Water—how much we have, its quality and how we use it – is the one issue that touches every Florida resident and community. Scientists from North America will gather at the University of Florida to tackle water issues such as quantity, quality and conservation. UF hosts its sixth annual Water Institute Symposium on Feb. 6 and 7 at the Reitz …
This Super Bowl the USDA Recommends a Winning Play Against BAC!
The long-awaited game of the year is here and whether or not your team will vie for the Lombardi Trophy, one thing holds true – there will be lots of cheers, some tears and a whole lot of food. While enjoying some of the 1 billion chicken wings consumed on Super Bowl Sunday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food …
House Eyes Tax Help for Agriculture Industry
Florida’s Hurricane Irma-battered agriculture industry, growing anxious as it awaits federal disaster relief, could land some help from the state House as part of a tax-cut package. The House Ways & Means Committee, which is putting together a package, reviewed three measures Wednesday intended to help the industry, which sustained an estimated $2.5 billion in damages from the deadly September …
Former AFBF Lobbyist Takes Syngenta Job
Syngenta announced this week that former American Farm Bureau Federation lobbyist Mary Kay Thatcher will join its government relations team. Thatcher will join Syngenta in mid-February as senior lead of Federal Government Relations, based in Washington, D.C., according to a Syngenta news release. In the role, the company says Thatcher will support the company’s strategic federal government relations activities including …
Generation Z Emerging as Food Influencers
Move over millennials, the next generation of food industry influencers has arrived. Although members of Generation Z are just now entering adulthood, their impact on the food industry is already being felt, according to a new study. Generation Z, those born from 1997 to present, now represent 27 percent of the U.S. population, a larger group than Millennials. Global information …
EU Delays Ruling on Bayer-Monsanto Merger, Again
The European Union has again delayed a ruling regarding Bayer’s planned takeover of Monsanto. Earlier this week, EU Commission antitrust investigators extended their investigation by five working days until March 12th, according to Reuters. The ongoing proceedings would have given Bayer until midnight on Monday to offer further concessions to EU regulators or request another extension of up to 10 …
State Ag Officials Set 2018 Policy Priorities
The National State Departments of Agriculture this week set top policy priorities for the year during a Washington, D.C. event. During the organization’s annual Winter Policy Conference, leaders of state agriculture departments called passing a unified farm bill, along with the successful modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement, top issues for 2018. The group also calls implementation of …
House Ag Democrat: No Farm Bill Better than Bad Farm Bill
House Agriculture Committee Democrat Jim McGovern of Massachusetts says he would “rather have no farm bill this year than a lousy farm bill.” McGovern told the Hagstrom Report that he has not seen the House draft of the farm bill, but that he would work to defeat the bill if he does not like it, in hopes for a better …
Precision Ag Bill Seeks Resolve to Broadband Connectivity Issues
The Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act of 2018 would create a task force to evaluate high speed internet access on cropland and ranchland related to precision agriculture technologies. Supported by the Ag Broadband Coalition, which the American Farm Bureau Federation is a member of, the task force would develop policy recommendations to get farm equipment connected. AFBF congressional relations director R.J. …
USDA, FDA Announce Formal Agreement to Bolster Coordination and Collaboration
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. announced at the White House a formal agreement aimed at making the oversight of food more efficient and effective by bolstering coordination between the two agencies. The formal agreement outlines efforts to increase interagency collaboration, efficiency and effectiveness on produce safety and biotechnology activities, while providing clarity to manufacturers. …