Senators Seek Meat Worker Protections from USDA

Senate Democrats want Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide more worker safety protection to meat processing employees. A group of 29 Senators, led by Democrat Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, penned a letter to Perdue outlining recommendations for ways the Department of Agriculture should improve worker safety. The Senators wrote, “While we recognize the importance of keeping these plants running, it …

Forages Conference Virtual Meeting Scheduled for May 26

By Clint Thompson The annual Georgia Forages Conference will have a virtual look this year. On Tuesday, May 26, the conference will be held Live on Facebook and will feature pre-recorded video discussions with speakers about important topics like the bermudagrass stem maggot and alfalfa baleage production. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and be held through the Georgia …

Outlook for U.S. Red Meat Exports Remains Positive

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) reports that global demand for U.S. pork and beef has remained very robust in 2020, despite COVID-19 related disruptions in many countries’ restaurant and hospitality sectors. Joe Schuele has the story.   Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses …

President Trump Addresses Beef Imports During NCBA White House Visit

DENVER (May 19, 2020) – National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CEO Colin Woodall issued the following statement in response to comments made by President Donald Trump about beef imports: “Today’s comment by President Donald Trump demonstrates the complexities of the U.S. beef business. Live cattle imports to the United States only come from Canada and Mexico and will continue to …

Alabama Peanut Referendum Vote Rescheduled

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alabama Peanut Producers Association had to delay the 2020 Alabama Peanut Referendum vote that was originally scheduled for April. The vote will now be held on July 23. According to a prior story, the Peanut Referendum vote will cover the crop for the 2020-22 production seasons. All growers who produced peanuts in 2017, 2018 …

NACD Submits Comments on RCPP Rule

Last week, the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) submitted public comments to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on the interim Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) rule. RCPP was first created in the 2014 Farm Bill, and conservation districts across the country have successfully applied for, partnered with and led a large portion of all projects since the program’s …

USDA Announces Details of Direct Assistance to Farmers Through Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Farmers and Ranchers to Receive Direct Support for Losses Related to COVID-19 Contact: USDA PressEmail: press@oc.usda.gov (Washington, D.C., May 19, 2020) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to America’s farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus …

U.S. Peanut Exports Continue to Rise

U.S. peanut export numbers continue to climb, and according to Tyron Spearman, the latest figures show a 25.3% rise over an eight month period.  Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics Offers Growers Targeted Application of Herbicides or …

Looking Forward to 2021 SLE Rodeo

Late last week, the Southeastern Livestock Exposition (SLE) Board of Directors made the decision to cancel the 2020 SLE Rodeo. The event, which was originally planned to take place back in March, had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SLE Executive Director Erin Beasley says now that the decision to cancel the 2020 event has been made, they …

Cotton, Peanut Planting Update

According to new numbers from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), last week was another good week for cotton planting, while progress for peanut planting has been slow. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says cotton planting progress is slightly ahead of average. But Rippey says there has been slow planting progress for peanuts. In Alabama, 63% of the cotton crop …