Florida residents are using more and more water every day, leaving future Floridians with more expensive options to meet anticipated needs, according to University of Florida researchers. Earth Day, April 22, is a great time to start conserving water. “Water is a natural resource, and if we don’t take care of it we will really struggle to leave something for …
Baldwin, Ernst, Introduce Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network Bill
Senators Tammy Baldwin and Joni Ernst Thursday introduced legislation to fund the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. The two say the legislation will provide farmers with critical support and resources to respond to the difficult economic times. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found agricultural workers have a higher suicide rate than any other …
Japan-EU Trade Agreement Threatens U.S. Pork Exports to Japan
The Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service says a Japan-EU trade agreement threatens U.S. pork exports to Japan. Japan and the EU announced finalization of negotiations on the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement in December of last year. For 2017, Japan imported $1.68 billion of pork from the U.S. and $1.69 billion from the European Union. Japan ranked as the world’s …
Trump: Not Interested in Re-joining TPP
President Donald Trump says “I don’t want to go back into” the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). In a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump told reporters “the media has not covered the TPP correctly.” President Trump however did say that “if they offered us a deal that I can’t refuse, on behalf of the United States, I would …
Conaway Hopeful House Will Consider Farm Bill in May
House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway is hopeful the U.S. House will consider the 2018 farm bill next month. Conaway told reporters he wants to bring the bill to the full U.S. House in May, but says the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act will be taking up time on the floor in coming weeks, according to Politico. The bill faces a …
Perdue Announces New Senior Leaders at USDA
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the selection of senior leaders in several U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies. Perdue appointed Ken Isley as Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Administrator, Joel Baxley as Rural Housing Service (RHS) Administrator, and Martin Barbre as Risk Management Agency (RMA) Administrator. In addition, Perdue announced the appointment of Tommie Williams as Minister-Counselor for Agriculture …
Perdue Statement on House Committee Passage of 2018 Farm Bill
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding approval of the 2018 Farm Bill by the House Committee on Agriculture: “I commend Chairman Conaway and the House Committee on Agriculture for passing a comprehensive Farm Bill out of the Committee. The bill closely aligns with the Farm Bill Principles released by USDA in January and is nearly identical to …
UF Leads Trend to Open Food Businesses with Workshops
Kimberly and George Vecchio wanted to reinvent their 20-acre farm near Vero Beach from mostly animals to produce so they could start a food business. Though George had been a gourmet chef for more than 20 years, they didn’t know how to start the new enterprise. “We didn’t know what questions to ask, or even where to start, even though …
Coalition Works to Expand Rural Broadband
A coalition of rural and farm groups are seeking to improve rural connectivity to broadband. The first in a series of workshops was held Wednesday at the Department of Agriculture. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai joined executives from the five partner organizations for the discussion. The coalition includes the Farm Foundation, The Rural …
Senators Call for National Security Review of Brazilian Acquisition of U.S. Beef Company
A group of U.S. Senators are calling for a national security review of the Brazilian acquisition of a U.S. beef company. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, along with Ranking Senate Agriculture Committee Member Debbie Stabenow, and others, are urging the Committee on Foreign Investment to review the proposed purchase of National Beef Packing Company by Brazil’s Marfrig Global Foods. The …