(FDACS) — Farmers and forest landowners in four Florida Panhandle counties can begin applying for additional Hurricane Sally assistance through the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). Enrollment for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) begins today, January 4, and runs through March 4, 2021. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services encourages eligible producers to apply. The activation of the …
Supreme Court Set to Hear Water Battle
(NSF) — After years of battling between Florida and Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court next month will again take up a dispute about water in a river system that links the two states. The Supreme Court last week scheduled oral arguments Feb. 22 in the case about divvying up water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river system, which stretches from northern Georgia …
Peanut Market Update
Tyron Spearman has a look at the latest in peanut marketing news starting off the new year. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Funded Research Impactful for the Future of the Florida Cattle IndustryOctober 31, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Offers Unique Opportunity For Applied ResearchOctober 24, 2025
Seafood Trade Relief Program Signup Ends Jan. 15
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a reminder that the extended signup period for the Seafood Trade Relief Program ends Jan.15, 2021. USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Richard Fordyce says the program supports the U.S. seafood industry and fishermen impacted by retaliatory tariffs from foreign governments. Fishermen do not need to be USDA customers to apply. For more …
Bragging About the Health Benefits of Peanuts
There are many health benefits to peanuts, and Tyron Spearman reports some are bragging about their product. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsNovember 1, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Funded Research Impactful for the Future of the Florida Cattle IndustryOctober 31, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Offers Unique Opportunity For Applied ResearchOctober 24, 2025
Fried on Florida Hemp Production
Hemp is blazing among Florida’s agriculture inventory in the seven months since it was first allowed to be legally grown in the Sunshine State, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried told business leaders earlier this month. Fried says more than 22,000 acres are currently licensed for hemp, nearly equal to the acreage in Florida of tomatoes, watermelon and snap peas, and …
Commissioner Fried Comments on Hurricane Sally Secretarial Disaster Declaration
Tallahassee, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture granted Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s request on Tuesday for a Secretarial disaster declaration for several key counties impacted by Hurricane Sally. The Secretarial disaster declaration names Calhoun, Gadsden, Holmes, Jackson, and Washington Counties as primary disaster areas related to Hurricane Sally, as well as Bay, Gulf, Leon, Liberty, and Walton as …
Commissioner Fried Grants Santa Claus & Reindeer Animal Movement Permit
(FDACS) — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) are issuing a Certificate of Animal Movement to Mr. and Mrs. Claus of the North Pole. The certificate will allow their reindeer – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph – to enter and exit all homes, domiciles, encampments, and premises in the state of …
Coronavirus Stimulus Package Helps FL Farmers
(FDACS) — Congressional leaders agreed upon a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues setting new case records, the bill will provide some direct assistance to families and additional funding for food production and distribution, among other priorities. On the bill, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried offered the following statement: “For more than nine months, COVID-19 has upended the lives …
DeSantis Calls Reservoir ‘A Top Environmental Priority’
(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis backed a controversial reservoir being built in the Everglades while announcing the state will use a pool of environmental money to help Miami-Dade County protect Biscayne Bay from continued degradation. DeSantis said his office will continue to support the $1.6 billion Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir, which was approved by the Legislature in 2017 but has …