With a long list of legislation impacting agribusiness, Georgia Governor Deal never hesitated in signing every one of them. We are grateful for the legislators and Governor Deal for their support of our state’s ag and forestry interests. Here’s the quick summary of new ag laws starting July 1, 2018: GATE: Much needed changes to the GATE program are included in HB …
China Says U.S. Tariffs Will Negate Current Trade Talks
China says any tariffs implemented on the nation by the United States will dampen the ongoing trade talks between the two. The Chinese government in a statement said: “All economic and trade outcomes of the talks will not take effect if the U.S. side imposes any trade sanctions including raising tariffs,” according to Politico. China stressed that the outcome of …
Bayer-Monsanto Deal to Close This Week
Bayer announced it will complete its acquisition of Monsanto on June 7. The closure of the acquisition will follow the receipt of all required approvals from regulatory authorities, according to a company news release. The closure comes two years after Bayer announced the intention to acquire Monsanto. As part of the $63 billion agreement, Bayer will remain the company name, …
Deere Files Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Precision Planting, AGCO
Deere & Company announced it has taken legal action against Precision Planting LLC and AGCO Corporation, claiming that the companies have infringed on 12 John Deere patents. The Deere patents, according to a company news release, relate to several of the “unique and inventive” aspects of John Deere planting equipment, many of which are “embodied in the state-of-the-art technology” Deere …
Ag Aviation Association Asks Drone Operators to Be Cautious of Ag Aircraft
The National Agriculture Aviation Association is reminding UAV, or drone users to be aware of agricultural aircraft throughout the growing season. Agricultural aviators fly as low as ten feet off the ground, meaning they share airspace with UAVs that are limited to flying no more than 400 feet above ground level. For this reason, the National Agricultural Aviation Association is …
Census of Agriculture Deadline Looming
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is wrapping up data collection for the 2017 Census of Agriculture. To stay on track for data release in February 2019, the deadline for submitting the paper questionnaire is June 15, 2018. Farmers and ranchers who have not responded by June 15, 2018, still have until the end of July to …
NMPF Thanks USDA for Extending Margin Protection Program Sign-up Window
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) expressed thanks to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for his department’s decision to give dairy farmers additional time to review their 2018 coverage options in the dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Monday it is extending the June 1 sign-up deadline to Friday, June 8. NMPF, along with key …
Farm and Biofuel Coalition Demands that EPA Account for Lost Volumes
Coalition Petitions EPA to Revise the Way It Calculates Annual Renewable Fuel Obligations; EPA Is Failing to Comply with Statutory Mandate A coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its regulations to account for lost volumes of renewable fuel resulting from the unprecedented number of retroactive small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) …
FSA’s Risk Mitigation Program Pays Off After Irma for Florida Shellfish Hatchery
Bay Shellfish Company is a commercial hatchery in Florida, located south of the Tampa Bay area on Terra Ceia Island. The operation, opened in 1996, is the first commercial hatchery to produce commercial oyster seed in the state. “We produce shellfish for research, restoration and commercial production,” said Curtis Hemmel, owner and operator of Bay Shellfish Company. Hemmel’s company isNAP …
Peterson: New Farm Bill Must Protect Against Trade Retaliation
House Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson says that American tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will generate retaliation that will hit farm exports hard. As a result, he’ll be working with House and Senate Ag Committee leaders on a new farm bill to protect farmers from “the market fluctuations caused by these actions.” A USDA spokesman says President Trump …