An EPA advisory panel recommends the agency continue to protect water rule exemptions for farm features, as it rewrites the Navigable Waters Protection Rule that replaced WOTUS. EPA’s Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities advisory panel calls for a clear and limited WOTUS definition with exemptions for ditches, stock ponds, prairie potholes and prior converted cropland, though it’s no guarantee EPA …
Input Prices Greatest Threat for 2022
The Latest Rural Mainstreet Index shows rising input prices as the top threat in 2022 for farmers. Released Thursday, the index declined in January, though it remained above growth neutral for the 14th straight month. Overall, the region’s reading for January fell to 61.1 from December’s 66.7. The index ranges between 0 and 100, with a reading of 50.0 representing …
Secretary of Transportation on HOS Regulations for Livestock Haulers
Back in late November of last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced they had extended the waiver for commercial truckers from the Federal Hours of Service (HOS) regulation until Feb. 28, 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 the FMCSA included livestock haulers in an initial emergency declaration that provided an exemption from the HOS regulation for …
Georgia Lawmakers Busy Talking Budget
Week two of the 2022 Georgia State Legislative Session has seen lawmakers involved in discussing the budget for the next fiscal year. Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) Director of Government Affairs, Jake Tench, explains what took place this week. He also reminds everyone about their Legislative Breakfast which is just around the corner. To learn more about the GAC’s Legislative Breakfast, …
Applications Due Tuesday for Cover Crop Initiative in Georgia
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia wants to remind agricultural producers about several new and expanded opportunities for conservation programs that lend to climate-smart agriculture production in fiscal year 2022. Among these is the Cover Crop Initiative (CCI), but signup for this ends January 25, 2022. CCI incentivizes the use of cover crops on Georgia’s agricultural land, and the counties …
Dealing with a Dreaded Weed Harmful to Pets and Livestock
How to deal with a dreaded weed that is harmful to your pets. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Goat head weed is sometimes referred to as puncturevine, cat’s head, or devil’s thorn. It’s an annual broadleaf that readily reseeds itself. Not only is it difficult to eradicate, but it can also poison livestock and pets. It thrives …
USDA-NRCS in Florida Web Conference is Next Week
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida would like to remind producers and landowners across the state that they will be conducting a State Technical Committee meeting via web conference on Wednesday, January 26, from 10:00 am-12:00 pm Eastern. The NRCS meeting, which is open to the public, will provide a report for natural resource and program priority decisions and they …
Florida Senate Passes Scaled-Back Emergency Fund
The Florida Senate on Wednesday cut in half the amount of money it would put into a new emergency fund that critics called a “blank check” for Gov. Ron DeSantis. According to the News Service of Florida, the Senate overwhelmingly approved two bills (SB 96 and SB 98) that would shift $500 million of general revenue into the pot of …
Farmland Market Ended Strong in 2021
Farmland sales continued at a torrid pace at Farmers National Company during the last quarter of 2021. The dollar volume of land sold by the company during October through December was up 53 percent compared to last year and up 106 percent from two years ago. The number of transactions was up 23 percent, and total acres sold were up …
Small Family Farms Produce Majority of Poultry and Eggs, And Hay
USDA’s Economic Research Service reports most values of cotton, dairy and specialty crops are produced on large-scale family farms, according to 2020 data. USDA defines a family farm as one in which the principal operator and related family own the majority of the assets used in the operation. Large-scale family farms have an annual gross cash farm income of $1 …