The U.S. dairy industry endorsed bipartisan, bicameral legislation to reform a powerful White House trade tool to ensure it is used as intended by Congress to respond to genuine national security threats. Rolling back current retaliatory tariffs and keeping others from forming in the future is the dairy industry’s top trade priority. America currently sends 16 percent of its dairy …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Appoints Holly Bell as Director of Cannabis
Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried announced her appointment of Holly Bell as the Director of Cannabis. Bell’s selection comes after a national search and interviews with multiple finalists for the position. In her role as Director of Cannabis, Bell will oversee the development of rules, work directly with scientific experts, and ensure Commissioner Fried’s vision for cannabis in Florida continues moving forward and now sells more and …
Industrial hemp a featured topic at UF/IFAS ag policy conference Feb. 26 in Balm
Industrial hemp may soon be a financially significant crop in Florida, and an expert with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities related to this fledgling industry at the fourth annual Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference in Balm. The conference happens 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26 …
USDA Launches High-Speed Broadband e-Connectivity Resource Guide
Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a new toolkit to help support the deployment of high-speed broadband e-Connectivity in rural communities. “High-speed broadband e-Connectivity is becoming more and more essential to doing business, delivering health care, and, for schoolchildren, doing homework in rural communities,” Hazlett said. “This …
Farmer Sentiment Improves in January
Farmers had more optimism about the agriculture economy in January than they had in previous months. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t have concerns. The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer says one of their biggest worries is farmland values. The January reading of 143 was a 16-point jump over December. The survey was the first opportunity to measure how …
Better Days Coming for Chicken Producers
Chicken, pork, and beef producers should all see better days over the next 12 months in spite of specific challenges in each segment. The industry website Meating Place Dot Com notes one industry analyst, Jeremy Scott of Mizuho Securities, who says the worst is behind us in the chicken market. That specific market segment had one of its most difficult …
Farm Bureau to USDA: New Regulations Must Protect Both Farmland and Wetland
As the Agriculture Department moves forward with Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation regulations, the department must ensure its new Interim Rule balances the benefits for both farmland and wetland, as Congress intended, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. As it was written, the Interim Rule makes program participation much more difficult and fails to give famers the opportunity …
Groups Comment on State of the Union Address
Source: USDA U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address: “President Trump provided a unifying, hopeful vision for the nation tonight, highlighting Administration accomplishments and the booming economy, but also expressing optimism that even greater achievements lie ahead. The President’s policies have been beneficial to American agriculture in …
China Buys U.S. Soybeans Following Trade Meeting
China continues to purchase U.S. soybeans with a more than one million metric ton buy on Friday, and another 600,000 metric ton purchase reported Monday. Following a round of trade talks last week, China pledged to purchase another five million metric tons of U.S. soybeans. Friday’s purchases by state-owned firms were believed to be destined for China’s state reserves, and …
Despite Trade Turmoil, U.S. Soybean Exports Set Record
The United States exported a record-breaking 2.6 billion bushels of U.S. soy and soy products, valued at more than $28 billion last market year, ending in September. The U.S. also set a record high in combined volume of the whole soybeans, soybean meal and soybean oil exported in 2017/2018, with soybean meal exports accounting for the greatest growth. The records …