Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried sent a letter to Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, raising serious concerns about the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The pending multilateral trade agreement and successor to NAFTA, called “definitely worse than the current situation,” threatens to devastate business for American seasonal crop growers, particularly those in Florida, Georgia, and other Southeast states due to a lack of …
Fried, Lawmakers Eye Hurricane Damage
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried continued Friday to push for state and federal hurricane relief for the Panhandle as she led a bipartisan group of lawmakers and staff members through rural communities still struggling from deadly Hurricane Michael. Saying farmers are “suffering,” Fried said the trip to see Calhoun County timber land, where decades-old slash pines reaching maturity were wiped …
Student Creations Channel 200 Years Of Alabama Agriculture
Eighteen outstanding students were honored for channeling “200 Years of Alabama Agriculture” into posters, essays and videos during the Alabama Farm-City Awards Luncheon April 4 in Birmingham. The theme connected kindergarten-12th graders with Alabama’s storied farming heritage during the state’s bicentennial year, said Alabama Farm-City Committee Chairman Jeff Helms. “From settlers who cleared land by hand to modern farmers using …
Cherokee County Greenhouse Business Named Farm Of Distinction
A Cherokee County greenhouse business known nationally for its poinsettias and other plants was named Alabama’s Farm of Distinction April 4 in Birmingham. Hank and Shelia Richardson of Dixie Green Inc. received more than $15,000 in prizes and will represent Alabama in the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year contest at the Sunbelt Ag Expo Oct. 15-17. Hank …
Federal Program Repairs Popular Arcadia Park
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has provided $740,000 to DeSoto County through Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) assistance to help to repair hurricane damage a popular park in Arcadia, Fla. Hurricane Irma struck Southwest Florida as a Category 3 in fall 2017. The hurricane dropped from 10 to 15 inches in the Peace River drainage area, which covers 1,367 square miles. The Peace …
USDA Census of Agriculture One Week Away
Videos on how to use Census data are now available The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will release the 2017 Census of Agriculture results on Thursday, April 11, at noon ET. The full Census report will include millions of data points, including number of farms, land in farms, total value of production, demographics, and …
USDA Launches New Farmers.gov Features to Help with H2A Applications, Managing Loans
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched two new features on farmers.gov to help customers manage their farm loans and navigate the application process for H2A visas. “Customer service is our top priority at USDA and these new features will help our customers as they manage their farm loans and navigate the H-2A temporary agricultural …
If You Eat, You Are Involved in Agriculture
By Sen. Ben Albritton I have enormous respect for Congressman Francis Rooney and his life of public service. However, I have grave concerns about the congressman’s recent misinformed, inaccurate, and hostile comments about agriculture in Florida. Describing any sector of Florida agriculture as a “menace” clearly shows a lack of understanding of how agriculture has been a highly successful partner …
Alabama Prospective Planting Numbers Released
A year of tumultuous weather and natural disasters, 2018 brought challenges where expectations were high for good yields and market pricing. In Alabama alone, producers experienced hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding on top of the usual changes in weather farmers expect. Alabama Cooperative Extension System economist, Max Runge, said while uncertainty is normal in the agricultural sector, there is more uncertainty for 2019 …
AFBF Concerned about Labor, Trade if Border Closed
The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging the administration to make sure that any steps undertaken to tighten enforcement at the U.S. border do not create more uncertainty for agricultural producers. “Right now, farmers and ranchers are toughing it out,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “Many of our products are caught up in a trade dispute. Mother Nature has devastated the …