The main key to passing the family farm from one generation to the next is being proactive, according to Oklahoma State University professor, Dr. Shannon Ferrell. Ferrell is an attorney, associate professor, and agricultural law specialist at Oklahoma State University. This week he’s been the keynote speaker at a series of downstate Illinois meetings hosted by Farm Credit Illinois. Dr. …
NFU President Says a Lot of Policy Work Ahead in 2018
The National Farmers Union (NFU) was busy in 2017 with a lot of Ag policy issues to deal with. NFU President Roger Johnson said 2017 was a tough year in Ag policy as Washington, D.C., has been a very chaotic place. That made policy victories a little harder to come by. Victories Johnson says many in Washington D.C. are calling …
Florida Heifer Development Field Day is Tuesday
Heifer development is a critical part of every operation in the cattle industry. In a continued effort to support and facilitate successful replacement heifer development, the Florida Heifer Development Program will host the annual Field Day on January 9th at the Beef Unit Pavilion at the NFREC-Marianna. The day starts with registration at 8:30am CST. The program will begin at 9:00am with presentations …
Perdue Announces Farm Service Agency State Committee Appointees
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced a slate of Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Committee Appointees. State committees are selected by the Secretary, serve at the pleasure of the Secretary, and are responsible for carrying out FSA farm programs within delegated authorities. “The State Committees will help to ensure USDA is providing our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural …
Todd Campbell Receives 2017 Cotton Genetics Research Award
Dr. B. Todd Campbell, a research geneticist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center in Florence, S.C., is the recipient of the 2017 Cotton Genetics Research Award. The announcement was made during the 2018 Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference, which convened as part of the National Cotton Council-coordinated 2018 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. In recognition, …
“Connect Americans Now” Formed to Improve Rural Broadband Access
A group of community leaders, rural advocates, and industry innovators have come together to form “Connect Americans Now.” Their goal is to work with the Federal Communications Commission and other policymakers to ensure that there is sufficient unlicensed broadband access in every market in the country. The end-goal is unlimited broadband connectivity by 2022. Richard Cullen, the executive director of …
Dairy Farming Desperate for Immigration Reform
Next to the cost of feeding their animals, the cost of labor on dairy farms will always take up a large share of the budget. A Milk Business Dot Com article says labor costs will rise in the new year. As of January first, farmers in some of the largest dairy-producing states now face government-mandated higher minimum wages. California farmers …
Winterkill Likely in Wheat Belt
A large portion of the nation’s winter wheat crop lacks a protective layer of snow cover and meteorologists are saying the recent deep freeze is doing some damage. Snow cover is adequate in the northern plains and the northern Midwest. However, an Agriculture Dot Com article says the snow cover is very thin in the central and southern plains as …
USDA Wants More Done to Combat Crop Insurance Fraud
The Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the Risk Management Agency hasn’t done enough to combat crop insurance fraud. Since 2001, the RMA has contracted with the Center for Agribusiness Excellence at Tarleton State University in Texas to collect data on producers who have unusual crop insurance claims that merit further review. Every year, the center produces …
Eleven States Support Injunction Against California’s Prop 65 Regulation
Attorneys General in 11 states have filed a brief in support of a preliminary injunction that multiple Ag organizations are seeking against California’s Prop 65. Additionally, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the California Chamber of Commerce have also filed briefs in support of the injunction. Even though there is no scientific evidence to support Prop 65, it requires that …