Many landowners are familiar with EQIP, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. It provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns and deliver a variety of environmental benefits. According to NRCS Associate Chief, Kevin Norton, EQIP is the workhorse of conservation. Norton told Southeast AgNet that programs through EQIP are not just about traditional crop production. Learn more …
Researchers Put Cornstarch to Use Fighting Pests
(USDA/ARS) — Add yet another use for cornstarch—besides thickening soups and gravies, making adhesives, soothing skin and removing stains. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Peoria, Illinois, are now using the versatile commodity to make products that can fight insect pests, prevent disease and decay and impart water resistance to surfaces. Underpinning that effort is the team’s use of patented …
House, Senate Face Negotiations on E-Verify
(NSF) — As the legislative session wanes, competing proposals that would require employers to check whether new hires are legally eligible to work in the United States are heading to the House and Senate floors. Both measures would force all public employers — such as state agencies and local school districts — to use E-Verify, a federal immigration program that …
Analysis Finds Demand for Meat Strong
Represents $50.5 billion in Sales for 2019 Meat Institute and FMI Release 2020 Power of Meat Analysis (FMI) — The Food Industry Association (FMI) and the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education, the foundation for the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute), released their 15th-annual in-depth study of meat and poultry through shoppers’ eyes. The Power of Meat 2020 explores …
USDA Provides Florida $4 million for Agricultural Pest and Disease Protection
(USDA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating $4 million to Florida as part of its effort to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation, and to safeguard the U.S. nursery production system. Overall, USDA is providing almost $70 million in funding this year to support 386 projects in 48 states, The …
USDA Opens Wildfires and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+)
Sign up March 23, 2020, for Producers Impacted by Drought or Excess Moisture as well as Announces Provisions for Sugar Beet Producers (USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced additional disaster assistance available to agricultural producers, including producers impacted by drought and excess moisture as well as sugar beet growers. Through WHIP+, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) …
Hemp Growers Get Good News
(NAFB) — The Drug Enforcement Agency says it won’t require all labs testing the THC levels of U.S. hemp to be certified by the agency during the 2020 crop year. Politico says that offers producers a little more flexibility because it will alleviate potential bottlenecks at the more limited number of labs that have the certification. Greg Ibach, the Undersecretary …
Cover Crops Play Vital Role in Soil Conservation
(ACES) — Heavy bouts of rainfall and strong storms created the perfect scenario for Alabama producers to talk about the many benefits of planting cover crops during the winter season. Audrey Gamble, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System soil scientist, said the weather throughout winter months in Alabama has allowed for thought-provoking conversations surrounding use of cover crops and off-season land …
E-Verify Issue Starts Moving in House
(NSF) — A party-line vote Thursday on a proposal that would require employers to check the immigration status of new hires is the latest sign that the Republican-dominated Legislature is moving toward giving Gov. Ron DeSantis a win on a campaign promise. The Republican-controlled House Commerce Committee approved a bill that would force all public employers — such as state …
USDA Offers New Hurricane Insurance Endorsement for Crop Year 2020
(USDA/RMA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) announced a new crop insurance endorsement, Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI). HIP-WI covers a portion of the deductible of the underlying crop insurance policy when a county, or county adjacent, is within the area of sustained hurricane-force winds. The coverage provided by HIP-WI can be combined …