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 Urges Congress to Restore EQIP
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 …
Court Denies Petition to Ban Pesticide
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
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 …
Putnam Comments Re: Phosphorous Reduction in Everglades Agricultural Area
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 Administrator Visits Southeast Agriculture
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 …
USDA Options for Livestock Producers Dealing With Drought
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 …
Alabama Landowners Can Apply for Drought Funding
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama wants to remind landowners impacted by last year’s extreme drought that you have until July 28, 2017, to apply for funding. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsMarch 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024
Agri View: Cleaner Living
Everett Griner talks about living in a cleaner world, thanks to the E.P.A. in today’s Agri View. Let’s be honest. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gets a lot of criticism. Some of it may be justified, but not all of it. The way farmers and homeowners once used poisons and pesticides would make today’s world totally …
NRCS Alabama Announces Drought Funding
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Alabama has announced the agency is providing funding to assist landowners impacted by last year’s extreme drought. Eligible landowners have until July 28, 2017, to apply. from USDA/NRCS Alabama Eligible Landowners with Grazing Lands Encouraged to Apply USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist for Alabama, Ben Malone, announced that the agency is …