbers were a hot topic during the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show this week in Houston, Texas. AgNet Media’s Sabrina Halvorson attended the event and has this report. The final export numbers are due out next Wednesday, February 9th. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle …
Cogongrass Increasing in Alabama
Cogongrass continues to creep its way throughout the Southeast, and according to the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), there is an increasing prevalence in Alabama. Alabama Extension specialist Nancy Loewenstein notes that once the highly invasive and federal noxious weed begins to establish, it wreaks havoc on the environment. “It has little wildlife value and outcompetes native plants, reducing biodiversity and forest …
Optimism for the Future of the Cattle and Beef Industry
During this week’s Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show in Houston, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association welcomed Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie, and British Ambassador Dame Karen Pierce. During the event, Secretary Vilsack committed to addressing challenges that producers are facing regarding the supply chain, processing capacity and drought. He …
Georgia Citrus Association Conference Coming Up
The Georgia Citrus Association invites growers and industry members to its annual conference on Feb. 28 at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center. The event will last from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and includes topics like regenerative farming, organic production, nutrient management, winter production and new varieties. “We’re super excited because we didn’t get to have the conference last …