Here is a reminder for seed cotton producers: Dec. 7, 2018, is the final day for those who want to participate in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2018 crop to sign up. The signup period began July 30, 2018. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) notes that in …
GDA Commends USDA’s New Biosecurity Campaign
The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) commends the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) new outreach campaign focused on preventing the spread of infectious poultry diseases in both commercial and backyard poultry. Poultry is Georgia’s top agricultural sector, contributing more than $25 billion to Georgia’s economy annually. Georgia also leads in the industry as one of the top five broiler producing …
Senator Takes Aim Again at Garden Regulations
After being unable to get the House to go along during the 2018 legislative session, state Senator Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, will try again to prevent local governments from regulating homeowners’ vegetable gardens. Bradley last week filed a bill (SB 82) that would largely bar regulations on vegetable gardens on residential property. The bill stems from a legal dispute between …
GOP Lawmakers Want USMCA Passed This Year
A dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, asking him to send final legislative language on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) to Congress as soon as possible. They want Congress to be able to vote on it before Democrats take control of the House in 2019. A Bloomberg report says the legislators think the final passage …
Beef Production Forecast Drops Slightly for 2018-2019
USDA recently reduced its forecast for beef production in 2018 by 30 million pounds. The new forecast is 26.9 billion pounds. The slight revision is based on numbers at the end of the third quarter, and from fourth-quarter expectations of slightly fewer steers and heifers to be slaughtered and fewer bulls in the slaughter mix. The industry website Meating Place …
UF/IFAS Economists Issue County-Level Estimates for Hurricane Michael Agricultural Losses
Hurricane Michael devastated coastal communities along the Florida Panhandle but the storm also caused significant agricultural crop losses well inland, as shown by a new report from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). County-level estimates from the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP) indicate that none of the four hardest-hit counties – Jackson, Gadsden, Suwannee …
SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Residents of Alabama Affected by Hurricane Michael
Alabama businesses and residents affected by Hurricane Michael on October 10 – 13, 2018, can apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Administrator Linda McMahon announced. Administrator McMahon made the loans available in response to a letter from Gov. Kay Ivey on Nov. 16, 2018, requesting a disaster declaration by the SBA. The declaration covers …
Rural Population Growing Again
The decline in the nation’s rural population first began in 2010, before reaching its lowest level in 2011-2012. Rural areas lost nearly 62,000 residents that year, alone. However, since then it’s begun to reverse. The Economic Research Service at the USDA made that announcement in its annual report titled “Rural America at a Glance.” As recently as 2016-2017, the ERS …
Incoming House Majority Demanding USMCA Changes
With Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives, key party leaders in the chamber are demanding changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. The USMCA, an updated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement, is expected to be signed by the U.S., Mexico and Canada during the upcoming G-20 summit at the end of this month. However, Congress must …
Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference Held in Chilton County
The Alabama Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) held its annual conference and trade show in Clanton Nov. 15-16 where 250 attendees heard from industry leaders, elected officials and university & Extension professionals. “It was exciting to see the fruit and vegetable farmers from across Alabama come together for this event,” said AFVGA Executive Director Hunter McBrayer. “It was an …