(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday proposed a $91.4 billion state budget for next year, touting plans to funnel more money to public-school teachers and continue “momentum” on environmental issues. The proposal is an initial step as lawmakers prepare for the January start of the annual legislative session, which will include negotiating a budget for the fiscal year that …
2020 Plant Trends Head Off the Beaten Garden Path
(UF/IFAS) — Expect to see more eco-conscious and unconventional plants in homes and gardens for 2020, according to horticultural experts with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Below are some of the hottest trends to look for in the new year. Plants are considered native to your area if they naturally occur there. “One trend I …
Weekly Livestock Market Report Week Ending 11-15-19
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended November 15, 2019, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions for the week ended November 15, 2019, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 14,500 head compared to 17,962 last week and …
Conservation Funding Fight Goes to Supreme Court
(NSF) — Environmental groups are going to the Florida Supreme Court in a long-running legal battle about whether state lawmakers have properly carried out a 2014 constitutional amendment designed to boost land and water conservation. The groups filed a notice Friday that is a first step in asking the Supreme Court to decide the case. As is common, the notice does not …
Everglades: Soil Mapping the River of Grass
(USDA/NRCS Florida) — In the south Florida sweltering heat, soil scientists Craig Prink and Martin Figueroa suit up in long-sleeved shirts, long pants, hats, and tightly wrap bandanas around their faces to protect against the sun, water glare, and insects. Heavy gloves and neoprene footwear keep the serrated-edged sawgrass from slicing their skin when they wade through the water. They …
FCA Planning Year-End Quarterly Meeting
Plans are coming together for the Florida Cattlemen’s Association (FCA) Year-End Quarterly Meeting. It will be held Dec. 5-6 at the Indian River State College in Okeechobee. It starts Thursday, Dec. 5 with the FCA executive board meeting that morning, then the opening general session starts at 1:00. Afterwards, the committee meetings will be held, which includes the Ag Research and Education, …
Weekly Livestock Market Report Week Ending 11-08-19
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended November 8, 2019, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions for the week ended November 8, 2019, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 18,000 head compared to 13,894 last week and …
USDA Announces Block Grants for Three States as Part of Broader Disaster Relief Package
(USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make available $800 million to agricultural producers in Alabama, Florida and Georgia affected by hurricanes Michael and Florence. The state block grants are part of a broader $3 billion package to help producers recover from 2018 and 2019 natural disasters, which includes the Wildfire …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Announces USDA Disaster Relief for Florida
(FDACS) — Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has allocated $380.7 million in federal block grant funding for Florida farmers devastated by Hurricane Michael, including direct relief for timber producers. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will administer the USDA block grants alongside the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Through consistent engagement with USDA officials, Florida …
Northern Everglades Rules to Change
Article by Katrina Elsken Cattle ranches have been in the Lake Okeechobee watershed since pioneers first settled the area, but before the Central and South Florida Project for Flood Control, the nutrient loads entering Lake Okeechobee were not a problem, Gary Ritter of Florida Farm Bureau told South Florida Water Management District representatives at the Nov. 5 workshop in Okeechobee. “The …