Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the realignment of a number of offices within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in order to improve customer service and maximize efficiency. The actions involve innovation, consolidation, and the rearrangement of certain offices into more logical organizational reporting structures. The changes build on the reorganization Perdue announced in May. As with the previous …
Perdue on President Trump’s Tax Reform Agenda
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue reiterated his strong support for President Trump’s tax reform agenda, as the president outlined in North Dakota. Perdue issued the following statement: “Farming is a complicated operation, so to place more burdens on the people of agriculture through the tax code has never made any sense. Most agricultural enterprises are small businesses, and the …
UF Extension Gives Tips on How to Protect Livestock During Hurricane
While Florida residents scramble to prepare for Hurricane Irma, agriculture operators are working to make sure their livestock survive the storm. Agents with University of Florida IFAS Extension offer advice on how to safeguard animals before, during and after the storm. “After Hurricane Matthew, we had livestock die from dehydration, electrocution and collapsed barns,” said Cindy B. Sanders, UF/IFAS Extension …
American Biofuels Producers Demand U.S. Government Respond to Brazilian Tariff
The Renewable Fuels Association, Growth Energy, and the U.S. Grains Council are calling upon the U.S. government to develop an immediate response to Brazil’s newly implemented tariffs on U.S. ethanol imports, a trade barrier that threatens over $750 million in U.S. exports and American jobs. On August 23, 2017, Brazil’s Chamber of Foreign Trade imposed an immediate two-year tariff-rate quota …
Agriculture Continues to Prepare for Hurricane Irma
As Hurricane Irma moves towards South Florida, preparations for its arrival continue for many in the agriculture industry in the state. Livestock evacuations have been taking place throughout the week, as temporary shelters in both Alabama and Georgia have opened. Both states have also temporarily suspended Animal Interstate Movement Health Requirements for animals being evacuated from the areas expected to …
Georgia Offering Temporary Sheltering Facilities for Evacuated Livestock
With Hurricane Irma inching closer to Florida, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) has been working with all of their state, federal and industry partners to support the safety and comfort of not only Georgia citizens and their animals, but also their Florida neighbors fleeing the storm. GDA has temporarily suspended Animal Interstate Movement Health Requirements for entry into Georgia …
Silverleaf Whitefly: Devastating to Cotton Industry
The Silverleaf whitefly (SLWF) is proving to be a big problem for cotton producers in Alabama. First found in Alabama in 1997, SLWF feeds on cotton plants and has been active in the Southeast the last few years. In 2016, SLWF heavily infested cotton crops in several counties surrounding Tifton, Georgia. Now, SLWF has spread over much of the 1.3 …
Cotton and Orange Juice Futures See Bounce Amidst Hurricanes
Bloomberg News reports orange juice futures jumped 6.2 percent before Wednesday, the largest increase in 16 months, ahead of the feared landfall of Hurricane Irma in Florida. The scale-topping hurricane remains on track to threaten Southeast U.S. agriculture later this week. Florida is the nation’s top orange producer, and all of the state’s crop is at risk of moderate to …
KORUS Withdraw Would Harm Pork Producers
Iowa State University says pork prices could fall by nearly five dollars per-animal if the U.S. withdraws from the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, known as KORUS. President Donald Trump suggested the action over the weekend, but the administration has backed away from those claims this week. National Hog Farmer magazine reports that if KORUS is terminated, the United States likely …
Experts Predict Little Ag Damage in DACA Action
An immigration attorney told the Capital Press this week that any changes to DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, would have little impact on agriculture. Tom Roach, a Pasco, Washington immigration attorney, says ending deportation deferrals for illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children may not be a big hit to agriculture. He says most of …