(NCBA) — In the latest effort to address myths about beef production and nutrition, Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner., managed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, has released a new video series, ‘Real Facts About Real Beef.’ The videos highlight real farmers and ranchers and other beef experts candidly addressing some of the most common misconceptions …
State Beef Councils Win Major Legal Victory
(NCBA) — The Beef Checkoff program and fifteen grassroots-led state beef councils won a major court victory when the United States District Court of Montana ruled in favor of USDA and the Montana Beef Council in the matter of R-CALF vs. Sonny Perdue and USDA. NCBA praised the court’s decision, which ends a legal battle that has spanned more than …
COVID-19 Update for Growers and Packers
(UF/IFAS) — The CDC, FDA and USDA all agree “Currently, there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19”, including imported foods and materials. FDA has issued guidance that if an employee tests positive for COVID-19 they “do not anticipate that food products would need to be recalled or be withdrawn from the market”. Citrus growers, harvesters, packers, …
NCBA Sends Letter to Ag Secretary Perdue Urging Aid for American Cattle Producers
(NCBA) — Following final passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act by the U.S. House of Representatives, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) sent a letter urging United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue to “take immediate action to provide much-needed relief to cattle producers who have been negatively impacted due to the ongoing …
Commissioner Fried Advising Farmers to Utilize New Flexibilities on Crop Insurance Due to COVID-19
(FDACS) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is advising farmers to utilize new flexibilities for crop insurance announced by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA). “Our team has been in constant communication with agriculture producers, industry leaders, and the USDA throughout the coronavirus outbreak — we have relayed concerns and challenges facing the …
Secretary Perdue Statement on Coronavirus Rescue Package
(USDA)– U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement after President Donald J. Trump signed the CARES Act: “The passage of the Coronavirus response legislation will provide much needed relief to Americans across this country, especially workers and small-business owners who have been impacted by COVID-19. President Trump has made the safety and security of the American people …
State Department Clears the Way for Agriculture Workforce
(AFBF) — The U.S. State Department revised its restrictions on the processing of visa applications submitted by farm workers in Mexico after hearing concerns that the restrictions would lead to a farm worker shortage in the U.S. Consular officers can now waive the visa interview requirement for eligible first-time and returning H-2A and H-2B applicants, making more workers in the H-2 …
UF Plant and Soil Diagnostic Labs Essential to Florida Agriculture, Economy During COVID-19
(UF/IFAS) — In the time of COVID-19, plants still get sick, and the soil that nourishes them needs care. The health of plants and soil is critical to agriculture, an industry designated an essential service in response to the pandemic. That’s why today, when many American universities have transitioned to online-only and their employees adapt to working from home, scientists …
Georgia NRCS Conservation Easements Sign Up Ends March 31
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia reminds landowners that in order to be considered for the fiscal year 2020 funding pool for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), applications must be submitted by March 31, 2020. The ACEP, created through the 2014 Farm Bill and reauthorized in the 2018 Farm Bill, is a program that has two components, known …
Florida NRCS Extends Agricultural Land Easement Signup
The deadline for applications to fund Agricultural Land Easements in Florida has been extended to May 6. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida provides financial assistance to conservation partners to purchase an Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) that protects the agricultural use of cropland, rangeland, grassland, pastureland and nonindustrial private forestland. Although applications are accepted on a continuous basis, funding selections are typically …