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 …
Farm Bureau Talks Ag Policy Work in The New Year
2017 was a busy year for the American Farm Bureau Federation when it came to influencing agricultural policy at the federal level. Dale Moore is executive director for public policy with the Farm Bureau and he says there were several policy victories to celebrate from last year. Victories There were other victories when it came to government regulations and taxes. …
NCBA Talks Ag Policy Victories
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) calls 2017 an “interesting year” that saw a significant number of policy wins. However, there’s a lot of work ahead in 2018. One of the biggest policy victories of last year was a 90-day delay in the electronic logging device mandate that was scheduled to go into effect for all delivery haulers, including those …
Florida Forest Industry Generates Nearly $13B in Annual Sales, 36,000 Jobs
Florida’s forest industry generated $12.55 billion in sales revenues in 2016, which translated to more jobs, according to a new UF/IFAS economic report. The sales figure is up about $4.77 billion from 2003, according to the report. More money sometimes means more jobs, and in the case of the forest industry, it did. For 2016, the industry directly employed 36,055 …