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 …
New Produce Safety Rule Starts January 26
The Produce Safety Rule, part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, will go into effect January 26 for farms with $500,000 or more in revenue. The Food and Drug Administration has emphasized the first year will focus less on regulation and compliance and more on education and readiness. Regardless, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) economist Veronica Nigh says produce growers …
Scott Urges Senate to Immediately Pass Relief Package
Florida Governor Rick Scott sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations this week urging the Senate to act immediately and pass a significant Hurricane Irma and Maria disaster relief package. In the letter, Scott thanked the House for its work to pass a relief package prior to Christmas which supports Florida citrus and provides critical funding for …
Florida Farmers Brace for Cold Weather
Florida farmers were preparing Thursday for continuing cold weather, with temperatures expected to drop into the 30s overnight as far south as Fort Myers and Homestead. Many of Florida’s crops cannot handle freezing temperatures for long periods. Citrus and strawberry farmers are preparing harvests ahead of time, often running irrigation systems to create small layers of ice over the fruit …
Farm Bill Work to Focus on Key Problem Areas
2018 Farm Bill work, once formal action starts, is likely to focus on a handful of key problem areas. There won’t be a lot of money to write a new farm bill this year, so farm bill writers are expected to focus on fixing with limited dollars, a handful of 2014 bill problems. American Farm Bureau Federation public policy executive …
Report: Vertical Farming Happening Now
Vertical farming won’t replace conventional farming, but researchers say vertical farming is happening now, and growing. Research by Stanford University shows vertical farming is growing and will likely be needed to complement traditional farms to “meet the food demands of tomorrow.” Vertical farming is the practice of producing food in vertically-stacked layers. The farms are in enclosures that provide a …
No Link Between Small Wild Birds and Rodents to 2014-15 HPAI Outbreak
A study by Iowa State University found no evidence that small wild birds and rodents were possible sources of the avian influenza virus that decimated Iowa poultry flocks in 2015. The study investigated wild birds and rodents around poultry operations to see if they carried the virus or had been exposed to it. Avian influenza is caused by Type A …
Demand Supporting Hog Prices
U.S. hog prices are being supported by strong demand, according to Purdue University economist Chris Hurt. He says pork production is expected to rise by three percent in the first-half of 2018 and by near four percent in the last-half of 2018. The theme for the pork market in 2017 was higher production and higher prices when pork production rose …
NAFTA Withdraw Threats Put Transportation Jobs in Jeopardy
Withdraw threats by President Donald Trump regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are putting transportation jobs at risk. Politico says that thousands of transportation jobs up and down the Mississippi River and across truck and rail networks are at stake, including those involved in the shipment of agricultural products. Barges loaded with grain shipped along the Mississippi River …
Farm Groups Launch ‘Farm Town Strong’ Campaign to Address Rural Opioid Epidemic
As farming communities face mounting challenges with the nation’s opioid epidemic, the nation’s two largest general farm organizations are teaming up to confront the issue. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and National Farmers Union (NFU) announced a new campaign, “Farm Town Strong,” to raise awareness of the crisis’ impact on farming communities. The campaign will also provide resources and …