A bipartisan bill introduced this week seeks to strengthen and improve the Agriculture Risk Coverage-County Level program, which helps farmers when commodity prices fall to damaging levels. Introduced by North Dakota Democrat Heidi Heitkamp and Iowa Republican Joni Ernst, the bill aims to strengthen the safety net program in the next farm bill to “better support farmers” and make sure …
GAO Climate Change Report Estimates Lost Crop Revenues
A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) predicts climate change will cost U.S. agriculture up to $9.2 billion between 2020 and 2039 in lost crop yields. The report also details how extreme weather events, including wildfires, has cost the government $350 billion over the last decade, when including crop and flood insurance costs. In the long term, for 2080 …
NMPF Applauds House Judiciary Committee for Endorsing New Agriculture Guest Worker Program
The National Milk Producers Federation said it supports the efforts by Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and the House Judiciary Committee to pass legislation creating a guestworker program that provides a new opportunity for immigration reform in agriculture. The committee today approved the Agriculture Guestworker (AG) Act (H.R. 4092), which would establish an entirely new visa program, dubbed the H-2C visa, …
House Ag Chair Says Farm Bill Work Could Possibly Finish This Year
Washington legislators are working on developing the policy for the new Farm Bill, which is due next year. Texas Republican Mike Conaway, Chair of the House Ag Committee, said developments in the Senate this week mean the Farm Bill process can move forward. Conaway is still planning for the farm bill process in the House to wrap up within …
Dicamba Label Features New Guidelines for 2018 Growing Season
Dicamba is now a restricted use pesticide, thanks to guidelines issued recently by the Environmental Protection Agency. The guidelines were reached through a deal between the Trump Administration and the three companies that make dicamba, including Monsanto, BASF, and DuPont. All of the changes will be on product labels heading into the 2018 season. Dr. Ahmit Jhala, Assistant Professor with …
USDA Strengthens Agricultural Sciences at Hispanic-Serving Institutions
To Cultivate Future Scientists and Leaders The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced grants to support agricultural science education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). These grants will strengthen the ability of the institutions to carry out education, applied research, and related community development programs. “These grants highlight NIFA’s commitment to Hispanic-Serving Institutions by cultivating …
October Dairy Market Report from NMPF
In the October Dairy Market Report, milk prices continued to strengthen in August, but production is showing signs of acceleration. This year’s slow decline in the rate of U.S. milk production growth was interrupted in July and August, bouncing back to a 2 percent year-over-year increase. Lower feed costs in August helped further improve the month financially for the nation’s …
Hundreds of College Students Come Together for Animal Agriculture
Animal Agriculture Alliance’s College Aggies Online program enters its seventh week College students from across the nation are competing to win more than $16,000 in scholarships as they participate in the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s eighth annual College Aggies Online program. This year’s students represent 89 different universities coming from 43 states. About 300 students are competing in the individual division …
Green Industry Contributes More Than $20B to Florida Economy
Up 19 Percent from 2000 Florida’s environmental horticulture industry is recovering from the recession of 2007 to 2009, and it is growing in many sectors, with $21.8 billion in annual economic contributions. This is an increase of 19.2 percent from 2000, a new University of Florida report shows. The environmental horticulture industry, or the “green industry,” includes landscaping, nurseries, greenhouses, …
90th National FFA Convention & Expo
The 90th National FFA Convention & Expo kicks off today and runs through Saturday in Indianapolis, Indiana. More than 64,000 FFA members from across the U.S. are expected to attend. Convention and expo events will take place at several venues in downtown Indianapolis and surrounding areas. This year, stay up-to-date with the National FFA Convention & Expo app. Download it …