(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet next week are scheduled to consider land deals that could help conserve more than 8,100 acres in Walton and Putnam counties. The three proposed deals, which involve the state purchasing conservation easements, would cost about $7.6 million. Conservation easements restrict future development while often allowing landowners to continue using property for …
Plains Peanut Festival Celebrates Peanut Harvest and Honors 39th President
TIFTON, GA (GPC-September 18, 2019) — The 23rd annual Plains Peanut Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28 in Plains, Georgia, home of President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter. The event highlights the harvest of its cash crop, peanuts, which has big potential across the globe by providing a sustainable and nutritious product and fighting malnutrition. Georgia leads …
NCBA Announces Leadership Changes
DENVER (NCBA-Sept. 18, 2019) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) announced two significant leadership changes. The NCBA Executive Committee of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association confirmed Colin Woodall to serve as the association’s new Chief Executive Officer. Woodall, who was named this morning after an exhaustive national search, managed NCBA’s efforts in Washington, D.C., for more than a decade. …
New Tool Improves Beekeepers’ Overwintering Odds and Bottom Line
TUCSON, ARIZONA (ARS – September 18, 2019) — A new tool from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) can predict the odds that honey bee colonies overwintered in cold storage will be large enough to rent for almond pollination in February. Identifying which colonies will not be worth spending dollars to overwinter can improve beekeepers’ bottom line. Beekeepers have been losing …
USDA Resources Available for Farmers Hurt by 2018, 2019 Disasters
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, AL (ACES-September 18, 2019) — Farmers and producers in 25 Alabama counties affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019 can apply for assistance through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) beginning Sept. 11. “Alabama agriculture has taken some body blows over the last two years from extreme weather,” said Jessica …
2020 Alabama Hemp Program Update
MONTGOMERY, AL (ADAI-September 17, 2019) – The Alabama Hemp program launched in the beginning of 2019, after the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (i.e. Farm Bill) declassified hemp as a schedule 1 drug and deemed hemp as an agriculture commodity. This legislation defines hemp as all parts of the plant containing less than 0.3% THC, including derivatives, extracts, and cannabinoids. …
Florida Eyes Washington on Hemp Rules
TALLAHASSEE, FL (NSF-September 17, 2019) — Florida farmers might not be held back from planting hemp next year even if the federal government has not signed off on long-awaited rule changes. Holly Bell, Florida’s director of cannabis, told the Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday that, if all goes well, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ permitting for hemp …
NPPC Welcomes New Swine Inspection System
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPPC-Sept. 17, 2019) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) finalized its New Swine Inspection System (NSIS). “We applaud the USDA for introducing a new inspection system that incentivizes investment in new technologies while ensuring a safe supply of wholesome American pork,” said National Pork Producers Council President David Herring, a producer from Lillington, …
USDA Modernizes Swine Slaughter Inspection for the First Time in Over 50 Years
WThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a final rule to modernize swine slaughter inspection and bring it into the 21st century. For the first time in more than five decades, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is modernizing inspection at market hog slaughter establishments with a goal of protecting public health while allowing for food safety innovations. “This …
Biosolids Produce Less Nitrogen and Phosphorus Runoff than Inorganic Fertilizer
GAINESVILLE, FL (UF/IFAS-September 17, 2019) — New research from University of Florida scientists found that some nutrients from inorganic fertilizers enter surface water more easily than those from biosolids. Maria Silveira, a professor in the UF/IFAS department of soil and water sciences, led the study that collected runoff from a common pasture grass to determine its nitrogen and phosphorus content. …