(NAMI) — Exhibitors at the Annual Meat Conference , co-hosted by FMI, The Food Industry Association and the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute), this week in Nashville, Tennessee, donated 28,000 pounds of meat and poultry products to The Nashville Food Project , a nonprofit that seeks to increase access to healthy foods in homeless and working poor communities across Davidson County, Tennessee. The donation will provide 90,000 …
DeSantis Sides With Senate on E-Verify
(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis is backing the Senate in a heated fight over E-Verify, a move that could tip the scale in a contentious immigration battle as the 2020 legislative session draws to a close. Senate President Bill Galvano said his chamber is ready to consider legislation that was negotiated between Sen. Tom Lee, who is sponsoring the bill, …
USDA to Open Signup for Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands
(USDA/FSA) — Farmers and ranchers may apply to enroll grasslands in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands signup beginning March 16. The signup runs through May 15. “Through this CRP Grasslands signup, farmers and ranchers can protect grasslands, rangelands and pastures, while maintaining the land as working grazing lands,” said Richard Fordyce, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). “The …
Protein Exports Piling up in U.S. Due to Coronavirus
(NAFB) — The spread of coronavirus is causing a glut of protein in U.S. cold-storage facilities. The Wall Street Journal says the protein backup includes pork, chicken, and beef intended for export to overseas markets that have been hit by the outbreak. The quantity of breasts, thigh meat, and drumsticks has grown by 12 percent through the first month of …
Ag Economy Barometer Hits All-Time High
(NAFB) — Producers’ perceptions of improved current conditions in the agricultural economy pushed the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer to a record high. The index rose to 168 in February, an increase of one point from January, and was 18 points higher than in December of 2019. This month’s increase came about largely because of the improvement in the …
Researchers Put Cornstarch to Use Fighting Pests
(USDA/ARS) — Add yet another use for cornstarch—besides thickening soups and gravies, making adhesives, soothing skin and removing stains. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Peoria, Illinois, are now using the versatile commodity to make products that can fight insect pests, prevent disease and decay and impart water resistance to surfaces. Underpinning that effort is the team’s use of patented …
House, Senate Face Negotiations on E-Verify
(NSF) — As the legislative session wanes, competing proposals that would require employers to check whether new hires are legally eligible to work in the United States are heading to the House and Senate floors. Both measures would force all public employers — such as state agencies and local school districts — to use E-Verify, a federal immigration program that …
Analysis Finds Demand for Meat Strong
Represents $50.5 billion in Sales for 2019 Meat Institute and FMI Release 2020 Power of Meat Analysis (FMI) — The Food Industry Association (FMI) and the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education, the foundation for the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute), released their 15th-annual in-depth study of meat and poultry through shoppers’ eyes. The Power of Meat 2020 explores …
USDA Provides Florida $4 million for Agricultural Pest and Disease Protection
(USDA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating $4 million to Florida as part of its effort to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation, and to safeguard the U.S. nursery production system. Overall, USDA is providing almost $70 million in funding this year to support 386 projects in 48 states, The …
USDA Opens Wildfires and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+)
Sign up March 23, 2020, for Producers Impacted by Drought or Excess Moisture as well as Announces Provisions for Sugar Beet Producers (USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced additional disaster assistance available to agricultural producers, including producers impacted by drought and excess moisture as well as sugar beet growers. Through WHIP+, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) …