(SFWMD) — Here is the latest update on inflows into Lake Okeechobee for the calendar year to date. This data is provided by SFWMD’s DBHYDRO database. There has been no back-pumping into Lake Okeechobee from the Everglades Agricultural Area this year. Source: South Florida Water Management District Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding …
USDA Forest Service Announces Key Changes to NEPA Procedures
(USDA/FS) — The USDA Forest Service announced the publication of a final rule implementing key changes to its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. The changes include new tools and flexibilities to tackle critical land management challenges as part of a broader agency effort to better serve the American people through timely, high-quality management decisions affecting infrastructure, permitting and restoration …
NCBA & PLC Secure NEPA Improvements For Livestock Producers
(NCBA) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Executive Director of Natural Resources and the Public Lands Council (PLC) Executive Director Kaitlynn Glover released the following statement on the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) final rule to update the agency’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations: “Today’s announcement represents decades of work by livestock producers who have told the Forest Service and …
Farm Bureau Survey: Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Down 4%
(AFBF) — Thanksgiving celebrations will look different for many Americans this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gatherings are likely to be fewer and farther between, with social distancing and perhaps even remote family get-togethers. One tradition that continues this year is the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual cost survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table. …
Amino Acid Helps Shore Up Defenses of Swine
(USDA/ARS) — A third round of feeding trials conducted by a team of USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists has again shown that a dietary supplement called L-glutamine can naturally promote growth and wellness in pigs. Jay S. Johnson, an animal scientist with ARS’s Livestock Behavior Research Unit in West Lafayette, Indiana, and his Purdue University collaborators are …
Safe Food Production Training to be Available to Florida’s Small and Beginning Farmers
(UF/IFAS) — A new opportunity for Florida’s small and medium-sized produce farmers will become a reality with the support of a U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) grant designed to produce and provide easy-to-access training in safe food production methods to underserved farmers. Faculty from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and Florida …
USDA Opens Registration for the 2021 Agricultural Outlook Forum
The 2021 Forum Will Be Virtual and Registration Is Free (USDA) — Registration is now open for the 97th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum (AOF), the largest annual meeting and premiere event of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The two-day Forum will take place on Feb. 18-19, 2021. Due to COVID-19 and current restrictions on large gatherings in the Washington, D.C. …
GOP Leaders Look at Climate Change Plans
(NSF) — Planning work to address flooding from rising sea levels, similar to how the state maps out road and bridge projects for five years, is being considered by the new Republican leaders of the Florida House and Senate. House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, and Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, expressed a desire Tuesday to establish work programs that …
Decision-Support Tool Using HiPerGator May Help Manage Devastating Avocado Disease
UF/IFAS researchers are working on a decision-support app to help policy makers and growers decide the best regional treatment options for laurel wilt disease, which is challenging Florida’s $35 million-a-year avocado crop. Laurel wilt disease is spread by several ambrosia beetle vectors. People, whether they grow avocados or not, can spread the beetles when they move infested wood products – …
New Conservation Concerns Tool Key for Farmers, Ranchers
The new Conservation Concerns Tool on the farmers.gov website provides farmers and ranchers a central online location to learn about the different types of conservation concerns that might impact their land. These concerns are divided into six different topic areas: Soil: Erosion or quality degradation Animals: Inability to meet livestock or wildlife habitat needs Air: Quality issues like greenhouse gases …