Highlights Cooperative Approach to Land Management (USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue joined Georgia Governor Brian Kemp to sign a Shared Stewardship agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the State of Georgia. The agreement was signed at a ceremony at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural …
State Completes Wakulla, St. Johns Land Buys
(NSF) — The state Department of Environmental Protection has completed the acquisition of a pair of Florida Forever sites in Wakulla and St. Johns counties that Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Cabinet agreed to buy for $10.7 million in July. The department announced Friday the $4.2 million purchase of 717 acres within the Wakulla Springs Protection Zone Florida Forever project …
Commissioner Nikki Fried on ITC Ruling on Mexican Tomato Threat
(FDACS) — The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted 4-0 affirming that imported Mexican tomatoes unfairly threaten the American tomato industry. The ruling came after the U.S. Department of Commerce recently re-opened the antidumping investigation that began in 1996, and after finding that Mexican tomatoes had been dumped into the U.S. market at prices 21 percent below fair market value, on average. In …
ITC Affirms that Mexican Dumping Threatens U.S. Tomato Growers
(FTE) — In a unanimous decision, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) made an affirmative determination that dumped Mexican tomato imports threaten the U.S. industry with material injury. This determination comes on the heels of an announcement last month by the U.S. Department of Commerce, which found that Mexican tomatoes had been dumped in the U.S. market at an average …
Legislation to Preserve Family Farms Introduced in Congress
(NCBA) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced its strong support for the “Preserving Family Farms Act of 2019.” Introduced by U.S. Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D – 20th Dist. – Calif.) and Jackie Walorski (R – 2nd Dist. – Ind.), this important bipartisan legislation would expand IRS Code Section 2032A to allow more ranchers and farmers to take advantage …
Tyson to Reopen Kansas Beef Plant Next Month
(NAFB) — Tyson will reopen a Kansas beef processing facility next month, following repairs prompted by an August fire that disrupted operations at the facility. This week, Tyson announced repairs at the Holcomb, Kansas facility are nearly complete, and efforts to resume beef processing are planned for the first week of December. The company expects the plant to be fully …
NRCS Focusing on Serving their Customers
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has a proud history of supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. For more than 80 years, they have helped producers keep their working lands working, along with improving the quality of our air, water, soil and habitat. This is being done through one-on-one, personalized advice, finding the best solutions to meet unique conservation goals. NRCS Chief, Matt …
New Rules Aimed at Protecting Tomato Crops
(NSF) — New federal inspection rules go into place Friday on tomatoes and peppers, a month after Florida agricultural officials expressed concern that a virus had been found in tomatoes imported from Mexico. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that tomatoes and pepper fruit from Mexico, Israel and the Netherlands must be inspected for tomato brown rugose fruit virus, …
Georgia Pecans Enter Taiwanese Markets
GDA Expands Trade Efforts (GDA) — More than 51,000 pounds of Georgia pecans are headed to Taiwan and are expected to enter retail stores by mid-December. The pecan export purchased from a grower in Ocilla, Georgia is a direct result of bilateral trade efforts between Georgia and Taiwan. During October, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black joined representatives from the Georgia Pecan Growers …
Farm Bureau Calls for Improvements to Ag Labor Bill
(AFBF) — The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Legislation advanced by the House Judiciary Committee falls short of a long-term solution to farm labor shortages, which constitute one of the most significant barriers to farm success in several regions of the country. “Before the bill was introduced, modifications were made in response …