Source: Everglades Agricultural Area Farmers Some have erroneously claimed that farms south of Lake Okeechobee contribute to the ecological problems in Lake Okeechobee and on the coasts, as they claim that farmers back pump farm water to the lake, which is not true. We encourage you to read the special report from the Palm Beach Post, especially excerpts below. Your …
Highest U.S. Cotton Exports in Over a Decade
Exports Expand in Four of the Top Five Markets With 2017/18 seeing the largest U.S. production in more than 10 years and record global use, reported U.S. exports reached their highest level since 2005/06 and were the second highest on record. Compared with last year, U.S. shipments expanded in four of the top five markets. Expanding use in Southeast and …
Tightening Wheat Supplies in Europe and Black Sea Ripple Through Global Commodity Markets
Combined wheat production in the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine is forecast down 12 percent from last year to the lowest level in 5 years. The EU wheat crop is down 9 percent from last year on hot, dry weather in the northern Member States, while production in Russia and Ukraine is down from recent bumper crops on a return …
New Special Master Named in ‘Water War’
The U.S. Supreme Court has appointed a new special master to handle the long-running legal battle between Florida and Georgia over water in the Apalachicola River system. The court on Thursday named Paul J. Kelly Jr., a federal appellate judge from Santa Fe, N.M., to replace Maine lawyer Ralph Lancaster as special master. A one-paragraph order from the court did …
FDA to Consider Organic Labeling Claims
The Food and Drug Administration will apparently investigate labeling claims of organic products. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb took to Twitter this week, responding to a critical Wall Street Journal editorial, which a former FDA official argued under the headline “The Organic Industry is Lying to You,” that the agency has been lax in allowing the use of non-GMO and pesticide-free …
Coalition Pushing for COOL in NAFTA for Beef and Pork
The Coalition for a Prosperous America is urging the U.S. to include Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL) for beef and pork in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Negotiations. Coalition member, R-CALF, says in a news release that reinstatement of COOL labeling will help U.S. consumers “to find safer food alternatives and will also help to boost domestic agriculture.” R-CALF points …
Weekly Drought Monitor Update
The weekly U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday shows a continuation and expansion of prolonged drought in the Midwest and Southwest United States. Drought conditions now extend from Washington State down the coast and along the U.S.-Mexico border to Louisiana and Mississippi, and north across Missouri to Colorado. The weekly measure notes that livestock production has been seriously impaired by the …
Grains Exports on Track to Set New Record
U.S. exports of grain in all forms are on track to set a new record in 2017/2018, with two months of sales left to report, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and analysis by the U.S. Grains Council. During the first ten months of the marketing year, September 2017 to June 2018, the United States exported 98.3 …
USDA Announces Further Reorganization
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) Thursday announced it would move some jobs out of Washington, D.C. under a realignment plan. The agency says the moves are intended to “improve customer service, strengthen offices and programs, and save taxpayer dollars.” As per the announcement, The Economic Research Service, currently under USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics mission area, will realign with the …
National Peanut Board, Peanut Industry Partners Expand Research Dollars with NIFA Matching Funds
The National Peanut Board, along with funding partner USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), announces the awarding of three research grants focusing on genomics-enabled plant breeding. Collaborating with two peanut industry funding partners, the Southeastern Peanut Research Initiative (SPRI) and the Peanut Foundation, the National Peanut Board was able to allocate $542,226. NIFA’s dollar-for-dollar matching funds yielded a …