GAINESVILLE, FL (UF/IFAS September 9, 2019) — Diane Rowland’s first professional job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Peanut Research Laboratory set her on what she says has been an unanticipated path concerning the world’s food supply. Now, as the new chair of the University of Florida’s agronomy department, Rowland recognizes the critical role her department plays in the …
Court Backs Lawmakers in Conservation Fight
TALLAHASSEE (NSF-September 9, 2019) — In a blow to environmental groups, an appeals court Monday overturned a circuit judge’s ruling that said state lawmakers improperly diverted money that flowed from a 2014 constitutional amendment designed to boost land and water conservation. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal found that Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson erred …
USDA Resources Available for Farmers Hurt by 2018, 2019 Disasters
Signup begins Sept. 11 for more than $3 billion in aid. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that agricultural producers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, including Hurricane Dorian, can apply for assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+). Signup for this U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program will begin Sept. 11, 2019. “U.S. …
Organic Farmers to Harvest Record Acres in 2019
Mercaris issues Annual Acreage Report, organic farm ‘heat map’ tool Silver Spring, MD, (MERCARIS-Sept. 9, 2019) — Organic commodity farmers will harvest a record number of acres across the U.S. this year despite the weather and trade challenges plaguing agriculture in 2019. According to the Annual Acreage Report, released today by Mercaris, farmers will harvest 3.1 million acres of U.S. land …
Farm Income to Increase in 2019
(NAFB) — The Department of Agriculture predicts farm income will rise in 2019, despite challenges impacting the farm economy. Last week, USDA reported inflation-adjusted U.S. net cash farm income is set to increase $5.8 billion, up 5.4 percent, to $112.6 billion. U.S. net farm income, a broader measure of farm sector profitability that incorporates noncash items including changes in inventories, …
Agricultural Producers Urged to Learn About Irrigating Wisely at Free UF Event
GAINESVILLE, FL (UF/IFAS) — UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County will host a free event highlighting water-saving technologies available to agricultural producers and how this equipment has already aided growers in the area. Irrigating Wisely in Florida’s Agriculture, held at Brown’s Farm in Hawthorne, Florida, on Sept. 17, will share information on best management practices for utilizing water-saving technologies as well as …
U.S., U.K. Trade Talks Could Get Bumpy Around Poultry
(NAFB) — Assuming that trade negotiations ever get going between the United States and the United Kingdom, feathers on both sides could get ruffled over poultry. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told U.S. Vice President Mike Pence that, “We’re not to keen on chlorinated chicken.” During a visit to the U.K. last week, Pence did admit that poultry could become …
Heartland Seat on SFWMD Board Draws 13 Applicants
Publisher/Editor Katrina Elsken, of Lake Okeechobee News, gives us a rundown of each of the 13 applicants for the vacant seat for the at-large member for an area that includes Glades, Highlands, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties. The Heartland seat has been vacant since March on the South Florida Water Management District board. TALLAHASSEE — Thirteen people have submitted …
American Lamb Summit Recommends Industry Changes
(ALB) — Outcomes from the inaugural American Lamb Summit were clear: all segments of the industry need to further improve lamb quality to keep and attract new customers and become more efficient to recapture market share from imported lamb. Yet, it was just as clear that production technologies and product research put industry success within grasp. “I have never been …
UF/IFAS Economist: Hurricane Dorian’s Impact on Florida Agriculture Minimal
GAINESVILLE, FL (UF/IFAS) — One day after Hurricane Dorian crept past Florida’s Atlantic coast, impacts to the state’s agricultural and natural resources-based industries appear to be minimal, according to an economist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. As of Thursday noon, the most notable effects were minor grapefruit losses in the Indian River area, a …