Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced that estimated agricultural damages due to Hurricane Michael total nearly $1.5 billion, with the timber industry bearing the brunt of the devastation at $1.3 billion in economic losses. “Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida Panhandle, and many of Florida’s rural communities, which rely heavily on agriculture, took the worst hit. As we continue …
Georgia Participates in Food Safety Inspector Exchange Program with Ireland
Georgia recently welcomed visitors from Ireland as part of a novel Inspector Exchange Program co-hosted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) and Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (AFM). “The Inspector Exchange Program with Ireland intertwines the knowledge, skills and best practices between our two agencies, sharing information with a global perspective,” said Gary W. Black, Agriculture …
Fried Tops Caldwell By Narrow Margin in Ag Commissioner Race
After trailing on election night, Democrat Nikki Fried held a slight lead Friday morning in her race with Republican Matt Caldwell to become state agriculture commissioner. With votes continuing to be counted, Fried held a 2,915-vote lead as of 7 a.m. Friday, according to the state Division of Elections website. With 8,046,381 votes tallied in the Cabinet race, Fried had …
Deadlines Set in Florida-Georgia ‘Water War’
Florida and Georgia will have until the end of January to file new arguments in the legal fight over water use impacting the Apalachicola River system, a special master said this week. Paul J. Kelly, a senior judge on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who is serving as special master, set a Jan. 31 deadline for the initial …
Secretary Perdue on Dept. of Labor Rulemaking on H-2A Visa Program
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised proposed rulemaking by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), which could help farmers advertise job openings to domestic workers as required under the H-2A visa program. The DOL rulemaking would require that employers seeking to hire temporary workers post the employment opportunities online, rather than in expensive newspapers advertisements reaching a limited audience. …
TPP to Take Effect this Year
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, minus the U.S., will take effect this year after Australia this week became the sixth of the 11 remaining nations to ratify it. The inevitable is happening after President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership soon after taking office—TPP is officially taking effect. Japan has agreed to bilateral talks with the U.S., offering …
October Producer Sentiment Jumps Higher
The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer took a big jump up in October. The October index came in at 136, which was 22 points higher than the September index, and sits at a number close to its level in 2017. The driving force behind the jump in the index level was the improved way that producers see both current …
State Cabinet Race Heads Toward Recount
Despite a declaration of victory Tuesday night by Republican Matt Caldwell, the race for Florida agriculture commissioner likely will require a recount, joining expected recounts in the U.S. Senate race and a handful of state legislative contests. Caldwell, a state House member from North Fort Myers, led by less than 13,000 votes late Wednesday morning in the Cabinet race against …
Expert Researchers Meet to Discuss Science Related to Heat Stress
Researchers representing disciplines such as the military, agriculture and sports medicine met in late October to discuss the latest advances in science and technology related to occupational heat stress in the Southeast. The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) brought together scientists from the University of Florida, Florida State University, University of South Florida, Emory University and …
Farm Bureau Looks Forward to Working with New Congress
The following statement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “We look forward to working with the new Congress to strengthen agriculture by fixing the ag labor problems we face, boosting our farm economy via export growth and reducing the burden and cost of federal regulations. Supporting the use of farm-grown fuels, fixing our nation’s broken …