By Clint Thompson Scouting for plant bugs is an important practice all cotton growers need to be doing now, says Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension entomologist. He estimates 35% to 40% of the cotton crop is squaring. Unfortunately, some farmers are already reporting high incidences of plant bugs. “We have received a few reports of fields exceeding threshold …
Free Juice Returning to Florida’s Highway Welcome Centers
(NSF) – Free orange juice is set to return to Florida welcome centers next month. On Wednesday, the Florida Citrus Commission approved a $250,000 contract with Visit Florida to start offering juice on July 1. Department of Citrus paperwork said the purpose of offering orange or grapefruit juice to visitors is “to increase awareness of the Florida citrus industry and …
USDA Dairy Safety-Net Program Sign-Up Begins Oct. 12
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced that Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) safety-net sign-up for 2021 coverage will begin October 12 and will run through December 11, 2020. DMC has already triggered payments for two months for producers who signed up for 2020 coverage. “If we’ve learned anything in the past six months, it’s to expect …
Peanut Market Update
Tyron Spearman has this week’s peanut market update. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Funding Crucial For Forage DevelopmentMay 22, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Funding to Enhance Brahman GeneticsMay 15, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Production ResearchMay 8, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Opportunities to Develop Preliminary Data For Future Grant ProjectsMay 1, 2026
Farmworkers: DeSantis’ Remarks ‘Shameful’
(NSF) – Farm workers are pushing back after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said clusters of “overwhelmingly Hispanic” day laborers and agriculture workers are the source for Florida’s recent surge in coronavirus cases. The Republican governor told reporters on Tuesday that migrant workers and Hispanic construction workers have been testing positive for COVID-19, in part, because of cramped living and working …
USDA Expands Farmers.gov Features to Manage Conservation Activities
New self-service features on farmers.gov will help farmers and ranchers manage their conservation activities online and request assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Producers can access these conservation features by desktop computer, tablet or phone. They can now: View, download and e-sign documents; Request conservation assistance; Reference technical terms and submit questions; Access information …
Brief Seeking to Invalidate EPA’s Dicamba Existing Stocks Order
A coalition of national grower trade associations are urging the Ninth Circuit to reject an NGO call to invalidate EPA’s dicamba existing stocks order for three dicamba products whose registrations were immediately vacated by the court earlier this month. The National Corn Growers Association, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Cotton Council of America, National Association of Wheat …
Dicamba Makers Seek to Intervene in Court Decision
Makers of dicamba filed motions to intervene in a court case following a decision to vacate the registration for three dicamba herbicides. BASF and Corteva announced their motions to intervene late last week. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the registrations on June 3, 2020, for dicamba herbicides from BASF, Bayer and Corteva. Bayer intervened in the case last …
USDA: Commodity Purchases Reach $2.2 Billion Through Aid Program
The Department of Agriculture announced the purchases of more than $2.2 billion of food items for fiscal years 2019 and 2020. The purchases are part of the ongoing efforts to feed people in need and assist American farmers and ranchers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations. USDA is on target to reach its fiscal year …
More Progress Needed on U.S. Beef Access to Saudi Arabia
While Saudi Arabia did recently lift its 30-month cattle age restriction on U.S. beef, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) notes other product restrictions do remain in place. Joe Schuele has the story. According to USMEF, U.S. exports to Saudi Arabia in 2019 totaled $14.3 million. Through April of this year, exports were substantially below the 2019 pace at just …