Organizations representing livestock, bee, and fish haulers across the country submitted a petition to the Department of Transportation (DOT) requesting additional flexibility on Hours of Service (HOS) requirements. The petition asks for a five-year exemption from certain HOS requirements for livestock haulers and encourages DOT to work with the livestock industry to implement additional fatigue-management practices. Current rules limit drive time to …
Dropped Tariffs Could Mean Less USDA Trade Aid Relief
Ag groups are largely supportive of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade package. However, many of those same groups say their biggest concern right now is ending retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural products. Those duties were put in place after President Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue told Reuters this week that, with a trade deal …
EWP Helps Florida Landowners after Hurricane
While Hurricane Michael didn’t affect all areas in Florida, it did some. And no matter when a natural disaster may strike, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants landowners to know if your area suffers damage, the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) can help relieve imminent hazards to life and property. This includes damage caused by hurricanes, floods, fires and …
UF/IFAS-Developed $50 Device May Help Multibillion Forest Industry
By developing a simple, $50 trap, University of Florida scientists can gather spores from a pathogen of pine trees and hopefully help prevent diseases from causing more harm to the multibillion-a-year forest industry. Millions of pine trees dot the southern landscape, and they’re susceptible to many diseases, including pitch canker, said Tania Quesada, an assistant research scientist with the UF …
Trump, XI Likely to Meet at Upcoming G-20
An Associated Press article says U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President XI Jinping may meet during the G-20 summit in Argentina scheduled for late November. China says it is in contact with the U.S. amid reports of the upcoming meeting. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman offered no specifics but did say he’d seen the relevant reports. Trump’s top economic …
Environmental Groups: No Farm Bill Better Than Bad Bill
The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and a group of left-leaning environmental groups will hold a press conference Monday to tell Congress “No farm bill is better than a bad farm bill.” The Hagstrom Report says the announcement means the lobbying coalition on the farm bill is officially split on the importance of passing a farm bill this year. …
USMCA Fate Could Rest with Democrats After Elections
Politico says the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) likely won’t get voted on before 2019. That’s because of a packed Congressional schedule at the end of this year, as well as a limited political will to hold a vote. That likely means Democrats will have a huge say in whether or not the deal gets enacted, if as many polls …
8th Annual Legislative Livestock Showdown Results in House Win
The 8th Annual Legislative Livestock Showdown took place at the New South Arena in Perry, Georgia, as part of the Georgia National Fair. The highly competitive livestock showmanship event, co-sponsored by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia National fair, resulted in a fourth consecutive win for the Georgia House of Representatives. “This is a unique opportunity for our …
NRCS Offers Hurricane Disaster Assistance to Alabama Landowners
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist for Alabama Ben Malone announced a special financial assistance sign up for Alabama farmers and ranchers who suffered damage to working lands and livestock mortality because of Hurricane Michael. Affected producers are encouraged to sign up for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The first batching period will end on October 26, 2018. A …
Commissioner Black Gets First Glimpse of Hurricane Michael’s Damage
Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black got his first glance of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Michael during a brief flyover on Friday with Director of the Georgia Forestry Commission Chuck Williams. “Unfortunately, our worst thoughts were realized, “said Commissioner Black. “We saw months and sometimes years of work just laid over on the ground in a matter of seconds.” Pecan …