Department of Commerce Refutes Mexican Claims of No Dumping:Announces Preliminary Dumping Margin of 25% on Mexican Tomato Imports On July 24, the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) announced that Mexican tomatoes are being dumped in the United States. The preliminary average dumping margin is 25.28 percent. This announcement refutes the recent Mexican claims that the data submitted to the DOC …
Farm Bureau: Family Farmer Relief Act Will Help Farmers Stay in Business
(AFBF) — The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “America’s farmers and ranchers applaud the House passage of the Family Farmer Relief Act. After several consecutive years of a trying farm economy, updating Chapter 12 bankruptcy eligibility to the current scale and credit needs of U.S. agriculture is a necessity. Today’s action will …
New Hemp Industry Buoyed by CBD Demand
TALLAHASSEE (NSF) — Hemp has been hyped as a lifesaver for Florida farmers, touted as a versatile crop that can be used to build houses, feed livestock and create clothing. But it’s the plant’s healing qualities that have sparked a second cannabis “green rush,” as the state’s hemp program gets off the ground. The nationwide craze for products containing CBD …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Announces Members of New Hemp Advisory Committee
Tallahassee, Fla. (FDACS) — Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried announced the members of her new Hemp Advisory Committee, which will help guide the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ hemp rulemaking process and the state’s emerging hemp industry development. Commissioner Fried is committed to Florida becoming a national leader on industrial hemp production. The appointment of committee members comes after the …
DeSantis, Cabinet Back Conservation Land Buys
(NSF) — Gov. Ron DeSantis and Cabinet members agreed Thursday to buy and conserve more than 900 acres of land across the state at a combined cost of just over $11 million. The land, which will be acquired with Florida Forever conservation funds, are 717 acres within the Wakulla Springs Protection Zone in Wakulla County, 129 acres in Charlotte County …
Industry Reaction to Trade Aid Announcement
Source: American Farm Bureau Federation Farm Bureau Welcomes Trade Assistance, Urges Return to Open Markets The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “We greatly appreciate President Trump’s concern for America’s farmers and ranchers in these difficult economic times, and we are grateful for this continued trade assistance to help our farmers and ranchers stay …
USDA Announces Details of Support Package for Farmers
(USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced further details of the $16 billion package aimed at supporting American agricultural producers while the Administration continues to work on free, fair, and reciprocal trade deals. In May, President Trump directed Secretary Perdue to craft a relief strategy in line with the estimated impacts of unjustified retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods and …
Pheromones Give Nematodes a Boost in Controlling Pests
(USDA/ARS) — Beneficial nematodes are used as biological control agents to fight a variety of insect pests that severely damage crops. However, in many cases the nematodes don’t measure up to other control methods such as certain chemical pesticides. A recent Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study, published in The Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, shows that beneficial nematodes (also called entomopathogenic nematodes) …
Senate Committee Advances Food Supply Protection Bill
(NAFB) — The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has approved a bill to protect the nation’s food supply. The committee unanimously approved The Protecting America’s Food & Agriculture Act of 2019, introduced by Senate Agriculture Committee leaders Pat Roberts and Debbie Stabenow. The bill would authorize U.S. Customs and Border Protection to hire additional inspectors to fully staff …
Hyde-Smith Proposes Fisheries, Aquaculture Disaster Funding
(NAFB) — A Senate bill proposed this week would create a disaster program for commercial fishing and aquaculture operations. Introduced by Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, the Commercial Fishing and Aquaculture Protection Act of 2019 would authorize a risk-management tool for the sector. Hyde-Smith says the bill would help commercial fisheries, farm-raised catfish, and other seafood producers mitigate losses associated with …