The National FFA Organization and the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) recently signed a memorandum of understanding. The memorandum will align ASTA’s strategic goals and resources with the three-component model of agricultural education, providing teacher curriculum and resources; supervised agricultural experience support and mentors; and leadership and career development. “This Memorandum of Understanding helps stress the importance of the three-component …
Kelly Morgan Named New Director of UF/IFAS Southwest Florida REC
As Best Management Practices Coordinator for the state, Kelly Morgan has spent years helping growers find optimum ways to irrigate and fertilize their crops to maximize results. Now, he will get the chance to coordinate even more groundbreaking research. The University of Florida has named Morgan the new director of the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee, …
Trump Immigration Furor Underscored in Florida
Amid escalating bipartisan demands for President Donald Trump to stop separating undocumented immigrant children from their families at the southern U.S. border, two high-ranking Florida Democrats were denied access Tuesday to a federal detention facility in Homestead housing an estimated 1,000 minors. The Trump administration family-separation policy — which has resulted in more than 2,000 children being warehoused throughout the …
Trump Escalates Trade War with Additional Talks of Tariffs
President Donald Trump is taking the trade war with China to an unprecedented level that would impose tariffs on nearly every export China sends to the United States. Following the announcement Monday night by Trump that he is seeking an additional $200 billion worth of tariffs, China is looking to retaliate, again. Trump says if China does, he would seek …
Trade War Costly for U.S. Farmers
The trade war between the U.S. and China is proving to be costly to U.S. farmers, just as President Trump announced the intent for further tariffs, escalating the tense state of affairs. University of Illinois agriculture economist Scott Irwin this week on Twitter says the outlook has “moved into disaster territory,” specifically, regarding soybeans. Jim Bower of Bower Trading in …
Farmers for Free Trade Places More Anti-Trade War Advertising
Farmers for Free Trade is again placing advertisements on cable television showing an on-the-ground look at how current trade disputes are damaging export markets for U.S. farmers. In conjunction with the U.S. Apple Association, the advertisement targets the retaliations to the Section 232 tariffs that include U.S. apples. Airing on television news networks frequently watched by President Trump, the advertisement …
Freedom Caucus Farm Bill Support Still Uncertain
Freedom Caucus members have yet to submit unison support for the House farm bill. The House set a revote deadline for this Friday when the farm bill failed because Democrats and the Freedom Caucus Republicans voted against the measure. Now, Bloomberg reports some members have not voiced support for the farm bill, including Virginia Republican David Brat, who says “I’m …
USDA Issues Warning of Newcastle Virus to Commercial Poultry
The Department of Agriculture says at least 18 outbreaks of Virulent Newcastle Disease have been confirmed in backyard chickens in Southern California. The outbreaks prompted the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to issue a warning to commercial poultry operations. The infected backyard chickens were found in Los Angeles and San Bernardino in May and June. In the USDA statement, …
Perdue Announces New Budget Director at USDA
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the selection of Erica Navarro to serve as Director of the Office of Budget and Program Analysis (OBPA) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). OBPA administers the Department’s budgetary functions and also develops and presents budget-related matters. The Director is responsible for providing leadership in carrying out Department-wide responsibilities in policy analysis, …
NPPC Testifies at USTR Hearing on Thailand’s GSP Eligibility
At a U.S. Trade Representative hearing, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) called for Thailand’s preferential access to the U.S. market to be revoked or reduced if it does not end its unwarranted ban on U.S. pork. Thailand is a top beneficiary of the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, which gives duty-free treatment to certain goods entering the …