Through the work of dedicated staff in over 2,100 county and state offices, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides vital farm safety-net assistance to agricultural producers across America. “We’ve seen recent challenges in farm income and commodity prices,” said Dr. Robert Johansson, Acting Deputy Under Secretary for the Farm Production and Conservation mission area. “The …
DuPont Pioneer Confirms Iowa Layoffs
DuPont Pioneer officials earlier this week confirmed the company has laid off “an undisclosed number of workers” in Iowa. A spokesperson for the company said the layoffs are an effort to “integrate our operations and establish a streamlined, efficient, built-for-purpose organization.” DuPont and Dow Chemical closed their $150 billion merger this fall, with plans of creating several smaller companies, including …
Canada On-farm Bovine TB Testing Concludes
Canada has concluded on-farm testing for bovine tuberculosis after the fall 2016 outbreak in Alberta. The TB investigation has been underway since September of last year, when Canadian officials got notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that a cow from Alberta had tested TB-positive at a U.S. slaughter plant, and later found six confirmed cases. The Canadian Food Inspection …
Canada Executives Urging Trudeau to Join U.S.-Free TPP
Business leaders in Canada are trying to sway Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to join the now U.S.-free Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. In an open letter, more than a dozen business leaders are telling Trudeau to join the pact that the U.S. left earlier this year. Canada-based Business News Network reports the letter doesn’t specifically mention the threat of a …
Agriculture Secretary Perdue Comments on Tax Reform
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue calls the recently passed tax reform bill a “once-in-a-generation” reform of the federal tax code. Calling tax reform an eagerly awaited Christmas present for taxpayers, Perdue says “tax paying people of American agriculture need relief.” In his statement, Perdue offered thanks to President Trump and commended Congress for passage of the legislation. He says most family …
Congressional Ag Leaders Applaud Tax Bill Passage
Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees say the just-passed tax bill delivers lower taxes for farmers and ranchers. House Ag Chair Mike Conaway says: “From lower marginal rates to the treatment of pass-through income to improved small business expensing, this bill delivers for farmers, ranchers and all rural America.” Meanwhile, Senate Agriculture Chairman Pat Roberts says the legislation …
Sweet Orange Scab Affecting Citrus Fruit Detected in Baldwin County
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) officials have confirmed the first detection of sweet orange scab (SOS) in Alabama. The fruit sample was collected in Baldwin County by Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ (ADAI) plant protection inspectors during a delimiting survey for citrus greening disease. The Auburn University Plant Diagnostic Clinic provided the initial diagnosis of SOS, and USDA Animal …
Agriculture Groups Respond to Tax Reform Package
American Farm Bureau Tax Reform Package to Benefit Farmers, Ranchers The following may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “The tax reform package passed by Congress this week will result in lower taxes for the vast majority of farmers and ranchers. This tax overhaul includes many changes to the tax code, most notably lower individual tax …
Solutions to Citrus Greening Top 10 2017 UF/IFAS Stories
From lobsters to oranges, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences embraced stories of resilience and change during 2017. The top 10 stories for UF/IFAS during 2017 include finding ways to manage a disease that is crippling the citrus industry to helping lobstermen find damaged traps after Hurricane Irma to researchers discovering a new ant species in …
Ag, Business Community, Share Trade Concerns
A meeting with lawmakers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin last week focused on trade. Hosted by Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson and others, the forum specifically focused on the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Business leaders, along with the agriculture industry, were included in the meeting. Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Jim Holte says the message was clear: trade is important. …