Albany, NH, September 1, 2017 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today administered the oath of office to Tony Tooke, who became the 18th Chief of the U.S. Forest Service, in a ceremony at White Mountain National Forest. Tooke has worked for the Forest Service since age 18 – with 37 total years of service – and until today …
Peanut Breeding Program Works with Students, Growers
By Jaci Schreckengost The peanut breeding program at the University of Florida’s (UF) North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Marianna, Florida, is helping growers in the Southeast by creating new peanut breeds. The breeding program uses applied genetics to create varieties with characteristics that will be beneficial to growers, says Barry Tillman, associate professor of the program. Due …
Specialty Crop Growers Want Changes to NAFTA
Specialty crop growers are more than ready to see changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). While certain agriculture industries have fared well from the agreement, such as potatoes, apples and cherries, specialty crops have not. Established in 1994, NAFTA created free trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico. However, the United States specialty crop industry is …
Secretary Perdue Returns Home for Rural Prosperity Meeting
On Friday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue returned to his home state of Georgia to hold an Agriculture and Rural Prosperity Task Force meeting. The task force was formed by an executive order from President Trump in April with Secretary Perdue serving as chairman. According to Trump’s executive order, the task force was created to “promote economic development and …
Rooney, Perdue View Ranchers’ Land and Water Conservation Efforts
FORT MYERS, FL – Friday, August 18, Congressman Tom Rooney (FL-17) and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue observed critical water quality and land conservation projects during a helicopter tour over South Florida and discussed the importance of reauthorizing these programs in the upcoming Farm Bill. These water and conservation projects help Florida’s farmers and ranchers coordinate with state and …
Farm Labor Contractors Help Make H-2A Affordable
By Jaci Schreckengost With the fear of a domestic labor shortage of agricultural workers in the United States, many growers are turning to H-2A for a guaranteed labor supply. H-2A is a guest-worker program that brings employees from other countries to agricultural worksites in the United States. The downside of this program, however, is the cost. Fritz Roka, associate professor …
Reducing Hive Losses from Varroa Mites Honey Bee Program
Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda, PhD Clemson University Apiculture Specialist, will be our guest speaker Wednesday, August 16 at the Carroll County Ag Center located at 900 Newnan Road in Carrollton, Georgia 30117 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. She will be speaking with us on her experience and research working with Varroa mites and her honey bee program at Clemson. Dr. …
H-2A Contracts, Costs and Considerations
By Jaci Schreckengost The H-2A program is a guest-worker program that allows people from other countries to come to the United States on a visa as agricultural employees for temporary, seasonal work. Many industries are beginning to use H-2A due to uncertainty over the domestic labor supply, says Fritz Roka, an associate professor of agriculture economics at the University of …
Trump Unveils New Immigration Legislation
Since the beginning of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump has been vocal about his urgency to reform U.S. immigration policy. When he was elected, business leaders, especially within the agriculture industry, waited to see what Trump’s immigration plans were and what those plans would mean for their workforce. An announcement from Trump today, August 2, may give the agriculture industry …
Rep. Albritton Discusses Changes in Florida House
By Jaci Schreckengost Ben Albritton, Florida House Representative of District 56, says there have been changes in the Florida House since the transition between Speaker Crisafulli and Speaker Corcoran in 2016. According to Albritton, the former speaker, Crisafulli, supported many policies for agriculture during his time as speaker. While the new speaker, Corcoran, has not had as much of a …