With COVID-19 cases on the rise again, state and local governments are taking additional actions to limit travel and promote social distancing. In turn, consumption of ethanol-blended gasoline is rapidly falling again, threatening to derail an already tenuous economic recovery in the ethanol industry. Through November, U.S. ethanol producers had already lost $3.8 billion since the start of the pandemic, according …
NPPC Supports Tai Nomination as U.S. Trade Representative
(NPPC) — President-Elect Joe Biden on Thursday nominated Katherine Tai to be the U.S. Trade Representative. Since 2017, she has been the chief trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee and previously served in the Office of the United States Trade Representative as chief counsel for China Trade Enforcement. The following statement may be attributed to National Pork …
AFBF Welcomes Nomination of Katherine Tai for U.S. Trade Representative
(AFBF) — President-elect Joe Biden is expected to nominate Katherine Tai to be U.S. Trade Representative. The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “We’re pleased President-elect Biden will reportedly nominate Katherine Tai to be the next U.S. Trade Representative. America’s farmers and ranchers rely on a fair marketplace to compete globally and it’s …
Blueberries and Bees, UF Scientists Play Matchmaker
(UF/IFAS) — Chew on this the next time you eat a blueberry: Every single blueberry is the result of a flower that was pollinated by a bee. In other words: no buzz, no berry. With that in mind, it’s no wonder blueberry growers bring in hives of honey bees or bumble bees when their blueberry bushes are in flower. “We …
RFA Thanks President-Elect Biden, Congratulates Vilsack on USDA Nomination
(RFA) — President-elect Joe Biden nominated Tom Vilsack to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The following is a statement from Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “Tom Vilsack is an excellent choice to serve in this role. During his last term as secretary, he has shown clearly and continually that he can work effectively with …
Pondering adding passion fruit to your edible home landscape? UF/IFAS offers tips
(UF/IFAS) — Got a passion for fruit? Perhaps you have been pondering the mystery of the passion fruit tree? If it is on your must-try list to add to your edible home landscape, then you are in luck. Extension agents and faculty at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have just released Passion Fruit Problems in …
New Report Assesses Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviors
The “State of the Consumer” Report Highlights Opportunities, Impact of COVID-19 on Beef Demand (NCBA) — The number of consumers who say they intend to eat beef at least weekly increased from 67 percent to 72 percent compared to 2019, and consumer positive perceptions of beef reached 70 percent for the first time,[1] according to a new report released by the …
NPPC Supports Vilsack Nomination to Head USDA
(NPPC) — President-Elect Joe Biden today nominated Tom Vilsack to be the next secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), an agency he led for eight years under the Obama administration. The following statement may be attributed to National Pork Producers Council President Howard “AV” Roth, a hog farmer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin. “We congratulate Tom Vilsack on his nomination. …
Cattlemen’s Beef Board: Change for Change’s Sake
(CBB) — You don’t have to look too hard to find history’s repeating patterns and, as in the past, the call for change is in the air. Even within the beef industry, there’s a movement urging producers to throw off traditional institutions, like the Beef Checkoff, simply because it’s “too old” or they weren’t alive when it was established. It’s …
Backroom Briefing: Simpson Not a Fan of Reservoir
(NSF) — Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-FL/District 10) said he wasn’t sold on a $1.6 billion reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee when he voted in 2017 for the project, which was a priority of then-President Joe Negron, R-Stuart. And with the coronavirus pandemic punching a $3 billion to $4 billion hole in the state budget for next fiscal year, Simpson …