By Melissa Blair, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Zone 3 Public Affairs Specialist: Soil is such an important and integral part of our daily lives that most folks don’t even think about it. Often referred to as “dirt,” which is just displaced soil. Soil is critical for all forms of life. Soil is the basis of all ecosystems from the …
Earth Day Celebrating 45 Years
Today, April 22, is the 45th anniversary of Earth Day. It’s a nationwide event that started on April 22nd, 1970. More about the annual event can be found at earthday.org/2015. Download Audio Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
Alabama Landowners Play Pivotal Role Aiding Gulf Recovery with USDA Assistance
In the five years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, farmers, ranchers and forest managers in Alabama and other Gulf Coast states have partnered with USDA to voluntarily help Gulf of Mexico ecosystems recover. Download Audio Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
Hungry Pests
April is Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month. Cathy Isom has some ways we can keep pests away from plants and trees this spring. Download Audio Check the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service webpage to see if your state has a federal quarantine — or could make a good home — for any of the 15 targeted …
Accepting ACEP Applications in Alabama
Steve Musser, assistant state conservationist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Alabama, wants landowners to know applications are being accepted now through May 15 for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). Download Audio Sponsored ContentWhat Sets Provysol® Fungicide ApartJuly 8, 2025CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2025Nuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024
Chairman Conaway Supports Bipartisan Bill to Repeal Death Tax
By a vote of 240 to 179, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015. From the House Committee on Agriculture: Today, House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (R-TX) issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1105, the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015, authored by …
Commissioner Putnam Invites Florida Agricultural Land Owners to Apply for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program
From the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam is urging Florida’s agricultural land owners to participate in the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program by applying between now and May 30. The goal of the program is to ensure lands will be preserved for agricultural use while providing for …
Florida Agriculture Literacy Day Scheduled for Tuesday, April 21
From Florida Agriculture in the Classroom: GAINESVILLE – The 12th annual Florida Agriculture Literacy Day is scheduled for Tuesday April 21, 2015, and a new non-fiction children’s book developed for it will highlight Florida’s livestock and poultry industries. The book, the title of which is ‘Drive Through Florida: Livestock and Poultry,’ features an animated red truck named ‘Ole Red’ that …
Commissioner Putnam, Board of Trustees Approve New Conservation Easement in Putnam County
From the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and the other members of the Board of Trustees approved today a conservation easement with Smith Family Farms as part of the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. More than 200 acres of the Putnam County farm will be protected under …
Conserve Florida: This Earth Day, We Salute the Soil
From USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Florida: Eighty years ago, on April 14, 1935, an ominous wall of blowing sand and dust swept across the Great Plains. This day is known in history as Black Sunday. During the 1930s, the Dust Bowl days were a period during which huge dust storms ravaged the Midwest because of years of overplanting, …