USDA Florida Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, Acting SED Mark Cotrell announced that approximately 3,585 Florida farms that enrolled in safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill will receive financial assistance for the 2016 crop year. The programs, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), are designed to protect against unexpected drops in crop prices …
Raising Livestock May be a ‘Smelly’ Business
Raising livestock may be a ‘smelly’ business, but that hasn’t stopped the federal courts from ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to move ahead with manure emission reporting requirements. EPA issued guidance to producers and is expected to get more time to educate producers on the manure emission reporting requirement, after losing a court petition to allow a farm exemption. The …
Wheat Growers Association President Resigns for Potential FSA Appointment
The National Wheat Growers Association said Monday that association president David Schemm has resigned from his position to pursue other professional opportunities in his home state. The High Plains Journal says Schemm, a Sharon Springs, Kansas, wheat grower, has reportedly been tapped to accept the position of Kansas Farm Service Agency executive director. Wheat Growers CEO Chandler Goule said that …
Insurer Suing ABC over BPI Settlement
AIG Specialty Insurance Co. is suing ABC News over its settlement with Beef Products Inc. regarding ABC’s “pink slime” reports. AIG Specialty Insurance is one of the insurers for ABC’s parent company, the Walk Disney Company. AIG is suing Disney over its insistence that its settlement with BPI, which cost Disney $177 million, after the amounts covered by insurance, is …
Consumers See ‘Organic’ and ‘non-GM’ Food Labels as Synonymous
A study by University of Florida shows consumers regularly mix up food labels. University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences says consumers mix up foods labeled “organic” and “non-genetically modified” and some view the two labels as the same. A national survey of more than 1,000 consumers gauged their willingness to pay for food labeled genetically modified versus …
Trade Lawyer Tells Companies to Prepare for no NAFTA
A trade lawyer in the U.S. says companies should start contingency planning amid trade uncertainty. Dan Ujczo, an international trade lawyer specializing in Canada-U.S. matters, told Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper that growing uncertainty over the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement means companies need to brace themselves, including for the possibility that President Donald Trump walks away …
NAFTA Renegotiation Agreement Depends on Tax Reform, Agriculture
The fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) depends on U.S. tax reform and agriculture. That’s according to Former U.S. ambassador to Mexico Jim Jones, who told Politico that if tax reform passes, President Donald Trump will be “more interested in listening to reason” on NAFTA and other issues. Jones says: “Trump is less interested in substance than …
Growth Energy: 2 Billion Miles Surpassed on E15
Growth Energy announced that in just five months, American drivers have surpassed another billion miles on E15, bringing the total miles driven across the U.S. to 2 billion. This comes on the heels of Growth Energy’s recent announcement that more than 1,000 stations across the country are currently offering E15 to consumers. “This latest milestone cements the fact that drivers have embraced …
Soybean Acres May Surpass Corn Acres in 2018
Will U.S. farmers plant more soybeans next year? Some analysts say next year’s soybean acres will surpass this year’s record acreage of 88.7 million acres. The total number of acreage for soybeans in 2018 being discussed range anywhere from 86 to 90.5 million acres. The higher estimates could equate to more soybean acres than corn acres for the first time …
USDA Announces Enrollment Period for Safety Net Coverage in 2018
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that starting Nov. 1, farmers and ranchers with base acres in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) safety net program may enroll for the 2018 crop year. The enrollment period will end on Aug. 1, 2018. “Since shares and ownership of a farm can change year-to-year, producers must enroll …