U.S. Sugar, Everglades Equipment Group and Autonomous Solutions Inc. have announced the nation’s largest commercial deployment of autonomous tractors in the American sugar industry. The fleet of unmanned John Deere tractors are being implemented on 255,000 acres of farmland in South Florida. The fleet of tractors are operating in sugarcane fields 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While …
Final Rule Implemented For Whole Milk For Healthy Kids Act
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced late last week that the USDA has issued the final rule implementing the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act. The act restores whole and 2% milk options in federal child nutrition programs and according to the department supports, “America’s dairy farmers by ensuring schools and child nutrition providers can once again offer students …
Georgia Governor Signs Agriculture Bills
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed several bills into law last week supporting Georgia’s farmers and foresters. The Governor was joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, Speaker Jon Burns, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Georgia Forestry Commission Director Johnny Sabo, members of the General Assembly as well as agriculture and natural resource representatives. During the event, Governor Kemp signed HB1159 which …
USDA Finalizes Rule Regarding SNAP Retailers Stocking Standards
USDA has published the final rule regarding stocking standards for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. According to the Department, the final rule requires that retailers “must now carry seven varieties of items across four categories of staple foods: protein, grains, dairy, and fruits and vegetables. This change more than doubles the requirement of available foods, emphasizes more …
USDA Names Members and Alternates To The National Peanut Board
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has appointed additional representatives to the National Peanut Board. The National Peanut Board is made up of 12 producer members and their alternates with eleven members and their alternates representing the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Additionally, an at-large member and alter represent the …
Deltapine® NPE Growers Evaluating 2027 Class of Varieties
Bayer Deltapine® New Product Evaluator (NPE) Program is evaluating the 2027 class of cotton varieties. We caught up with Eric Best, Deltapine® Cotton Product Manager to learn more. Best said, “We were sitting here talking about this two months ago, and we’ve seen cotton prices go up. We’re seeing a little bit of momentum and positivity around attitudes around the cotton …
National Peanut Board New Brand Promotion
A bold new era for the peanut industry. That’s the voice of the National Peanut Board, who announced this week a new program to help promote peanuts. It’s a game changing brand platform, they said, that will champion this, represent the 7000 peanut farming families across America. They said that this is a special, new strategic push to connect the Gen Z population, a generation that …
USMEF Highlights March Exports of Pork and Beef Variety Meat Values
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is highlighting the pork exports for March, as well as the value of beef variety meats. According to USMEF, “March exports of U.S. pork were among the largest on record, concluding a very strong first quarter, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).” Pork exports in …
One-Room Schoolhouses: A Cornerstone of Rural American Agriculture
The Roots of Rural Education One-room schoolhouses hold a unique and enduring place in American agricultural history. As highlighted by agricultural historian Mark Oppold, these modest structures were more than just places of learning—they were vital community hubs that helped shape rural life across the United States. One of the earliest known examples is the Eureka Schoolhouse, constructed in 1785 …
Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Calls For DOJ Investigation Into Proposed Acquisition
Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper is calling for the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to conduct an antitrust investigation into the proposed acquisition of Restaurant Depot by Sysco Corporation. In a letter sent earlier this week, Commissioner Harper highlighted that Sysco already controls nearly 20% of the food service market and that “This proposed acquisition …










