From Kevin Shea, Administrator, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: The Florida citrus industry is under siege and the invader is a tiny bug called the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). The ACP spreads a disease known as Huanglongbing (HLB) or citrus greening, and together they are destroying groves that have been cultivated by families for generations. But all is …
USDA Announces Safety Net Assistance for Milk Producers Due to Tightening Dairy Margins
From the U.S. Department of Agriculture: WASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced approximately $11.2 million in financial assistance to American dairy producers enrolled in the 2016 Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). The payment rate for May/June 2016 will be the largest since the program began in 2014. The narrowing margin between milk prices and …
Taller, Thinner Crop Beds Helping Florida Growers
Research efforts through the University of Florida/IFAS continues in many areas, including tomato production. And Dr. Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, says one researcher’s work has found a way for growers to cut costs with how they grow tomatoes and other crops with raised beds. Download Audio
Strawberry Growers May Eventually Save $30 Million a Year with Findings in New UF Study
From the University of Florida/IFAS By: Brad Buck GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Strawberry growers may eventually save $30 million a year with genetic findings from a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study. UF/IFAS researchers are looking for ways to thwart angular leaf spot, a pathogen that can destroy up to 10 percent of Florida’s $300 million-a-year strawberry …
Florida Defends Amendment 1 Spending
FROM THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: Attorneys for the House and Senate this week fired back in a legal battle about whether lawmakers have improperly carried out a 2014 constitutional amendment that seeks to boost conservation efforts.
Florida Preserves Nearly 4,000 Acres of Economically, Environmentally Sensitive Working Land
From the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Governor and Cabinet today unanimously approved the preservation of nearly 4,000 acres of sensitive agricultural lands in Hardee, DeSoto, Dixie and Indian River counties, while allowing the land and agriculture operations to continue to contribute to Florida’s economy. The purchases are a part of the Rural and …
Make Plans to Attend the 2016 Extension Farm Field Day in Jay
The University of Florida/IFAS 2016 Extension Farm Field Day will be held Thursday, August 25 at the West Florida Research & Education Center Jay Research Facility at Jay, Florida. To learn more about this year’s event, click here.
USDA Announces Reopening of Brazilian Market to U.S. Beef Exports
From the U.S. Department of Agriculture: WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reached agreement with Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply to allow access for U.S. beef and beef products to the Brazilian market for the first time since 2003. Brazil’s action reflects the United States’ negligible risk classification for bovine spongiform …
Florida Naturalists Grow Wildlife Habitat
Financial and technical assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Florida helped Bill and Marcia Boothe restore longleaf pine on 22 acres of land they purchased in the late ’90s in Gadsden and Liberty counties, and to bring the ecosystem back to what it used to be. Download Audio
President Obama Signs GMO Compromise Bill into Law
The White House announced late this afternoon that President Obama had signed a variety of bills today including S. 764, the Biotech Food Labeling Bill, otherwise known as the GMO labeling bill. The President’s signature now directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a national mandatory bioengineered food disclosure standard. Here are releases from agriculture groups pleased with news: