Over 100 U.S. agriculture groups are urging President-elect Donald Trump not to undo the changes that President Obama made in relation status between the U.S. and Cuba.
Alabama Row Crop Farmers Face Continuing Challenges
Alabama Farmers Federation For Alabama’s row crop farmers, 2016 was both good and bad, according to Max Runge, an Alabama Extension economist. While drought conditions held corn and soybean yields below the five-year average, 2016 may post record-high cotton yields. “If estimates hold, this will be a record yield of 987 pounds per acre,” Runge said. He added other crops …
Senate Sets Course for St. Johns River Plan
From: News Service of Florida A proposal to steer money toward protecting the St. Johns River, along with its tributaries or lakes in the Keystone Heights region, may be set for smooth sailing in the Senate.
Changes Aimed at Ending the Inhumane Practice of Horse Soring
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today announced a final rule that includes changes that will help to protect horses from the cruel and inhumane practice known as soring and eliminate the unfair competitive advantage that sore horses have over horses that are not sore. The practice of soring is intended to produce …
Funding to Foster the Agricultural Science Workforce
The talent pipeline for the agricultural workforce begins well before college, and today the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced the availability of $858,500 in funding to strengthen K-14 education in the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human (FANH) sciences.
Washington Legislative Conference March 7-10
Alabama Farmers Federation members anticipate finding a more favorable regulatory climate under President Donald Trump’s administration when they attend the biennial Washington Legislative Conference March 7-10. The Federation’s Mitt Walker said farmers are hopeful Trump and the 115th Congress will promote policies favorable to agricultural and rural communities, and he anticipates regulatory reform and the farm bill will be main …
Evaluating Chemicals that May Pose Risk
New chemical law requires the agency to look at chemicals that were grandfathered in under old law The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving swiftly to propose how it will prioritize and evaluate chemicals, given that the final processes must be in place within the first year of the new law’s enactment, or before June 22, 2017.
Comments needed on Chlorpyrifos (Lorsban and Generic Formulations)
Action Alert: EPA is moving forward with efforts to revoke all food use tolerances for chlorpyrifos (Lorsban and generic formulations). Stakeholders may enter comments related to this action on the EPA website until January 17, 2017. Comments that provide the following information would probably be most helpful:
New Board Appointees Will Join The Cotton Board
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment of 17 members and 18 alternates to serve on The Cotton Board. The cotton producers and importers appointed by the Secretary are charged with working together to oversee the Cotton Research & Promotion Program (the Program).
USDA Expands Grasslands Conservation Program
Helping Dairy, Beef and Other Producers Protect Working Grasslands in 43 States U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Val Dolcini announced that USDA will accept over 300,000 acres in 43 states that were offered by producers during the recent ranking period for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Grasslands enrollment with emphasis placed on small-scale livestock operations. …