Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) economist Marisa Zansler recently broke down the expected utilization of the 57 million boxes of oranges Florida is forecast to produce in the 2020-21 season. She also offered projections for utilization of grapefruit and specialty fruit, and made other economic projections in her outlook for the season. ORANGESAbout 96 percent of the orange crop is …
Stabenow Leads Opposition against USDA Decision on Dairy Aid
(NAFB) — Senate Ag Committee Member Debbie Stabenow is leading a group of 15 senators asking Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue to reverse a decision that excluded dairy farmers from getting coronavirus aid for losses from meat produced from breeding animals. The Hagstrom Report says the senators point out that losses from meat produced from breeding animals were included in the …
Fewer Loans Issued to Farmers Limits Overall Lending Activity
The Kansas City Federal Reserve says a slower pace of farm financing activity continued in the third quarter of 2020. The total volume of non-real estate farm loans remained subdued amid ongoing weakness in the ag sector, thanks in part to developments regarding COVID-19. The National Survey of Terms of Lending to Farmers, confirmed by statistical research from same day …
New Rule Makes Enhancements to Environmental Quality Incentives Program
(USDA/NRCS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule for its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The rule updates USDA’s flagship program as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and integrates feedback from agricultural producers and others. “This final rule enables us to continue helping producers manage their land in the most beneficial ways possible,” said Kevin Norton, acting Chief of USDA’s …
Best Ways to Pick Your Halloween Pumpkin
The best ways to pick your Halloween pumpkin. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Pumpkins, which are members of the squash family, produce fruits in all shapes, sizes, and colors. You could pick a pumpkin from the grocery store, but you’ll get a fresher and more interesting selection at a pumpkin farm. Many farms grow different types of …
Weekly Livestock Market Report Week Ending 10-23-2020
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended October 23, 2020, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions, for the week ending October 23, 2020, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 14,300 head compared to 14,827 last week and …
Report Released on Agricultural Trade between the U. S. and China
(USDA) — The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today issued a report highlighting the progress made to date in implementing the agricultural provisions in the U.S.-China Phase One Economic and Trade Agreement, which is delivering historic results for American agriculture. Since the Agreement entered into force, the United States and China have …
Trump Administration Invests in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Alabama
ReConnect Funding to Connect 11,163 Rural Households to High-Speed Internet e-Connectivity (USDA/RD) — The Trump Administration announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $37 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Alabama. This investment is part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program. “Access to …
Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. Returns to Broadcast Television
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is getting Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. back on broadcast television during The Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas (NCBA) — With the holidays looking a little different this year, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is ensuring one thing remains the same – …
U.S. Congressman Talks Pecans and Peanuts
Last week, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Chairman of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, visited a farm in Albany, GA. meeting with members of the National Pecan Shellers, Georgia Pecan Growers Association, Georgia Pecan Commission, and the University of Georgia’s Associate Deans of Research and Engineering. Tyron Spearman …