This month’s update on the citrus crop comes to us from Florida Citrus Mutual: Stallings Crop Insurance sponsors this news report: LAKELAND, Fla. (April 9, 2009) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released its April orange crop forecast for the 2008-2009 season slightly reducing the total orange estimate by 400,000 boxes to 157.6 million boxes.
FL Farm Bureau’s “Ag Watch” Tallahassee Report April 8, 2009
Here’s this week’s 4-08-09 edition of Florida Farm Bureau’s Ag Watch (pdf file) from the FFB Legislative office in Tallahassee.
Florida’s Tight Budget Puts Lawmakers Into “Grinch” Position
It is no secret the poor economy and its related impacts on the state budget has all kinds of industries and programs running for cover. Recently speaking with House Natural Resources Appropriations Committee Chairman about the situation and his last couple years in office until he term limits out, he says it has lawmakers in the position of being the …
Fish and Wildlife Service conducts review of 13 Florida species
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to conduct 5-year status reviews of 13 endangered species occurring in Florida all of which are plants. This notice covers the following plant species federally listed as endangered: Brooksville bellflower, fragrant prickly-apple, pygmy fringe-tree, snakeroot, Cooley’s water-willow, scrub blazingstar, Britton’s beargrass, Key tree-cactus, Lewton’s polygala, wireweed, sandlace, Chapman’s rhododendron, and Florida torreya.
Do We Need More Effort?
Food safety. Can it be improved? Everett Griner has some insight to this.
Putnam Sets Ag Commish Campaign Fundraising Record
A release from Florida Congressman Adam Putnam’s Ag Commissioner Campaign office this week touted Putnam’s fundraising record for the Ag Commissioner’s race. The release says 95% of the 486-thousand-plus dollars he raised in a two month period came from Florida supporters, and that the amount raised was the most ever in a single quarter for that particular race. In this …
Updates on Energy and Governor Race
As the Florida Legislature takes a quick Easter break we check in with Sam Ard, Director of Governmental Affairs for the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, to get an update regarding the energy bill and the Florida Governor race for 2010.
FL Beef Checkoff Teams with Restaurant
The Florida Beef Council is partnering with a restaurant chain to help stretch beef checkoff dollars, something that FBC Chairman George Kempfer said is working great.
Drop in Food Prices
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Retail food prices at the supermarket dropped slightly for the second consecutive quarter, according to the latest American Farm Bureau Federation Marketbasket Survey. The informal survey shows the total cost of 16 food items that can be used to prepare a meal was $47.41, down about 5.5 percent or $2.80 from the fourth quarter of 2008.
“McKinnon Cocktail” Draws Much Citrus Attn & Scientific Scrutiny
What has become known as the “McKinnon Cocktail” at Maury Boyd’s citrus grove in Hendry County Florida continues to draw a great deal of attention. Dr Bob Rouse (photo) at University of Florida’s Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee (SWFREC) has been doing some field trials on this for months in hopes of learning what in the mix …