University of Florida environmental horticulture professor Sandra Wilson loves to teach, but just as importantly, she loves to hear about the successes of her former students. They find employment in their field. They get married. Those moments bring a gleam to her eyes. Former students are now adjunct professors, scientists, an entrepreneur, a horticultural and landscape foreman and more, she …
NAFTA Talks Continue This Week
The Renegotiation effort of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) continues this week with all sides eager to finish the talks. Representatives from the United States, Canada and Mexico are pushing to finalize an updated agreement this week. However, as Bloomberg reports, several contentious issues remain unresolved as the talks have stretched over more than eight months, including dairy. …
Food Price Index up 2.7 Percent
The Global Food Price Index has increased two percent since this time last year. Released last week, the monthly record of global food prices by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations averaged 173.5 points, up 2.7 percent from April 2017. While the prices of most cereal grains and dairy products continued to increase in April, sugar prices …
Farm Credit Loan Volume up One Percent
Combined net income for the Farm Credit System increased 1.8 percent to $1.27 billion for the first quarter of 2018, as compared with $1.24 billion for the same period last year. President and CEO of the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation Tracey McCabe says the system remains “well-positioned” to support farmers as they face challenges this year. Net interest …
Canada Closes TB Investigation
Canada has closed it’s bovine tuberculosis investigation as officials say no further cases found have been found since discovered nearly two years ago. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency Monday reported receiving the last of the lab culture test results on about 30,000 animals tested during its probe. The investigation started in 2016 after finding six cases of bovine tuberculosis in …
Monsanto Leadership Out of Bayer Takeover
Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant and Chief Technology Officer Rob Fraley will leave the company following the Bayer takeover. Monsanto announced Monday that Fraley and Grant will not be a part of the merged Bayer-Monsanto, once the deal is complete. The two are joined by six others from Monsanto’s leadership team that will depart the company. In a separate announcement, Bayer …
UF/IFAS Experts: Skip the Roses and Go Straight for the Orchids on Mother’s Day
What’s better than roses on Mother’s day? Orchids, which are easier to take care of and can last for years, according to University of Florida experts. Wagner Vendrame, a professor of environmental horticulture at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, specializes in growing and preserving orchids and says orchids make a great Mother’s Day gift. “Between a bouquet …
U.S.-China Talks End With Little Progress
A Bloomberg report says that two days of trade discussions in Beijing ended with nothing else than an agreement to keep talking. China’s official news agency says the two sides did reach an agreement on some trade issues, but also admitted there were some big disagreements on some major issues. The news report says the sides will continue discussions but …
USDA-White House Liaison Clovis Leaving Washington
Sam Clovis, the USDA liaison to the White House, is leaving his job in Washington, D.C. Newsmax Dot Com says the former Trump campaign co-chair and policy adviser was nominated by President Trump to be the USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics. Clovis withdrew before the Senate Ag Committee could hold a hearing. Senate Democrats and environmentalists came …
Fake Veterinarian Takes Part in Missouri Cattle Fraud Scheme
A man posing as a veterinarian admits to taking part in a $4.7 million investment fraud scheme in Missouri. A Drovers’ report says Robert D. Hawkins has consented that he aided Cameron J. Hager in defrauding more than 90 investors across 21 states in the scheme. The Missouri Secretary of State’s Securities Division says Hawkins allegedly posed as a veterinarian …