Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue celebrated President Trump’s signing of the 2018 Farm Bill and issued the following statement: “This is a great day for our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and producers, as President Trump’s signature on this bill is a Christmas present to American agriculture. Farmers take financial risks every year as a matter …
Disaster Assistance Available for Georgia Farmers
Farmers with damage from Hurricane Michael may be eligible for disaster assistance from funds allocated during the special legislative session convened by Governor Nathan Deal on Nov. 13, 2018. The Fiscal Year 2019 Appropriation Act was amended to provide emergency funding for state agencies and local governments in areas most heavily impacted by Hurricane Michael. Funds include $55 million for …
U.S. Sugar Gives Back at Christmas
With the holidays approaching, the people of U.S. Sugar have been busy spreading Christmas cheer by giving back to nearby communities. Over the past two weeks, representatives from the company have distributed more than 2,000 turkeys, 4,000 bags of sugar, hundreds of crates of sweet corn, and other vegetables grown by U.S. Sugar farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area. “The …
Establishing the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard. The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law, passed by Congress in July of 2016, directed USDA to establish this national mandatory standard for disclosing foods that are or may be bioengineered. The Standard requires food manufacturers, importers and certain retailers to ensure bioengineered foods are appropriately disclosed. “The …
USDA to Gauge Financial Well-Being of Farmers and Ranchers
Beginning in late December, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will spend several months gathering information about farm economics and production practices from farmers and ranchers across Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, as the agency conducts the third and final phase of the 2018 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). “ARMS is the only survey that …
FDACS Winning Fight Against Destructive, Disease-Carrying Snail
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced that more than 168,000 Giant African Land Snails (GALS) have been eliminated in Florida since the invasive snail was discovered in Miami-Dade County in 2011. In addition, due to the success of the program, the department has decommissioned two additional core areas, two of the largest is the state, where snails were …
Florida Population Climbs to 21.3 Million
It wasn’t so long ago that Florida was trying catch New York. Now — at least in the population game — it has left New York in the dust. The U.S. Census Bureau on Wednesday released new estimates showing Florida had about 21.3 million residents as of July 1, cementing Florida’s place as the third most-populous state behind California and …
Genome Published of the Small Hive Beetle, a Major Honey Bee Parasite
Beekeepers and researchers will welcome the unveiling of the small hive beetle’s genome by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their colleagues. The small hive beetle (SHB) is a major parasite problem of honey bees for which there are few effective treatments. The SHB (Aethina tumida Murray) genome—a genome is the sum total of all an organism’s DNA; a gene codes …
USDA Designates 76 Georgia Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas
Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 76 Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to Hurricane Michael that occurred Oct. 9 through Oct. 11, 2018, may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. The counties in the primary damaged area …
Ag Must Be Part Of U.S.-EU Trade Deal, Groups Insist
An ad hoc coalition of more than 50 food and agriculture organizations is insisting that any trade deal between the United States and the European Union include agriculture and that it address the EU’s restrictive tariff and non-tariff barriers to U.S. farm products. In a letter sent to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 53 organizations, led by the National Pork …