The Florida Beef Council (FBC) recently conducted a Farm to Fork Tour with a restaurant group, an opportunity that was made possible by the Beef Checkoff program. FBC Chairman Flint Johns explains what the overall tour included. Farm to fork tours like this are designed to help influencers really understand what goes into producing beef. For more information about the …
Florida Webinar to Explain How to Apply for CIG
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Florida recently announced they will be investing $300,000 for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for high tunnel systems that improve weather resiliency and improve degraded plant conditions. The deadline to submit a proposal is July 12. And for those who would like more information on how to apply for a Florida state grant, a webinar will be held Thursday, May …
Rain Causing Cotton Planting Delays
Planting of cotton and peanut seed continues across the Southeast. But according to the weekly report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS), the number of acres planted are a bit behind what has been normal over the past five years. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says rain is causing delays, especially in cotton planting. In Alabama, …
Livestock Market Report Week Ending 5-21-2021
Here are the weekly livestock market reports for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, for the week ended May 21, 2021, compiled by the Livestock Market News Service for all three states. AL Livestock Market Report: At Alabama Livestock Auctions for the week ending May 21, 2021, receipts at 21 markets totaled an estimated 13,600 head compared to 9,302 last week and …
Crew Leaders Backed in Overtime Fight
A federal appeals court sided with two crew leaders on Friday in a dispute about whether they should be paid overtime for driving farmworkers to accomplish tasks like buy groceries, go to the bank and do laundry. Crew leaders Jose Ramirez and Joel Santana filed the lawsuit in 2017 against Statewide Harvesting & Hauling, LLC, which is a Florida company …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Celebrates New Tampa Bay Agribusiness Investment
St. Petersburg, Fla. — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced on Thursday that Lykes Bros. Inc., one of Florida’s largest landowning agribusinesses, will invest in Brick Street Farms, a hydroponic vertical agriculture company. The two Tampa Bay companies were introduced through the Florida-Israel Agriculture Innovation Summit last November, hosted by Commissioner Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer …
House Ag Republicans Introduce Broadband for Rural America Act
Washington, D.C. — Nowhere in the country is the “digital divide,” or lack of broadband access, more prevalent than in rural America. Hopefully, that will soon change. House Agriculture Republicans introduced the Broadband For Rural America Act today. It would provide more than $7 billion in authorizations for USDA broadband connectivity programs. It authorizes $3.7 billion per year for critical …
Irrigation Key During Hot, Dry Conditions
By Clint Thompson Cotton and peanut plantings are well underway across the Southeast. Unfortunately with it being hot and dry, these are not ideal conditions as seed and plants are being put in the ground. Wes Porter, a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension precision agriculture and irrigation specialist, stresses the importance of maintaining moisture in the soil. Irrigation helps promote …
Florida Forest Service Now Accepting Applications to Help Landowners Prevent Southern Pine Beetle Outbreaks
Tallahassee, Fla.– Applications are now being accepted for the 2021 Southern Pine Beetle Assistance and Prevention program for non-industrial, private forest landowners. They will be open through June 18. Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Forest Service made the announcement on Monday for the program. It is limited to 44 northern Florida counties, which is the known range …
Duval Soil and Water Conservation District Full Board to Have Public Meeting
NOTICEÂ OF PUBLIC MEETING The Duval Soil and Water Conservation District Full Board will meet on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. at the Duval Agricultural Extension Office, 1010 N. McDuff Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32254. This hybrid meeting will be held via Zoom teleconference. At this time the Extension Office is open only at limited capacity. Public participation is encouraged, …