Every five years, Congress sets the course for our nation’s agricultural policy with the passage of a Farm Bill. When farm policy critics predictably suggested that Congress use the 2018 Farm Bill to undermine the critical safety net that crop insurance provides, those who depend on crop insurance were quick to tell Capitol Hill to “do no harm” to this important program. …
Southern Cover Crops Council Conference
Farmers across the Southeast are encouraged to take part in the 2nd Southern Cover Crop Conference, July 16-17 in Auburn, Alabama. The event, hosted by the Southern Cover Crop Council, will be a good educational and networking experience for farmers and service providers. There will be many farmer speakers, equipment demos, and even lunch is provided. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service …
USDA Provides Funding to Florida to Support Projects that Protect Agriculture and Natural Resources
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating $7.2 million to Florida as part of its effort to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation, and to safeguard the U.S. nursery production system. Overall, USDA is providing $66 million in funding this year to support 407 projects in 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico, and …
Center Combines Scientists, Industry to Manage Insects More Efficiently
When she joined the University of Florida as an eminent scholar in entomology and nematology two years ago, Bryony Bonning brought an insect and nematode research center with her. That center works with researchers and industry to help manage insects and nematodes that harm crops and humans. Bonning started the Center for Arthropod Management Technologies while conducting entomology research at …
First 2019 Dairy Safety Net Payment Triggered
Enrollment Expected to Begin this Summer The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced this week that the January 2019 income over feed cost margin was $7.99 per hundredweight, triggering the first payment for eligible dairy producers who purchase the appropriate level of coverage under the new but yet-to-be established Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program. DMC, which replaces …
Livestock Haulers’ Hours of Service Petition Comment Period Closes March 8
The public comment period closes March 8, 2019 for a joint petition requesting a temporary modification of hours of service (HOS) requirements for livestock, fish, and bee haulers. The petition was filed on Oct. 15 by the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA), National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), American Beekeeping Federation, American Honey Producers Association, and the …
Alabama NRCS Promoting Conservation Client Gateway
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama encourages farmers and landowners in the state who have yet to try their secure online portal, Conservation Client Gateway, to do so. Alabama State Conservationist, Ben Malone, says this is a way to take care of business through NRCS without having to stop by your local office. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Expands the …
USDA Strengthens Partnerships and Protections to Keep ASF Out of the Country
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced additional steps to keep African swine fever (ASF) from entering the United States, even as the disease spreads internationally. These steps strengthen the protections announced last fall after the deadly swine disease reached China. The goal remains to protect our nation’s swine industry from this disease. ASF does not affect people, nor …
Georgia Natural Resources Conservation Workshop Scholarships
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Georgia wants high school students to know that over $17,000 in college scholarships will be on the line for those attending this year’s Natural Resources Conservation Workshop (NRCW), June 9-13 at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton. In a release, NRCW Interim Director, Kip Hall, said “The workshop provides an excellent opportunity …
Farm Groups Demand Justice for North Carolina Hog Farmers
A judgment stemming from a $50 million verdict must be overturned, farm groups told a federal appeals court in Richmond, Virginia. Earlier last year, juries in three separate trials in Raleigh, North Carolina, awarded punitive damages of more than $500 million to neighbors of North Carolina hog farms. Plaintiffs claimed the odor and truck noise related to the farms should …