Livestock and Sporting Groups are celebrating the signing today (Monday) of a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), the Public Lands Council (PLC), Ducks Unlimited (DU), Safari Club International (SCI), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The MOU outlines the groups’ shared commitment to healthy natural resources and collective conservation of habitat …
U.S. Cattle on Feed Up 2%
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its August Cattle on feed report, and the new numbers show cattle and calves on feed for the U.S. slaughter market on Aug. 1 was 2% above Aug. 1, 2019. USDA livestock analyst Shayle Shagam runs through some of the key numbers from that report. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Plays Critical Role …
Registration Open for $380 Million for Hurricane Michael Timber and Irrigation Recovery Block Grant Programs
Tallahassee, Fla. – Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Forest Service announced that registration for the Florida Timber Recovery Block Grant Program and the Florida Irrigation Recovery Block Grant Program is now available to agricultural producers and forest landowners who suffered damage from Hurricane Michael in October 2018. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the program is managed …
Weekly Livestock Market Report Week Ending 08-21-2020
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended August 21, 2020, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 15,500 head compared to 12,632 last week and 9,392 year ago. Compared to one week …
FFA Membership Reaches Record
The National FFA Organization this week announced a record-high student membership of 760,113, an increase from last year’s 700,170 members. The top five student membership states are Texas, California, Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma. Interest in FFA and agricultural education continues to grow as membership continues to increase as well as the number of chapters. This year, the organization has more …
Commissioner Fried Welcomes NOAA Announcement of Aquaculture Opportunity Areas
Tallahassee, Fla.— The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the selection of sites in federal waters off Florida in the Gulf of Mexico as one of the first locations designated as Aquaculture Opportunity Areas. The announcement comes after Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried sent a letter to the U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, asking that the department consider designating waters off Florida’s coast as an …
White Mold Disease Major Problem in Peanuts
It won’t be too long before it’s harvest time for peanut producers in the Southeast. However, University of Georgia Extension plant pathologist Bob Kemerait implores farmers to stay on a good fungicide program to protect their crop against white mold disease. “The big story in peanuts right now is white mold. I just got off the phone with (county Extension …
National Farmer Survey Documents Wide Range of Cover Crop Benefits as Acres Continue to Expand
Despite the crippling rainfall that significantly delayed planting across much of the country in 2019, more than 90% of farmers participating in a national cover crop survey reported that cover crops allowed them to plant earlier or at the same time as non-cover-cropped fields. Among those who had “planted green,” seeding cash crops into growing cover crops, 54% said the …
Farmer Support for Trump Remains Strong
President Donald Trump trails former Vice President Joe Biden in election polls, but farmer support for Trump remains strong. A recent Pulse Poll from Farm Journal shows 82% of the more than 1,500 farmer respondents say they would vote for President Trump if the election were held today. Meanwhile, 13% say they would vote for Biden, while 5% remain undecided. …
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 …