TALLAHASSEE, FL (NSF-Oct. 7, 2019) — A document discussed Monday by the state’s Blue-Green Algae Task Force should be viewed, members said, as a broad roadmap for lawmakers with the 2020 legislative session less than 100 days away. And task force members, meeting in Gainesville to further edit the document, said they will look in future meetings beyond Lake Okeechobee …
Florida NRCS Holding RCPP Workshop This Week
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) continues their launch of the updated Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). Potential partners are encouraged to submit proposals that will improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural viability. And Florida NRCS will conduct two RCPP Workshops, with the first workshop being held this week. It will take place Wednesday, …
Weekly Livestock Market Report Week Ending 10-04-19
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended October 4, 2019, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions for the week ended October 4, 2019, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 15,700 head compared to 18,818 last week and …
Leaders Urged to Take ‘Risks’ in Michael Recovery
TALLAHASSEE, FL (NSF-Oct. 4, 2019) — Northwest Florida does not have the luxury of time as it slowly recovers from devastating Hurricane Michael, one of the nation’s best-known disaster recovery experts advised a group trying to rally support for the region this week. With the one-year anniversary of the deadly Category 5 storm next week, Craig Fugate, a former head …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Celebrates Grand Opening of New State Laboratory
Kissimmee, FL (FDACS-Oct. 3, 2019) — Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried and former agriculture commissioner Charles H. Bronson participated in the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostics Laboratory (BADDL). A state-of-the-art $11 million state facility, the Bronson Lab is Florida’s only animal disease diagnostic laboratory fully accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. The new …
Lease End Could Help Everglades Reservoir Plan
TALLAHASSEE, FL (NSF-Oct. 3, 2019) — The sugar grower Florida Crystals has agreed to the early end of a controversial lease on land south of Lake Okeechobee that is envisioned for a stormwater-treatment area linked to a new reservoir. An extension of the lease last November by the South Florida Water Management District in the Everglades Agricultural Area resulted in …
Gov. DeSantis Announces Early Termination of the Florida Crystals Lease on the STA Footprint of Lands Needed for Construction of the EAA Reservoir
Lease Termination is an Important Step in Meeting the Expedited Construction Schedule for the Reservoir Project Tallahassee, FL (Office of FL Gov. Ron DeSantis-Oct. 3, 2019)— Governor Ron DeSantis, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced the early termination of the Florida Crystals Lease for the stormwater treatment area (STA) component …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Unveils Major Energy & Climate Legislative Package
Tampa, FL (FDACS-Oct. 3, 2019) — Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried unveiled an ambitious legislative package of bills to address energy efficiency, climate change, resiliency, and clean energy research. Speaking at a press conference in Tampa alongside U.S. Representative Kathy Castor, U.S. Representative Charlie Crist, and State Representative Margaret Good, Fried highlighted the urgency with which Florida and the nation must address energy and climate issues. The …
UF/IFAS Experts Help Farmers Cope with Mental Stress
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (UF/IFAS-Oct. 3, 2019) — When some people think of a farmer, they conjure an image of a stoic, tough-as-nails figure – one who can cope with any hardship. But that’s not always the case, particularly when cold, heat, drought, disease or a natural disaster strikes their crop or cattle. Sometimes, when a farmer or rancher’s livelihood is …
Facts of the Flow: Lake Okeechobee, 2019 Year-to-Date
(SFWMD) — Here is the latest update on inflows into Lake Okeechobee for the calendar year to date. This data is provided by SFWMD’s DBHYDRO database. There has been no back-pumping into Lake Okeechobee from the Everglades Agricultural Area this year. Source: South Florida Water Management District Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Funding For Quicker Response to Research QuestionsApril …