Strengthening the link between beef industry, consumers (NCBA) – About 85 percent of U.S. beef today comes from Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)-certified farmers or ranchers. But do American consumers know that? Just as important, do they know what BQA is – and what it stands for? Those are the kinds of questions a new Beef Checkoff-funded campaign from the National …
Georgia Counties Designated as Primary Natural Disaster Areas
Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available (USDA/FSA) — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 24 Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers who suffered losses due to recent drought may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans. The Georgia counties with the primary natural disaster designation include Banks, Bartow, Carroll, …
Commissioner Fried Announces $500,000 Food Recovery Grant Legislation
(FDACS) — Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried toured Pero Family Farms, a fifth-generation family farm and sustainable producer of fresh seasonal produce such as peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers, some of Florida’s leading seasonal crops. Fried was joined by Pero Family Farms CEO Peter Pero and Executive Vice President Frank Pero, Feeding South Florida CEO Paco Vélez, Boynton Beach City Commissioner Ty Penserga, and representatives of State Senator Lori Berman, State Representatives David …
NRCS Offering CSP Grasslands Conservation Initiative
Since the 2018 Farm Bill was enacted, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been working to implement programs that offers strong support for conservation efforts of America’s farmers and ranchers. One of those is the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which helps producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns. Participants earn …
NCBA Statement on Beef Labeling Practices
(NCBA) — National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Vice President, Government Affairs, Ethan Lane, released the following statement in response to a letter from U.S. Sens. John Thune (S.D.) and Mike Rounds (S.D.) regarding beef labeling practices: “NCBA understands that the practices alleged in the letter from Senator Rounds and Senator Thune are a concern to cattle producers and we share …
Judge Ready to Wade into Water War
(NSF) — Albuquerque is a long way from Apalachicola. But when a federal judge in the New Mexico city hears arguments next week in a long-running water war between Florida and Georgia, the small Panhandle community will be at the center of the case. Senior U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Paul J. Kelly, appointed as a special master by …
NCBA Applauds Introduction of Hours of Service Legislation
(NCBA) — The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) applauded the introduction of bipartisan legislation by U.S. Reps. Angie Craig (D – 2nd Dist., Minn.) and Lloyd Smucker (R – 11th Dist., Penn.) that would provide flexible and common-sense relief from Hours of Service (HOS) rules for agricultural haulers. The Responsible & Efficient Agriculture Destination (TREAD) Act would ensure that the …
Organic Program One of Many Excellent Choices for Producers
The House Agriculture Committee’s Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research Subcommittee held a hearing to review the state of Organic Agriculture from the perspective of producers. After the hearing, Subcommittee Ranking Member Neal Dunn (FL-2) and Committee Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) released the following remarks: “At today’s hearing, we heard directly from farmers who have chosen to use the organic …
Wayne Farms’ Clint Rivers Installed as Chairman of the National Chicken Council
(NCC) — Clint Rivers, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wayne Farms LLC (Oakwood, Georgia) was installed as 2019-2020 Chairman of the National Chicken Council (NCC) during NCC’s 65h Annual Conference held today in Washington, D.C. Rivers succeeds outgoing chairman Mark Kaminsky, Chief Operating Officer at Koch Foods (Park Ridge, Illinois). Rivers joined Wayne Farms in October 2012 as Vice President and General Manager of the Fresh …
House Agriculture Committee Approves Bipartisan CFTC Reauthorization
The House Agriculture Committee approved H.R. 4895, a bill to reauthorize the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Ranking Member K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit Subcommittee Ranking Member Austin Scott (GA-8) released the following remarks upon passage: “This reauthorization provides the CFTC with the tools it needs to successfully regulate the U.S. derivatives market, safeguard consumers, …