North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations between the U.S. and Canada resume this week as both sides attempt to reach a deal by the end of the month. Canada’s Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland arrived in Washington, DC Tuesday ahead of scheduled talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. The two sides must agree to a “handshake” agreement by the …
Hurricane Florence Flooding Impacting Poultry Operations
Sanderson Farms says flooding from hurricane Florence has resulted in the loss of about 1.7 million broiler chickens. In a statement, the company says about 30 farms housing more than 200,000 chickens each are isolated by floodwaters and cannot be reached by feed trucks. The company says 60 of the 880 broiler houses in the region have been flooded. Tyson …
State Funnels More Money to Addressing Water Woes
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is pumping another $4 million into efforts to help local communities suffering from red tide and a massive algae outbreak, raising spending to $13 million for the water problems. The agency’s money will be used in Pinellas, Manatee, Collier, Sarasota, Lee and Martin counties. The added spending, announced Tuesday by Gov. Rick Scott’s office, …
Report Shows Florida Agriculture, Natural Resources and Food Industries Grew 2007-2016
The latest installment of an annual report from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences reveals some good news about the state’s economy – from 2007 to 2016, the portion of Florida’s Gross State Product (GSP) generated by agriculture, natural resources and food industries grew at a faster rate than the state’s total GSP, a statistic commonly …
USDA Announces Investment to Expand Markets for Specialty Crop and Other Farmers
Under Secretary Greg Ibach announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $102.7 million to increase opportunities for farmers, ranchers and other growers across the country through five grant programs. The funding supports a variety of locally-led projects intended to expand markets for local food promotion and specialty crops. “Every state has agricultural priorities that contribute to the …
U.S. Continues Demand for Dairy Fix in NAFTA
The United States still demands a dairy fix in the North American Free Trade Agreement, but Canada still wants to protect its dairy industry. While Canada may be ready to give some concessions on dairy market access, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his allies have strong political motivations to stand firm. A trade lawyer told Politico this week that much …
U.S. Ag Coalition Sponsors U.S.-Cuba Business Meetings
A coalition of agriculture groups plan a U.S.-Cuba ag business conference in November. The U.S.-Cuba Agriculture Business Conference, according to organizers, comes at a time when U.S. agriculture needs to expand into new markets. Cuba continues to depend on imports for 80 percent of its food supply, and the coalition says Congress is poised in the Farm Bill to allow …
NCGA Names Doggett as CEO
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) announced Jon Doggett as the organization next CEO, taking the place of Chris Novak. Doggett is the fifth CEO in the organization’s 61-year history. The change is effective immediately. He has served as interim CEO since August first when Novak left for CropLife America. Doggett has also served as executive vice president of the …
Growth Energy Launches Bus Tour Promoting E15
The summer ban on E15 sales in select areas ended over the weekend as Growth Energy launched a campaign to promote E15 and higher blended fuels. As part of their campaign, Growth Energy is launching a bus tour to rally support for quick action on the president’s promise to unleash E15 ethanol blends. Over the next few months, the bus …
Farm Bureau Details Trade, Tariff Impacts on Agriculture
For the growth and renewed prosperity of agriculture, particularly with farm income on a downward slope, current trading relationships must be preserved and new opportunities for agricultural trade must be secured, the American Farm Bureau Federation said in a recent statement to the Senate Agriculture Committee. “Farm Bureau urges our trade officials to engage in discussions with our trade partners …