by Gary Cooper In weekend budget talks, lawmakers slash funding for a key land and water conservation program that is vital to restoring Florida’s waterways. Florida’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP) is a budget casualty. This program has a 20-year track record of success in preserving green space in perpetuity, while keeping farmland on the tax rolls. Program …
Weekly Livestock Market Report Week Ending 04-26-19
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended April 26, 2019, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions for the Week ended April 26, 2019, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 10,000 head compared to 11,660 last week and …
Florida Conservation Easement Signup Deadline Is Thursday
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida reminds landowners the deadline to apply for funding of agricultural easements in the state is Thursday, April 25. NRCS provides financial and technical assistance to conserve working lands and wetlands through two programs: Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) and Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE). Agricultural landowners and Indian tribes can …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Releases Hurricane Michael Video: “America’s Forgotten Disaster”
Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried released a new mini-documentary video entitled “America’s Forgotten Disaster,” highlighting the destruction and consequences of Hurricane Michael, with a focus on forestry and timber. The video documents Commissioner Fried’s tours of Panhandle communities devastated by Hurricane Michael, features visually powerful reminders of the damage to forests and timber farms and the looming threat of wildfire, and includes …
Ag’s Past Water Quality Successes Not in Today’s SFWMD “Discussion”
Areas north of Lake Okeechobee can expect increased attention as debates about water-quality issues and who should do what about them continue in South Florida. At a gathering about the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Protection Plan (LOWPP) Thursday in Okeechobee, it became apparent that the vast investments the area’s farmers, ranchers and dairy producers have been making in water-quality projects for …
Final Days of Florida Legislative Session
Just a few days remain in the 2019 Florida Legislative Session. Florida Cattlemen’s Association (FCA) Director of Governmental Affairs, Sam Ard, explains what lawmakers will be focused on this week. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics Offers Growers Targeted …
Weekly Livestock Market Report Week Ending 04-19-19
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended April 19, 2019, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions for the Week ended April 19, 2019, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 11,642 last week 9,904 and 10,024 last year. …
Florida Conservation Easement Signup Ends Next Week
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida wants to remind landowners that applications to fund agricultural easements in Florida are being accepted until April 25. NRCS provides financial and technical assistance to conserve working lands and wetlands through two programs, the Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) and Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE). Through ALE, NRCS provides financial assistance to conservation partners for …
Lawmakers Look to Hemp as New Industry while Vegetable Gardens Headed to House Floor
With supporters pointing to the potential of a new industry, a House committee Thursday approved a plan for regulating production of hemp. The bill (HB 333), approved by the House State Affairs Committee, would create a regulatory framework that would be administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is led by Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a …
Florida Ag Commissioner Fried Meets with South Florida Farmers
Florida Agriculture Commissioner “Nikki” Fried joined a modest but representative group of south Florida farmers at Bedner Farms Wednesday near Boynton Beach, for an informal lunch and informational exchange about issues of concern to agriculture in the region. Water, weed, trade and the Department’s Fresh From Florida marketing campaign were among topics mentioned in her remarks after lunch, and she …