Federal, State Agencies Highlight Cooperative Approach to Land Management

GAINESVILLE, Fla.– Aug. 19, 2020 –A Shared Stewardship agreement between the USDA’s Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Farm Service Agency and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Florida Forest Service, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was signed yesterday during a virtual ceremony. This agreement establishes a framework for federal and state agencies …

Appeals Court Rejects Dicamba Rehearing Request

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals this week declined a rehearing request on its June dicamba decision. The decision leaves Bayer, Corteva and BASF with one final legal option to overturn the ruling vacating registration of dicamba herbicides: appealing to the Supreme Court. On June 3, the court vacated the registration for Bayer’s XtendiMax, Corteva’s FeXapan and BASF’s Engenia, …

USDA’s Conservation Chief Returning to Farming

It’s been announced that the Chief of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Matt Lohr will be stepping down. Gary Crawford talked with him about the fact he is needed back on the farm, thus the decision to leave NRCS. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Encourages Research into Producers QuestionsJune 5, 2026Cattle Producers Proud of Efforts Funded Through the Florida …

Rainy Forecast to Help Alleviate Dry Conditions

Farmers in Alabama, Georgia and most of Florida can expect to receive substantial amount of rainfall over the next few weeks, said Pam Knox, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agricultural Climatologist. It should help alleviate some of the drought-like conditions that are being experienced in all three states. “I looked at the forecast for the next two weeks and it …

Commissioner Fried Announces Second Phase of Improvements to Prescribed Burning Program

Tallahassee, Fla.– Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Forest Service announced today a second phase of major enhancements to the prescribed burning program, which is authorized by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Prescribed burning in Florida is a national model for successfully managing statewide forests and lands through safe, controlled, carefully managed prescribed fire. A scientifically sound …

Weed Suppression Treatment Effects on Tree Seedling Establishment

When we hear talk about cover crops, most of us think of row crop agriculture. But annual cover crop species can be used for more than cover in rotations with agricultural crops. A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Plant Materials Center in Missouri recently completed an evaluation of annual covers to suppress weeds during the …

Maximizing Benefits of Cover Crops for Soil Health

Investing in soil health is an adaptive strategy to improve the sustainability and productivity of soils. Cover cropping is a management practice in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) toolbox used to contribute to soil health on working lands. The NRCS Plant Materials Program, through its network of Plant Materials Centers (PMCs), recently completed a …

EPA Supports States in Addressing PFAS Across the Southeast

ATLANTA (July 29, 2020) — On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the progress it has made in aggressively addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at the national level as it implements the PFAS Action Plan — the most comprehensive cross-agency plan ever to address an emerging chemical of concern. Just as important as this progress at the federal …

Dry Weather Could Impact Essential Nutrients in Cotton, Peanuts

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension soils and fertility specialist Glen Harris cautions cotton growers and peanut producers about the impact that the current dry weather can have on essential nutrients in their respective crops. “We have dried out a little. We’re hoping to get some good rains here in late July and going into August,” Harris said. “The two biggest …