(FDACS) — The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that blueberries were not being imported into the United States in such quantities as to harm the domestic blueberry industry nationwide. Earlier this month, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried testified before the ITC that Mexico’s market share for blueberries had skyrocketed 2,100 percent since 2009, while Florida’s market share decreased 38 percent since 2015, indicating …
Survey Indicates 11.5 Million U.S. Cotton Acres to Be Planted
According to the National Cotton Council’s 40th annual Early Season Planting Intentions Survey, U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 11.5 million cotton acres in 2021, down 5.2% from 2020. Upland cotton intentions are 11.3 million acres, down 4.9% from 2020, while extra-long staple (ELS) intentions of 161,000 acres represent a 20.7% decline. The NCC questionnaire was mailed in December to …
Florida Forever Funding Defended by Environmental Chief
(NSF) — State Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Noah Valenstein on Wednesday defended Gov. Ron DeSantis for not asking to issue bonds for the Florida Forever Land Conservation Program, as the financing method has been proposed to cover Everglade’s work and a new program to fight rising sea levels. Valenstein told members of the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations …
Florida NRCS to Hold State Technical Committee Meeting
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida will conduct a State Technical Committee meeting on March 3 by web conference. Chair of the event, Florida State Conservationist Juan Hernandez, says the meeting will have two distinctive portions. The committee is composed of individuals and groups from a variety of agricultural and natural resource interests, as well as farmers. And while the …
Florida Citrus Forecast for February Sees Some Changes
The 2020-2021 Florida all-orange forecast released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is 56 million boxes, up 2 million boxes from the January forecast. This represents a 4 percent increase from the January forecast. If realized, it will be 17 percent less than last season’s final production. ORANGESThe forecast change was for non-Valencia production, which now stands at 22 …
Florida Crop Progress and Condition Report
According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the Florida Crop Progress and Condition Report for the first week of February says there were six days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, February 7. Precipitation for the state ranged from trace amounts in many locations to as much as 4.7 inches at Cross City, located in Dixie County. Temperatures in …
‘Beef It’s What’s For Dinner 300’ is Saturday
The Florida Beef Council (FBC) is excited about being a part of the big Beef Checkoff promotional race event this week. FBC Director of Education & Promotion DeAnne Maples says they are pleased to have several folks from other states coming in to help during the “Beef It’s What’s For Dinner 300” at the Daytona International Speedway. The “Beef It’s What’s …
Weekly Livestock Market Report Week Ending 2-5-2021
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended February 5, 2021, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions for the Week ended February 05, 2021, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 9,200 head compared to 7,996 last week and …
Update on Florida OJ Supply and Demand
In the Feb. 3 Florida Citrus Commission meeting, Marisa Zansler, Florida Department of Citrus director of economic and market research, provided an update on the Florida orange juice (OJ) movement and availability. External trends, such as fruit drop and increased demand during the pandemic, may significantly impact the availability of orange juice throughout the season. Coming into the 2020–21 season, beginning inventory …
Alabama Farmers Welcome Tuberville to Senate Ag Committee
It was announced this week that recently elected U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville from Alabama was appointed to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. The Alabama Farmers Federation welcomed the news. In a release, Federation President Jimmy Parnell praised Tuberville for putting in the work to learn about the issues important to farmers and seeking to be a voice for Alabama agriculture in …