Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam sent a letter Thursday to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer that backed President Donald Trump’s push for a “more equitable North American Free Trade Agreement” with Canada and Mexico. “As you are aware, producers of perishable and seasonal agricultural products in Florida and other regions have been decimated by unfair trading practices resulting in a …
Putnam Urges NAFTA Changes to Better Protect Florida Agriculture
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam sent a letter to Ambassador Robert Lighthizer underscoring the importance of ensuring that Florida agriculture is better protected from unfair and illegal trade practices as NAFTA negotiations continue. “Current remedies available to address unfair trade practices are simply insufficient to protect Florida’s specialty crop producers. It is critical that the NAFTA negotiations result …
USMEF on China’s Additional Import Duties on U.S. Pork
Earlier this week the Chinese government announced the imposition of additional import duties on a range of U.S. products, including a 25 percent duty increase, on top of the existing 12 percent duty, on imports of U.S. pork and pork variety meat. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Joe Schuele has more. USMEF on China’s Additional Import Duties on US Pork …
Market Experts: Keep China Tariff in Perspective
No one has officially declared ‘war’ in the way of trade between the U.S. and China, but the nations are no doubt in the makings of a trade war. President Donald Trump insisted that “we are not in a trade war with China.” However, China fired back a proposed list of tariffs less than 24 hours after the Trump administration …
Groups Respond to Proposed Chinese Tariff Announcement
From American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) The following statement on the Chinese tariff announcement may be attributed to American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall: “Farmers and ranchers are, by necessity, patient and optimistic. We know markets ebb and flow. But China’s threatened retaliation against last night’s U.S. tariff proposal is testing both the patience and optimism of families who …
New Trap Better at Snaring Stable Flies
A new stable fly trap, now on the market, catches more flies than the standard trap, according to a recent Agricultural Research Service (ARS) study. The Knight Stick trap is highly attractive to stable flies, fits in tight places and is very portable, said entomologist Jerry Hogsette, with the Mosquito and Fly Research Unit at the ARS Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology in …
Florida Ag Producers Invited to Cover Crop Tour
Florida agricultural producers are invited to take part in Cover Crop Tour, April 6 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the NRCS Brooksville Plant Material Center in Brooksville, Florida. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Florida is offering free tour showcases that cover crop species to improve soil health. Florida Ag Producers Invited to Cover Crop Tour Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement …
Classic Gully Erosion Initiative Sign-Up in Alabama
USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist for Alabama, Ben Malone, wants to make sure landowners across the state are aware of the new https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/al/newsroom/releases/?cid=NRCSEPRD1388873. It will focus on scenarios where erosion has reached an advanced stage and interferes with farming operations, but sign-up for this program ends April 19, 2018. Classic Gully Erosion Initiative Sign-up in Alabama Sponsored ContentFlorida …
Loss Of Foreign Workers Would Hurt Agriculture
Given a tight labor market, particularly in rural areas, the loss of foreign-born workers would lead to a drop in agricultural jobs, according to a study commissioned by the National Pork Producers Council. Economists with Iowa State University (ISU), using a study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, determined that a reduction in the foreign-born workforce – …
Tasty Tomatoes and Other Produce
UF/IFAS Expert Urges Scientists to Breed for Flavor For 20 years, Harry Klee, a professor of horticultural sciences at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, has been using genetics to improve flavors and smells in tomatoes and other produce that induce the consumer to buy more of them. As Florida farmers continue to harvest this year’s tomatoes, Klee …