U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced a slate of Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Committee Appointees. State committees are selected by the Secretary, serve at the pleasure of the Secretary, and are responsible for carrying out FSA farm programs within delegated authorities. “The State Committees will help to ensure USDA is providing our farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural …
Todd Campbell Receives 2017 Cotton Genetics Research Award
Dr. B. Todd Campbell, a research geneticist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center in Florence, S.C., is the recipient of the 2017 Cotton Genetics Research Award. The announcement was made during the 2018 Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference, which convened as part of the National Cotton Council-coordinated 2018 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. In recognition, …
“Connect Americans Now” Formed to Improve Rural Broadband Access
A group of community leaders, rural advocates, and industry innovators have come together to form “Connect Americans Now.” Their goal is to work with the Federal Communications Commission and other policymakers to ensure that there is sufficient unlicensed broadband access in every market in the country. The end-goal is unlimited broadband connectivity by 2022. Richard Cullen, the executive director of …
Dairy Farming Desperate for Immigration Reform
Next to the cost of feeding their animals, the cost of labor on dairy farms will always take up a large share of the budget. A Milk Business Dot Com article says labor costs will rise in the new year. As of January first, farmers in some of the largest dairy-producing states now face government-mandated higher minimum wages. California farmers …
Winterkill Likely in Wheat Belt
A large portion of the nation’s winter wheat crop lacks a protective layer of snow cover and meteorologists are saying the recent deep freeze is doing some damage. Snow cover is adequate in the northern plains and the northern Midwest. However, an Agriculture Dot Com article says the snow cover is very thin in the central and southern plains as …
USDA Wants More Done to Combat Crop Insurance Fraud
The Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the Risk Management Agency hasn’t done enough to combat crop insurance fraud. Since 2001, the RMA has contracted with the Center for Agribusiness Excellence at Tarleton State University in Texas to collect data on producers who have unusual crop insurance claims that merit further review. Every year, the center produces …
Eleven States Support Injunction Against California’s Prop 65 Regulation
Attorneys General in 11 states have filed a brief in support of a preliminary injunction that multiple Ag organizations are seeking against California’s Prop 65. Additionally, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the California Chamber of Commerce have also filed briefs in support of the injunction. Even though there is no scientific evidence to support Prop 65, it requires that …
Congressional Spending Fights Slowing New Farm Bill Progress
Congressional spending fights are slowing the formal start of writing a new farm bill. Farm bill writers are unlikely to move ahead with formal work on a new farm bill until partisan fights over key spending issues are resolved. American Farm Bureau budget adviser R.J. Karney. Fights Once lawmakers can “check the box” on those issues, Karney says it will …
Georgia Peanut Farm Show Thursday, Jan. 18
Producers can improve the bottom-line of their farming operations with knowledge, connections and information gained at the 42nd annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference, held at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center, Jan. 18, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Peanut farmers and those involved in the peanut industry will be able to learn more about the …
A Fair Fight for Florida Farmers
On the face of it, it’s not a fair fight. Farming in Florida is hard enough, but then the rules of that fight constantly change. New bugs and diseases raid crops. Volatile markets say plant now while the weather says plant later. Consumers keep changing their minds about what to eat. New plant varieties give farmers a fighting chance by …