Perdue to Keynote United Fresh Event

Dan Industry News Release

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will join United Fresh attendees as the opening keynote speaker next week in Chicago. United Fresh says Perdue will address the key issues facing the produce industry, from immigration reform and the need for a legal workforce to the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the need to retain a fair international trade framework for agriculture. …

NRCS Offering Conservation Client Gateway

Dan Alabama, Florida, USDA-NRCS

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants to remind farmers, ranchers and private landowners that many of the business issues they may need to take care of with NRCS can be done right there from their home or farm office. NRCS offers their secure online portal called Conservation Client Gateway. Through it you can request NRCS technical and financial assistance, review …

ELD Mandates, Excluding Livestock, Effective June 18

Dan Alabama, Industry News Release

The deadline for transporters of agricultural commodities, excluding livestock, to obtain an electronic logging device (ELD) is June 18. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA), exemptions include those transporting agricultural commodities within 150 air miles. Motor carriers utilizing the agricultural commodities exemption — like other hours of service rule exemptions — are excluded from ELD requirements if they …

Judge Sides with Environmentalists in Land Conservation Dispute

Dan Environment, Florida, Industry News Release

Striking a blow to the Legislature, a Tallahassee judge said state lawmakers failed to comply with a voter-approved constitutional amendment to buy and preserve environmentally sensitive lands. Ruling from the bench Friday, Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson sided with environmental groups in the lawsuit centered on whether lawmakers “defied” the 2014 Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative by improperly …

Georgia Ag Commissioner Applauds Injunction Blocking Enforcement of ‘WOTUS’ Rule

Dan Georgia, Industry News Release, Water

Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black is applauding action recently taken by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia to grant a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the burdensome Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “This rule was a blatant overreach of the federal government,” Commissioner Black said. “We are pleased that the courts clearly saw the irreparable …

Brand New Georgia Forage Website

Dan Cattle, Industry News Release, Research

The University of Georgia Forage Extension program has a lot of information on its website, so transitioning their site to a new format has been a major undertaking. But it was recently announced that the final product of months of work have come to fruition. The brand new georgiaforages.com website transition is complete and the new site is up and running. If you spent …

House Farm Bill Prospects Improving

Dan Farm Bill, Industry News Release, Legislative

House Republican leadership worked out a deal to bring up two different immigration bills for votes next week. One of the bills is the conservative measure authored by Representative Bob Goodlatte that the Freedom Caucus wanted to be brought up for a vote before they would commit votes to the farm bill. Because that vote was in place, Freedom Caucus …

Federal Judge Rules Against California’s Glyphosate Labeling Requirement

Dan Environment, Industry News Release

The national agriculture coalition fighting against California’s false and misleading Prop 65 labeling requirement for glyphosate picked up another win in court. U.S. District Court Judge William Shubb upheld the preliminary injunction prohibiting the state from enforcing the requirement until the court issues a final ruling on the matter. The California Attorney General had filed a motion to lift the …