USDA extended the deadline to May 17 from May 1 for agricultural producers to certify 2018 crop production for payments through the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), which helps producers who have been significantly affected by foreign tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional exports. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) extended the deadline because heavy rainfall and snowfall have delayed harvests …
Funding for Backtag RFID Project Proposals Available
Groups developing radio frequency ID backtags for livestock as part of an overall animal disease traceability framework now can submit funding applications to USDA for those projects. Rod Bain has more details. Sarah Tomlinson of USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service discusses some of the technologies developed or in development regarding radio frequency ID tags designed in part for …
Three More Georgia Water Management Workshops
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia wants to remind producers about the three remaining statewide Water Management Workshops. The University of Georgia (UGA) and Fort Valley State University (FVSU) extension programs have partnered with NRCS to host these workshops. While they are geared towards smaller acreage and new/beginning farmers, they are open to all who wish to attend …
Georgia Peanut Commission Encourages Farmers to Vote Yes in National Peanut Board Referendum
The Georgia Peanut Commission encourages all peanut farmers to vote yes in support the continuance of the Peanut Promotion, Research and Information Order, which authorizes the National Peanut Board. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is conducting the referendum from April 15 through May 3, 2019. “The National Peanut Board continues to support Georgia’s peanut farmers through a variety of …
Farm Bank Lending Rises to $108 Billion in 2018
U.S. farm banks increased agricultural lending by 5.3 percent, or $5.5 billion, to $108 billion in 2018. The American Bankers Association recently released its annual Farm Bank Performance Report. The report found that in 2018, farm banks’ asset quality remained healthy and non-performing loans stayed at a pre-recession level of 0.52 percent of total loans. The report is an analysis …
Ag Seeks Swift Agreement in U.S.-Japan Trade Talks
A large coalition of agriculture groups is urging for swift action in the negotiation and implementation of a U.S.-Japan trade agreement. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, along with many agriculture organizations, signed a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer this week. The groups say the U.S. food and agriculture industry is increasingly disadvantaged by competing regional …
R-CALF Files Class Action Lawsuit against Beef Packers
The Scott+Scott law firm has filed a class action lawsuit in federal district court in Chicago on behalf of R-CALF USA and four cattle-feeding ranchers from Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Wyoming. The suit alleges the nation’s four largest beef packers violated U.S. antitrust laws, the Packers and Stockyards Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act by unlawfully depressing prices paid to …
Philip Leary to Serve as State Director for USDA Rural Development in Florida/U.S. VI
Philip Leary, AICP, was named State Director for USDA Rural Development in Florida/U.S. Virgin Islands in April 2019. Leary has thirty years of experience in the fields of agriculture, forestry, land use planning and environmental regulation working for local, state government and the private sector. Mr. Leary was formerly Principal Consultant of Leary Governmental Affairs, representing clients in the specific areas …
Farm Groups Calling for Disaster Relief
Farm groups and ag lenders are pressing Congress to put aside politics and pass urgently needed disaster relief. Politics has already sidelined $13 billion, including $5 billion for ag disaster aid, in a failed Senate procedural vote this month. Now, 135 farm groups and lenders are calling on the president and lawmakers to stop the politics and help their farmers …
Vidalia® Onions Have Arrived
Georgia’s official state vegetable is officially in season, beloved Vidalia® onions can now be found in grocery stores around the world. Grown only from Georgia soil, the Vidalia® onion is available for a limited time. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black released the following statement about the world-renowned onion: “The sweetest onions on earth are certainly living up to their reputation this year.  Thanks …