The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the selection of 30 university students who will attend USDA’s 2018 Agricultural Outlook Forum (AOF), as winners of the USDA Student Diversity Program. These undergraduate and graduate students will receive a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., capped off by their attendance at the AOF, the USDA’s largest annual meeting, held Feb. 22-23 …
New ARS Food and Nutrition Research Briefs Issued
The invention of a new small plastic pouch that releases chlorine dioxide gas to eliminate E. coli and other pathogens from the surfaces of fruits and vegetables is among the new nutrition and health findings in the latest issue of the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Food and Nutrition Research Briefs. The latest issue can be found at https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/fnrb/2018/fnrb0118/ The popular online newsletter reports discoveries …
Putnam Highlights Increased Wildfire Risk During Prescribed Fire Awareness Week
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and the Florida Forest Service urge caution due to increased wildfire danger this spring and encourage support for prescribed fire during Florida’s Prescribed Fire Awareness Week, which is from Jan. 28 through Feb. 4. Prescribed fire is a vital tool used to reduce wildfire risk in Florida. “Following one of the most active …
Get Tickets for Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame
The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation and the Florida State Fair Authority invite you to attend the 2018 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet. It will be held Tuesday, February 13 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa to Honor four 2018 Inductees: Alfonso and Pepe Fanjul, Lowell Loadholtz and Harold K. Mikell. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam …
NBB Celebrates 25 years of Biodiesel
Biodiesel supporters kicked off a yearlong celebration this week at the National Biodiesel Conference and Expo in Fort Worth, Texas, celebrating the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) 25th anniversary. A NBB representative told attendees during the event, after noting that the U.S. went from zero to three billion gallons of biodiesel production in 25 years, that “we are at the tipping …
Drought Monitor has Concerns Shifting South
Last year, drought worries centered around the northern Plains and grazing conditions in the Dakotas and across Montana. Those areas remain dry, but the intensity has weakened, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. Moving into 2018, drought intensity and area is spreading, extending over the Southwest, southern Plains and Great Plains, according to the American Farm Bureau Market Intel …
Not All Canada Ag Happy with TPP 11
Not all ag sectors in Canada are thrilled with the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP 11. Canada’s dairy and chicken producer groups claim the deal will “chip away” at their markets. Chicken Farmers of Canada says the agreement still includes concessions on market access for chicken products in response to U.S. demands. …
NAFTA Wheat Groups Call for Successful Agreement
Wheat organizations from The U.S., Canada and Mexico are urging negotiators to reach a successful North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In a letter addressed to negotiators and President Donald Trump, several wheat-based groups from the three nations detailed the importance of the trade agreement to wheat growers and their associated industries. National Association of Wheat Growers President Gordon Stoner …
Ag Broadband Coalition Hails Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act
The Agricultural Broadband Coalition applauded bipartisan leaders in the House and Senate for introducing the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018 on Thursday, a milestone piece of legislation that will help to revolutionize farming across the United States. The legislation, which was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and in the House by …
CURD Act Would Codify Formal Definition of Natural Cheese
Bipartisan Senators from Wisconsin have introduced the CURD Act, or the Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions Act. Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, says the bill would codify a formal definition of “natural cheese”, a term commonly used on food packaging that currently has no official definition. Need Under the CURD Act, “natural cheese” would be defined as cheese that …