(UF/IFAS) — The UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Program launched a virtual workshop with research and program updates, available online beginning January 11 for $40. The workshop consists of a collection of pre-recorded lectures and prepared documents available for on-demand viewing. In addition to the virtual delivery, there are opportunities to engage with experts from UF/IFAS. As the two-year pilot project …
Members Sought for Advisory Committee on Urban Agriculture
(USDA/FSA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking members for a new advisory committee on urban agriculture, part of a broader effort to focus on the needs of urban farmers. The 12-person committee will advise the Secretary of Agriculture on the development of policies and outreach relating to urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production practices as well …
NCBA Rolls Out New Virtual Event for 2021
Cattle Industry Members Invited to 2021 Cattle Industry Convention Winter Reboot Virtual Event Feb. 23-24 (NCBA) – Brand new for 2021, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is hosting a two-day virtual event for cattlemen and women across the country to come together for industry news, updates, education and networking. The 2021 Cattle Industry Convention Winter Reboot, scheduled for Feb. …
COVID-19 Taking Heavy Toll on Farmers’ Mental Health
(AFBF) — A strong majority of farmers/farmworkers say the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their mental health, and more than half say they are personally experiencing more mental health challenges than they were a year ago, according to a new American Farm Bureau poll. The survey of rural adults and farmers/farmworkers explores how the pandemic has affected their mental health personally and …
Judge Says Trial Needed in Conservation Dispute
(NSF) — A Leon County circuit judge has said a trial is needed in part of a long-running lawsuit about how the Legislature carried out a 2014 constitutional amendment aimed at land and water conservation. Environmental groups in October asked Circuit Judge Charles Dodson to grant summary judgment finding that some state budget items from 2015 and 2016 violated the …
Latest Ag Economy Barometer Released
(NAFB) — Farmer sentiment improved modestly in December, according to the latest Ag Economy Barometer. The CME Group/Purdue University index, released Tuesday, rose to a reading of 174, up seven points from November. December’s sentiment improvement still left the barometer nine points lower than in October. The Index of Current Conditions climbed 15 points to 202, while the Index of …
Statement Regarding Seed Coat Fragments in Cotton Produced in the Southeast
(USDA/AMS) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to collaborate with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to raise awareness and further examine the significant increase in seed coat fragments in cotton produced in the southeast region. Thus far in the 2020 cotton season, the AMS Macon, GA Classing …
2020 Southeastern Hay Contest Winners Announced
Amidst many challenges of 2020, with Covid-19, lockdowns and disruption of supply chains, our livestock still have to eat, and our farmers did not stop working. Good hay is key for many livestock operations in the Southeast, either as a main forage source in the winter, or to close the gap between the dormancy of warm season grasses and the …
QLA Now Available for Producers Affected by 2018-19 Natural Disasters
(USDA/FSA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that signup for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program will begin Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. Funded by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, this new program provides assistance to producers who suffered eligible crop quality losses due to natural disasters occurring in 2018 and 2019. The …
Pandemic Eating Among the Food-Secure
(UF/IFAS) — During the first three months of the pandemic, food-secure people did not change their eating habits very much, although some of them turned a bit more to comfort foods, new University of Florida research shows. The study also serves as a cautionary tale for how people might want to eat in future pandemics. Jeanette Andrade and her doctoral …