WASHINGTON (USDA/FSA) – Farmers and ranchers with expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts may now re-enroll in certain CRP continuous signup practices or, if eligible, select a one-year contract extension. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) also is accepting offers from those who want to enroll for the first time in one of the country’s largest conservation programs. FSA’s 52nd signup for …
Commissioner Fried Hosts First Hemp Rulemaking Workshop in South Florida
Pembroke Pines, Fla. (FDACS) –Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried joined key Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) officials to host the first public hemp rulemaking workshop at Broward College in Pembroke Pines. “The upcoming state hemp program marks a new industrial revolution — after eighty years of stalled progress, we can finally put hemp to work for farmers, entrepreneurs, …
USDA Moves Cover Crop Harvest Date for Prevented-Planting Fields
Farmers who planted cover crops on prevented-planting acres can hay, graze or chop those fields earlier than November this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) adjusted the 2019 final haying and grazing date from Nov. 1 to Sept. 1 to help farmers who were prevented from planting because of excess rainfall this spring. RMA says …
Vaccine Investigators Use Bacterium’s Own Protein Against It
(USDA/ARS) — A team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists is investigating a new “ingredient” for use in vaccinating cattle against Johne’s disease, a chronic wasting affliction that costs the U.S. dairy industry more than $200 million per year. The ingredient in question is a type of protein on the surface of the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), which causes Johne’s …
FFBF Sends Letter to Gov. DeSantis About Final SFWMD Board Seat
The Honorable Ron DeSantisGovernor of FloridaPlaza Level 05, The Capitol400 S. Monroe StreetTallahassee, FL 32399-0001 Dear Governor DeSantis, On behalf of Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) and our 147,000 member families, we respectfully request that you consider filling the final South Florida Water Management Governing Board seat with someone who can represent agricultures interests. Agriculture is a primary consumptive user …
Massive Yellow Jacket Nests Appearing
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. (ACES) — Imagine a colony of yellow jackets the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, filled with 15,000 of the stinging insects. Now, imagine more than 90 of these super nests in Alabama. It happened in 2006, and Charles Ray, an entomologist working with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said that 2019 may be shaping up to mirror …
NPPC Thanks USDA For Implementing Farm Bill Program to Reduce Feral Swine Populations
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPPC) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it was offering $75 million in funding—as part of the 2018 Farm Bill– for the eradication and control of feral swine through the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program. The pilot program is a joint effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Animal and Plant Health …
Disrupting One Gene Could Be First Step Toward Treating Honey Bee Parasite Nosema Ceranae
BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND (USDA/ARS) —Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have taken the first step towards a weapon against the major honey bee parasite Nosema ceranae. There is currently no treatment for this parasite. The scientists found that feeding honey bees a small amount of an interfering RNA compound (RNAi) could disrupt the reproduction of N. cerana by as much as 90 percent in the …
USDA Opens Signup for Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program Grants
(USDA/NRCS) The Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (FSCP) was established by the 2018 Farm Bill to respond to the threat feral swine pose to agriculture, native ecosystems, and human and animal health. USDA is focusing efforts through this pilot where feral swine pose the highest threat. Program at a Glance FSCP is implemented jointly by NRCS and USDA’s Animal and Plant …
The Buzz: Pollinators are Essential
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. (ACES)— In the spirit of National Pollinator Week, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System salutes pollinators everywhere who are irreplaceable pieces of the puzzle in gardens, cropland and flowerbeds. Bees are more than honey-makers and hive builders. Bees are essential to the most important part of the food chain—pollination. Importance of Pollinators Bees are essential for the pollination of one-third …