The National Agriculture Aviation Association is reminding UAV, or drone users to be aware of agricultural aircraft throughout the growing season. Agricultural aviators fly as low as ten feet off the ground, meaning they share airspace with UAVs that are limited to flying no more than 400 feet above ground level. For this reason, the National Agricultural Aviation Association is …
Census of Agriculture Deadline Looming
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is wrapping up data collection for the 2017 Census of Agriculture. To stay on track for data release in February 2019, the deadline for submitting the paper questionnaire is June 15, 2018. Farmers and ranchers who have not responded by June 15, 2018, still have until the end of July to …
NMPF Thanks USDA for Extending Margin Protection Program Sign-up Window
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) expressed thanks to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue for his department’s decision to give dairy farmers additional time to review their 2018 coverage options in the dairy Margin Protection Program (MPP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Monday it is extending the June 1 sign-up deadline to Friday, June 8. NMPF, along with key …
Farm and Biofuel Coalition Demands that EPA Account for Lost Volumes
Coalition Petitions EPA to Revise the Way It Calculates Annual Renewable Fuel Obligations; EPA Is Failing to Comply with Statutory Mandate A coalition of biofuel and agriculture groups petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change its regulations to account for lost volumes of renewable fuel resulting from the unprecedented number of retroactive small refinery exemptions from Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) …
FSA’s Risk Mitigation Program Pays Off After Irma for Florida Shellfish Hatchery
Bay Shellfish Company is a commercial hatchery in Florida, located south of the Tampa Bay area on Terra Ceia Island. The operation, opened in 1996, is the first commercial hatchery to produce commercial oyster seed in the state. “We produce shellfish for research, restoration and commercial production,” said Curtis Hemmel, owner and operator of Bay Shellfish Company. Hemmel’s company isNAP …
Peterson: New Farm Bill Must Protect Against Trade Retaliation
House Ag Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson says that American tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will generate retaliation that will hit farm exports hard. As a result, he’ll be working with House and Senate Ag Committee leaders on a new farm bill to protect farmers from “the market fluctuations caused by these actions.” A USDA spokesman says President Trump …
Tariffs Throw Another Monkey Wrench Into NAFTA 2.0
The steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by President Trump threw another wrench into the North American Free Trade Agreement talks. Politico says that will further delay a final agreement between the three long-time trading partners. The action also revives the possibility that Trump will once again possibly follow through on his threat to withdraw from the pact. That’s a move …
EPA Awards Biofuel Waivers Worth Tens of Millions of Dollars
A Reuters report says the Environmental Protection Agency has awarded tens of millions of dollars’ worth of biofuel blending credits for this year to refiners HollyFrontier and Sinclair Oil. Two sources tell Reuters the refiners argued that the agency had wrongly denied them waivers from the country’s biofuels law as far back as 2014. It’s likely to add fuel to …
Rural Mainstreet Index at Highest Point in Five Years
The Creighton University Rural Mainstreet Index climbed above growth neutral in May for the fourth-straight month. The index surveys bank CEOs in rural areas across a ten-state region that depends on agriculture or energy to power its economy. It’s the first time since 2015 that the index readings have been above growth-neutral in four consecutive months. The growth index rose …
USDA Resumes Continuous Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment
One-Year Extension Available to Holders of Many Expiring Contracts through Continuous Signup As part of a 33-year effort to protect sensitive lands and improve water quality and wildlife habitat on private lands, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will resume accepting applications for the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Eligible farmers, ranchers, and private landowners can sign up at their local Farm Service …