Start spreading the news – and the peanut butter! From Oct. 1 to Nov. 21, you can donate unopened jars of peanut butter to hungry Panhandle families through the Peanut Butter Challenge, a project coordinated by UF/IFAS Extension faculty and volunteers. During those dates, you may drop off jars at your UF/IFAS Extension county office. UF/IFAS Extension works with the …
U.S. Supplying More Than Half of the E.U. Soybeans
The European Commission released a report that says American farmers are now supplying more than half of the European Union’s soybeans. Over a 12-week period from July through mid-September, U.S. soy exports to the EU were 133 percent higher than the same time period in 2017. Politico says the U.S. supplied 25 percent of the EU’s soybeans needs from July …
Bayer Files Appeal to California Glyphosate Ruling
Bayer is increasing efforts to defend Roundup, its flagship weed killer. A Dow Jones report says the effort follows a recent verdict in a California court case alleging that the chemical causes cancer sent shares sharply lower. According to the company’s court filing, Bayer wants a California judge to overturn the jury verdict, order a new trial, or reduce the …
Foreign Market Development Faces Funding Gap
Organizations that use government funds to promote U.S. commodity purchases in foreign countries could face some funding challenges in the near future. The Hagstrom Report says that will likely happen if Congress doesn’t pass a farm bill by September 30. Scott Shearer is a lobbyist who represents the FMD groups, which are called cooperators. “In this time of trade uncertainty …
Rabobank: Global Poultry Prices Under Pressure
A Rabobank report says a historic drop in poultry exports from Brazil is shaking up trade in the commodity around the world. The latest quarterly outlook on the industry says African Swine Fever could also indirectly affect the industry. Global poultry prices dropped by an average of five to 10 percent in the second quarter of this year. African Swine …
USDA Invests in Customer Service, Modernization Projects for SNAP
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $5 million of investments in customer service projects to improve and modernize application processing in USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The USDA Process and Technology Improvement Grants (PTIG) awarded to the District of Columbia and state and county agencies in Alabama, Kansas, North Carolina, New Mexico, and New York aim to: Make the …
Scott Seeks Red Tide Research, Draws Criticism
Gov. Rick Scott wants state wildlife commissioners to seek funding for a red-tide research center and to restart a long-dormant task force, as waters along Florida’s Gulf Coast continue to face an expanding red-tide outbreak that began last year. Environmentalists said Scott’s latest proposals won’t cure the ongoing problems and criticized the funding proposal as a campaign stunt. In a …
USDA Secretary Working to Empower Local School Leaders and Improve the School Meal Programs
USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue hosted a roundtable with local school officials to learn more about how USDA can best assist and enable their efforts to serve nutritious meals to our nation’s children. The meeting was part of the Secretary’s ongoing efforts to explore reforms that will make school meals more appealing by giving control back to local school food professionals …
Canada Farmers Say Dairy Not a Bargaining Chip in Negotiations
Talks between Canada and the U.S. regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement are intensifying in Washington, D.C. Bloomberg says Canadian dairy farmers recently told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not to use access to the protected Canadian dairy market as a bargaining chip. The Dairy Farmers of Canada says it’s already lost $193 million because of past trade agreements and …
Livestock Losses Mounting after Florence
Recovery is underway in North Carolina after Hurricane Florence. The number of livestock lost to flooding is climbing in the aftermath. The North Carolina Ag Department says 5,500 hogs and 3.4 million poultry were lost due to the hurricane. In addition to damage on farms around the area, other reports included wind damage to hog farms, as well as substantial …