Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Ronald M. “Alligator Ron” Bergeron to the board of the South Florida Water Management District. The appointment comes after the Florida Commission on Ethics voted 8-0 to adopt an advisory opinion allowing Bergeron to join the board. “I am pleased the Florida Commission on Ethics reached a conclusion on this matter and I …
USDA Program Helps Florida Recover from Hurricane Irma
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has approved $99.3 million for 37 projects in 23 counties through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) to help state and local governments recover from Hurricane Irma. The storm caused widespread damage to buildings, water infrastructure and major erosion when it tore through parts of Florida in September of 2017.  Workers have been removing sediment, trees and debris from waterways and stabilizing banks …
New Census of Agriculture Released Amid Disaster Relief Call to Action
According to the USDA’s 2017 Census of Agriculture, between 2012-2017 Georgia’s agricultural industry observed continuous growth in production value of fruit and tree nuts; while other commodities including row crops, stabilized or suffered slight downturns. The new information from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) comes amid calls for action by Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black for the …
USDA Update on Farm Bill Implementation Progress
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the implementation status of the 2018 Farm Bill. President Trump signed this Farm Bill into law on December 20th, 2018 and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) promptly began implementation of key programs. USDA held several listening sessions with stakeholders and the public, specific to each agency’s respective mission areas. “At USDA we …
Signup Deadline for Georgians Affected by Hurricane Michael Nearing
Farmers, ranchers and forestland owners in Georgia who suffered damage to working lands due to Hurricane Michael but were not eligible for previous signup period are being reminded the extended signup period ends Friday, April 19. Georgia State Conservationist Terrance O. Rudolph with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Tas Smith have been working …
Monday Deadline for Easement Program Sign-Up in Alabama
Under the Wetlands Reserve Easements component, financial assistance is available for landowners to enhance and protect habitat for wildlife on their lands, reduce impacts from flooding, recharge groundwater and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. The voluntary nature of NRCS’ easement programs allows effective integration of wetland restoration on working landscapes, providing benefits to farmers and ranchers who enroll in …
Senators Decry Lack Of Action On Disaster Aid For Suffering States
U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) joined Senate colleagues, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), in expressing disappointment in Congress’ failure to deliver critical disaster aid to their states to assist in recovery efforts from natural disasters in 2018 and 2019. It has been six months since Georgia and Florida took a direct hit from Hurricane …
2017 Census of Agriculture Data Now Available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the results of the 2017 Census of Agriculture, spanning some 6.4 million new points of information about America’s farms and ranches and those who operate them, including new data about on-farm decision making, down to the county level. Information collected by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) directly from farmers and ranchers tells …
Secretary Perdue Statement on Vietnam’s Ban on the Importation of Glyphosate
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) that Vietnam will ban the importation of glyphosate: “We are disappointed in Vietnam’s decision to ban glyphosate, a move that will have devastating impacts on global agricultural production. As I’ve often said, if we’re going to …
R-CALF Praises Introduction of Beef Checkoff Reform Legislation
Legislation reintroduced last week seeks to reform the beef checkoff program. The Voluntary Check-Off Program Participation Act, reintroduced by Senate Republicans Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky, would “allow producers to vote freely with their pocketbooks regarding whether they are individually satisfied with the checkoff’s performance,” according to R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard. R-CALF applauded the reintroduction …