Efforts Address Declining Pollinator Populations

Dan Environment, Research

Those in agriculture have been working with beekeepers and researchers to adopt more appropriate steps for assessing pesticides and their risks to pollinators. Dr. David Epstein, an entomologist for the USDA’s Office of Pest Management Policy, explains how a recent meeting between ag industry stakeholders, researchers, and beekeepers impacts his work at the USDA.

expands

Drought Expands Across the U.S.

Dan Drought, Industry News Release

The latest Drought Monitor shows soils continuing to dry out and crops suffering as drought and abnormal dryness expands and intensifies across the Plains, Midwest, northern Rockies, and Virginia. Montana saw the most severe level of drought, called exceptional drought, grow by 10 points in a week. 12 percent of the state is in exceptional drought and 24 percent is …

senate

Chlorpyrifos Ban Introduced in U.S. Senate

Dan Environment, Industry News Release, Legislative

Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal and New Mexico Democrat Tom Udall Tuesday introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate to ban chlorpyrifos, a widely used agricultural insecticide. Udall explained that The American Academy of Pediatrics says chlorpyrifos use “puts all children at risk,” adding that “we need to listen to the experts” and ban the pesticide.” The Obama-era Environmental Protection Agency …

nacd

NACD Urges Congress to Restore EQIP

Dan Environment, Industry News Release

NACD Encouraged by Technical Assistance funds The National Association of Conservation Districts is encouraged that the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Fiscal Year 2018 bill strongly funds technical assistance at the Agriculture Department, but is concerned with continued cuts to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The spending legislation includes an allocation of $874 million for the Conservation Operations account – almost $10 …

organizations

Court Denies Petition to Ban Pesticide

Dan Environment, Industry News Release

A U.S. Appeals Court in San Francisco denied a petition from environmental groups to force the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Reuters says that decision ends one of three parallel attempts to get the ban put in place. The groups, including Earthjustice and the Natural Resources Defense Council, wanted the ban in place because they allege the …

Urban Agriculture Conservation Grants Awarded

Dan Environment, USDA-NRCS

The National Association of Conservation Districts, in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, has awarded $1 million in grants to 19 conservation districts in 14 states to boost technical assistance capacity for urban agriculture and conservation projects. “Our work as conservationists has evolved since the Dust Bowl when many of our nation’s 3,000 conservation districts were first established,” NACD …

Commissioner Adam Putnam

Putnam Comments Re: Phosphorous Reduction in Everglades Agricultural Area

Dan Environment, Florida

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam released the following statement regarding the South Florida Water Management District’s announcement that for the Water Year 2017 monitoring period, the Everglades Water Quality Program achieved a 70-percent phosphorous reduction. “We continue to make headway in restoring the health of the Everglades, and the Everglades Agricultural Area has, yet again, exceeded state-mandated goals …

epa

EPA Administrator Visits Southeast Agriculture

Randall Weiseman Alabama, Environment, Georgia, Legislative

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt is visiting the Southeast this week, bringing his Back-to-Basics positive environmental agenda with him. He visited Alabama and Georgia, where he was joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. Pruitt discusses his trip and Back-to-Basics initiative. “It’s been a wonderful two days,” Pruitt says. He started his trip on July 6 …

Florida drought wildfires

USDA Options for Livestock Producers Dealing With Drought

Dan Cattle, Drought, Livestock

Dry and or drought conditions are nothing new to livestock producers in the Southeast. But this year, some of the areas suffering the most have been in the Northern Plains. And in a story from Rod Bain, we learn more about some of the tools in the USDA tool shed that can assist livestock producers facing drought conditions, particularly from …