NMPF Urges Congress to Put Farmers First in Lame-Duck Session

Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), urged Congress to make passing a new farm bill a top priority in its lame-duck session that starts tomorrow, saying that dairy farmers harmed by low prices would benefit from the certainty and improvements likely to be part of the final law. “Given the sustained low prices dairy …

Fried Holds Narrow Lead Going Into Recount

Nikki Fried, the Democratic candidate for agriculture commissioner, led Republican Matt Caldwell by more than 3,000 votes as a recount neared in their race for the Cabinet seat, according to numbers posted on the state Division of Elections website. As of 10 a.m. Saturday, Fried had 4,025,824 votes, while Caldwell had 4,022,704. In all, 8,048,528 votes had been tallied, with …

Estimated $1.5 Billion in Agricultural Damages Due to Hurricane Michael

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced that estimated agricultural damages due to Hurricane Michael total nearly $1.5 billion, with the timber industry bearing the brunt of the devastation at $1.3 billion in economic losses. “Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida Panhandle, and many of Florida’s rural communities, which rely heavily on agriculture, took the worst hit. As we continue …

Georgia Participates in Food Safety Inspector Exchange Program with Ireland

Georgia recently welcomed visitors from Ireland as part of a novel Inspector Exchange Program co-hosted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (AFM). “The Inspector Exchange Program with Ireland intertwines the knowledge, skills and best practices between our two agencies, sharing information with a global perspective,” said Gary W. Black, Agriculture …

Fried Tops Caldwell By Narrow Margin in Ag Commissioner Race

After trailing on election night, Democrat Nikki Fried held a slight lead Friday morning in her race with Republican Matt Caldwell to become state agriculture commissioner. With votes continuing to be counted, Fried held a 2,915-vote lead as of 7 a.m. Friday, according to the state Division of Elections website. With 8,046,381 votes tallied in the Cabinet race, Fried had …

Secretary Perdue on Dept. of Labor Rulemaking on H-2A Visa Program

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised proposed rulemaking by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), which could help farmers advertise job openings to domestic workers as required under the H-2A visa program.  The DOL rulemaking would require that employers seeking to hire temporary workers post the employment opportunities online, rather than in expensive newspapers advertisements reaching a limited audience.  …

TPP to Take Effect this Year

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, minus the U.S., will take effect this year after Australia this week became the sixth of the 11 remaining nations to ratify it. The inevitable is happening after President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership soon after taking office—TPP is officially taking effect. Japan has agreed to bilateral talks with the U.S., offering …