Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, will address farm and ranch families from across the nation Monday at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 100th Annual Convention. This address will mark the second time in as many years that the president has appeared at Farm Bureau’s Annual Convention. This year’s gathering takes place Jan. 11-16 in New …
Corn Producers See Value through Red Meat Exports
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently received the results of an updated study aimed at quantifying the value delivered to U.S. corn producers through exports of red meat. Joe Schuele reports the original 2016 study, as well as the 2018 follow-up, were conducted by World Perspectives, Inc., a leading agricultural consulting firm. Dave Juday, senior analyst for World Perspectives, explains that …
Alabama NRCS Announces 2019 Small Farmer of the Year
Trylon Williams of Safford, Alabama has been named the Alabama Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 2019 Small Farmer of the Year. Williams was recognized at the 76th Annual Alabama Association of Conservation Districts (AACD) Conference in Auburn, Alabama on November 12, 2018 by Alabama NRCS State Conservationist Ben Malone. An entrepreneur in every sense of the word, Williams owns and …
Shutdown Delays WOTUS Comment Period
The government shutdown is delaying a comment period for the Trump administration’s new Waters of the U.S. proposal. The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers will delay publishing the proposed WOTUS replacement in the Federal Register until after funding is restored at EPA, according to Politico. The 60-day comment period won’t begin until the proposed rule is published …
Senators Back Rooting Out Vegetable Garden Regulations
Despite concerns from the Florida League of Cities, a Senate committee Tuesday approved a bill that would largely prevent local governments from regulating homeowners’ vegetable gardens. The Senate Community Affairs Committee unanimously backed the measure (SB 82), which Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, has filed for the legislative session that starts March 5. The Senate passed a similar bill during …
Perdue on Extension of Market Facilitation Program Deadline
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an extension to the original deadline for Market Facilitation Program applications. Agricultural producers who are seeking payments through the program, which is a part of the trade mitigation initiative, will now have more time to submit their applications. “President Trump instructed me, as Secretary of Agriculture, to craft a program that would …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Inaugurated as 12th Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Commissioner lays out a fresh agenda that will keep Florida growing Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried was inaugurated as Florida’s 12th Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. As Commissioner, she will oversee a $1.8 billion department with nearly 4,000 employees, a $137 billion economic impact, and widespread responsibility for Florida’s food production and safety, consumer protection and licensing, and our state’s …
UF Researchers to Breed a New Variety of Florida-Friendly Hops
Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have been awarded a two-year grant for $194,000 to breed varieties of hops that can grow in Florida. The researchers, based at the UF/IFAS Mid Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka, Florida, said the grant will help continue their work to bring an alternative crop to the …
2019 Starting with More Uncertainty for Farmers
Farm bill passage in late 2018 was thought to provide certainty to U.S. agriculture moving forward. However, 2019 started with perhaps more uncertainty than ever before. The government shutdown has U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency offices across the nation closed, just as farmers are seeking advice for the upcoming planting season. Meanwhile, the farm bill, which provides …
Alabama Irrigation Workshops
The Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee has been working with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) and Auburn University (AU), to identify which watersheds will have funding priority. In response to this initiative, Alabama Extension will host two free irrigation workshops for producers that include trainings, as well as on-farm demonstrations of …