USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Alabama State Conservationist Ben Malone announced a collaborative effort to reach forestry landowners will continue in West Alabama. NRCS Alabama will partner with the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, Federation of Southern Cooperatives (FSC), the Limited Resource Landowners Educational and Assistance Network (LRLEAN), and the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) to provide assistance to …
Dairy Producers Reminded of December 15 Deadline
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds dairy producers that December 15, 2017 is the deadline to enroll for 2018 coverage in the Margin Protection Program (MPP-Dairy). Additional flexibility was added this year which provides dairy producers the option of opting out of the program for 2018. In order to opt out, a producer should not sign up during the annual registration …
EU Grants Glyphosate License Renewal
After two years of dispute, the European Union (EU) has extended the license for glyphosate for five years. Representatives from a majority of the EU’s 28 nations approved the five-year license renewal of glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world. The unexpected move unblocked a two-year deadlock after the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer …
FSA County Election Deadline Looming
The deadline to return Farm Service Agency county committee election ballots is approaching. The Department of Agriculture says eligible producers must return the ballots to their local FSA office, or be postmarked by December 4th, 2017, to ensure their votes are counted. FSA acting administrator Steve Peterson says approximately 1.5 million producers are eligible to vote in this year’s election, …
Biodiesel Industry Lobbying for Tax Credit
Nearly 100 members of the National Biodiesel Board are on Capitol Hill this week encouraging lawmakers to reinstate the biodiesel tax credit, which expired in December 2016. As part of an annual fly-in to the Capitol, NBB members are meeting with lawmakers to support the tax credit to “stabilize the business environment” for the industry, according to NBB CEO Doug …
Eliminating Poultry Trade Barriers Part of NAFTA Negotiation Objectives
New items added to the list of negotiation objectives include eliminating Canadian tariffs on U.S. poultry as part of the next round of North American Free Trade Agreement talks. The next round of negotiations, scheduled for next month in Washington, D.C., will include the new objectives by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, according to meat industry publication Meatingplace. Lighthizer recently …
Canada Group Issues Report on Trade Without NAFTA
A Canada-based financial group outlines trade without the North American Free Trade Agreement in a new report called “The Day After NAFTA.” BMO Financial Group of Montreal published the report that says the Canadian food and beverage industry would be highly vulnerable without NAFTA, and that Canadian and U.S. crop producers would face a moderate level of vulnerability. Specifically, Canadian …
E-Verify Requirement Sought in Florida
Florida businesses would have to verify through the federal government that newly hired employees aren’t undocumented immigrants, under a measure that moved closer Tuesday to appearing before voters in 2018 despite opposition from agriculture interests. A panel of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission unanimously backed a proposal (P 29) that would require all employers in Florida to use the U.S. …
Putnam Requests Federal Disaster Relief for Florida Agriculture
Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam sent a letter to the Florida’s congressional delegation requesting much-needed disaster relief for Florida agriculture, which suffered a more than $2.5 billion hit due to Hurricane Irma. Excerpts from the letter are below: “As you know Hurricane Irma, among the strongest hurricanes ever to make direct landfall in the United States, dealt a devastating …
Growth Energy Applauds EPA Point of Obligation Decision
The Environmental Protection Agency decision to reject changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard point of obligation means consumers will continue to enjoy increasing choices at the pump. Growth Energy applauded the EPA for rejecting requests to change the point of obligation, a move that would have caused confusion in the marketplace. Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor says the move to …