Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet will be asked next week to spend $5.5 million to help limit future development on nearly 2,500 acres of ranch land in Highlands County. The proposal, which will go to the Cabinet on Aug. 14, seeks to add the Sandy Gully property to the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which through the …
UF/IFAS CALS Graduate Student Named an Inaugural Fellow of a National Program in Food and Agriculture Science
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) announced the 17 inaugural recipients of the 2018 FFAR Fellow award. One of these awardees is Francesco Cappai, a Ph.D. student in the plant molecular and cellular biology program at the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. “The future of agriculture relies on training a strong scientific workforce,” said FFAR executive …
New State Authority Over Local Waters a Boon to Farmers and Ranchers
The Trump administration’s decision to return water-permitting authority to more states means faster, better and more affordable decision-making for all Americans. Under terms of an agreement signed by the U.S. Army, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Justice Department and the White House, states can assume authority to issue permits for earth moving in and around regulated waterways, wetlands and land …
Producer Sentiment Plummets in July
Concerns over agricultural trade weighed heavily on producers’ current and future expectations of the agricultural economy. As a result, the Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer tumbled in July, dropping 26 points to a reading of 117. To paint a further bleak picture, the Index of Current Conditions fell from 138 in June down to 99, while the Index of Future …
Beef Exports “Tremendous” in First Half of 2018
Strong June results capped a tremendous first half of 2018 for U.S. beef exports. That’s according to USDA data compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. June pork exports were lower than a year ago for the second straight month, but first-half volume and value remained ahead of last year’s pace. Beef muscle cut exports set a new volume record …
Soybean Analyst Says China May Have to Buy More U.S. Soybeans
In spite of an ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies, China may actually have to start buying U.S. soybeans in the near future. A Reuters report says oil seed analysis organization Oil World, based in Germany, says South American countries can’t supply all the soybeans that China needs. China is the world’s largest soybean buyer and has …
EQIP Providing Assistance to Many Farming Operations
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has various programs that can benefit producers and landowners in many ways. One is the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), which provides financial and technical assistance to producers in addressing natural resource concerns and delivering environmental benefits like improved water and air quality. NRCS Acting Chief Leonard Jordan has more. …
U.S. Poultry Gains New Market Access in Morocco
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today that the government of Morocco has agreed to allow commercial imports of U.S. poultry meat and products into Morocco for the first time. “The Trump Administration continues to prioritize the opening of new markets for U.S. agricultural products.  This new access to the Moroccan market is …
Smithfield Foods Hit with Hefty Penalty in North Carolina
A federal jury in North Carolina decided on Friday that Smithfield Foods would have to pay a hefty dollar amount of $473.5 million dollars to neighbors of three of the company’s large hog farms. The neighbors had filed an unreasonable nuisance lawsuit because of odors, flies, and large trucks rumbling down the road. The jury says Smithfield owes the compensation …
Ag Holds Roundtable on Lawsuit Abuse
A special agriculture roundtable discussion took place on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina. The goal was to highlight a recent wave of nuisance lawsuits in the state targeting hog farms. Lawmakers and agricultural leaders discussed the growing threat to farmers and how out-of-state lawyers are using nuisance lawsuits to get around states’ right-to-farm laws. The discussion included the economic impact …