Florida NRCS Holds RCPP Workshop, One More Coming

The launch of USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) updated Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) continues. And to provide information for those interested, Florida NRCS held a RCPP Workshop Wednesday at the Florida Farm Bureau office in Gainesville. Nina Bhattacharyya, assistant state conservationist for partnerships in Florida, told Southeast AgNet they had a great meeting. RCPP eligible partners include private industry, non-government organizations, …

The Reality of the Beef Checkoff

by Greg Hanes, CEO, Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB-Oct. 9, 2019) — In the few months since I took the helm as CEO of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board (CBB) – the governing and administrative organization of the Beef Checkoff – there appears to be many misperceptions, false rumors, and misinformation about how the checkoff works and is administered. Let’s look at …

New UF Lab Gives Researchers Preview of Climate Change in the Gulf

GAINESVILLE, FL (UF/IFAS-Oct. 9, 2019) — Scientists are already observing climate change in the Gulf of Mexico. Tropical species, such snook and black mangrove, are moving north. Flows of freshwater into estuaries are dwindling. The hard part: predicting how climate change will affect the plants, animal and people who depend on the Gulf. To make these predictions, you need a …

Meat Institute Challenging California Prop 12

(NAFB) — The North American Meat Institute last Friday filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 12, The Farm Animal Confinement Initiative. The Meat Institute opposes the law because the organization claims the law will “hurt the nation’s food value chain by significantly increasing costs for producers and consumers.” The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court …

VP Pence Calls on Congress to Pass USMCA

(NAFB) — Vice President Mike Pence spent time early this week promoting the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) while calling on Congress to pass the trade deal. Pence penned an editorial in the Arizona Daily Star promoting the trade agreement. The Vice President also toured a Tyson Foods facility in Tennessee. Meanwhile, in a White House statement, Pence says USMCA will add …

Georgia Peanut Commission to Promote Peanuts with Annual Event Oct. 14-18

TIFTON, GA (GPC-Oct. 8, 2019) — The Georgia Peanut Commission and Georgia Bankers Association will join forces Oct. 14-18, 2019 to promote the 43rd annual Georgia Peanut Bank Week. Financial institutions and local banks across the state will offer a tribute to Georgia’s 4,500 peanut farm families and the sustainability they provide to Georgia’s state and local economies. The 2019 …

2020 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Honorees Announced

Tallahassee, FL (FDACS-Oct. 8, 2019) — Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation announced the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame inductees for 2020. The induction ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on Feb. 11, 2020. “Agriculture touches the lives of every Floridian and plays a monumental role in our economy and culture. The …

Legislature Fights Rehearing in Conservation Case

(NSF-Oct. 7, 2019) — Attorneys for the Florida House and Senate urged an appeals court Monday to reject a request for a rehearing in a battle about conservation funding. The request came after environmental groups last month asked the 1st District Court of Appeal to reconsider a decision that backed the Legislature’s handling of money that flows from a 2014 …

Algae Panel Puts Together ‘Roadmap’ for Lawmakers

TALLAHASSEE, FL (NSF-Oct. 7, 2019) — A document discussed Monday by the state’s Blue-Green Algae Task Force should be viewed, members said, as a broad roadmap for lawmakers with the 2020 legislative session less than 100 days away. And task force members, meeting in Gainesville to further edit the document, said they will look in future meetings beyond Lake Okeechobee …