The National Ag Statistics Service released the results of its first-ever Local Food Marketing Practices Survey this week. Over 167,000 U.S. farms locally produced and sold food through direct marketing practices.
Panera Makes Animal Welfare Pledge for Broilers
Panera announced it will be adopting practices outlined in the Global Animal Partnership’s Broiler Chicken Standard. A CNBC Dot Com article says the non-profit organization created a five-step program it says promotes effective animal livestock care. The Standard requires no cages or crowding crates be used on animal farms. It also requires outdoor access for animals, as well as pasture …
CA Dairy Farmers Navigating Methane Reduction Bill
Dairy farmers in California now have more to consider in running their day-to-day operations. An article on Milk Business Dot Com says farmers face water issues, regulatory burdens, and the nation’s highest minimum wage.
Tighter Requirements Sought for Environmental Panel
From: The News Service of Florida After a controversy this year about new water-quality standards, a Democratic senator Tuesday filed a proposal that would tighten requirements for the state Environmental Regulation Commission.
Protecting Natural Resources Through Joint Chiefs’ Partnership
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new investment of $32 million to improve the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems where public forests and grasslands connect to privately-owned lands. Through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership, USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Forest Service will invest the new funds in fiscal year 2017 to add ten …
Final Rule to Allow Lemons from Northwest Argentina into the Continental United States
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is publishing a final rule to allow the importation of fresh lemon fruit from northwest Argentina into the continental United States. Over the last 10 years, APHIS has thoroughly reviewed Argentina’s citrus production and packing practices and fully evaluated pest risks to U.S. agriculture. The review included …
Peanut Leadership Academy Class X
Twenty-three peanut growers and sheller representatives from across the Southeast, Texas and Virginia-Carolina area began Class X of the Peanut Leadership Academy Dec. 12-14, 2016, in Miramar Beach, Florida. The Peanut Leadership Academy is hosted by the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation and is a cooperative effort between Syngenta Crop Protection, the American Peanut Shellers Association and grower organizations. The program …
UF/IFAS Top 10 Extension publications cover snakes, avocados, vegetable gardening, more
Vegetable gardening, bahia grass, living with snakes and identifying poisonous plants. These are the topics for some of the top University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension documents from 2016. Here’s this year’s list of the top 10 publications from the UF/IFAS Electronic Data Information Source:
Research Shows Wind Turbines Impact on Field Crops
Wind turbines that often dot fields throughout the Midwest may benefit row crops, according to new research by Iowa State University.
Canada Releases Six Ranches Under Quarantine for Bovine TB
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency last week released six ranches, or premises, from a federal quarantine after a micro-outbreak of bovine tuberculosis was reported in September.