Details of the next federal budget are still being worked out in Washington, DC. Once that is done, work is expected to begin on a major tax reform. US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue thinks the proposed tax law changes will be good for agriculture. That’s Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service. Sponsored …
Volusia County Grower Re-elected as President of Florida Farm Bureau
Delegates at Florida Farm Bureau’s 2017 Annual Meeting have re-elected John L. Hoblick as the organization’s President. The Volusia County farmer has served as the organization’s chief executive since 2006. Hoblick, a third generation cut foliage producer from DeLeon Springs, began his involvement with Farm Bureau nearly three decades ago as the leader of what is now known as the …
NMPF Building Support in Congress to Approve DAIRY PRIDE Act
Force FDA to Take Action on Mislabeled Dairy Imitators Efforts to expose the deceptive labeling and marketing of plant-based products that exploit the nutritional halo of real dairy products continues to gain traction and “has these fake food marketers worried,” attendees here at the National Milk Producers Federation’s annual meeting heard this week by the organization’s leadership. NMPF President and …
Commissioner Putnam Announces Winners of Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced the recipients of the Commissioner’s Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award, which recognizes the environmentally innovative farming techniques of Florida’s farmers and ranchers. This year’s recipients are Brad and Meghan Austin and Dale and Cindy Eade of Cindale Farms in Marianna; Greg Davis of Speedling Incorporated in Ruskin; and Brittany Lee of Florida Blue Farms, …
USDA Aims to Improve Food and Nutrition Education for Low-Income Communities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced support to develop local and self-reliant food systems, such as farm to table enterprises that bring nutritious food to low-income communities. This funding is available through NIFA’s Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “This program reaches into neighborhoods across America …
Alabama Receives Funding for Irrigation Efficiency Project
It has been announced that a new, multi-year project in Alabama will help to build vital infrastructure while conserving natural resources through the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama will work with the project’s sponsor, the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (SWCC) and the Alabama Irrigation Initiative, to address irrigation needs …
Senate Ag Committee Warns Trump Administration on Possible NAFTA “Pullout”
The Chairman of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee issued perhaps his most direct public warning yet to the Trump Administration on a possible North American Free Trade Agreement “pullout.” Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Pat Roberts spoke to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce audience in Washington, D.C. on the strategy President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are pursuing on …
Cheerios Ditches Gluten-Free Label in Canada
Cheerios cereal sold in Canada will no longer be labeled “gluten-free.” CBC News of Canada reports that Manufacturer General Mills has confirmed it will voluntarily remove the labels from the cereal boxes sold in Canadian stores “as soon as possible,” even though it says the product contains less than 20 parts per million of gluten, which meets the regulatory standard …
Campbell Soup Company Joins Plant Based Lobbying Group
After dropping out of the Grocery Manufacturers Association earlier this year, Campbell Soup Company is joining the Plant-Based Foods Association or PBFA. Bloomberg calls the move a major gesture by an industry giant acknowledging retreating consumer demand for meat and dairy-heavy food. The company maintains its move to leave the Grocery Manufacturers Association wasn’t in preparation to join PBFA, but …
Trucking Industry Bracing for ELD Mandate
The Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate for the trucking industry is expected to go into effect December 18th, causing a predicted impact to the livestock industry. The National Pork Producers Council has asked for an exemption based on what it calls “an incompatibility” between federal hours of operation rules and how the livestock industry actually operates. The request states: “Livestock …