Secretary Perdue Renews Call for Congress to Fix “Fire Borrowing” Problem U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that wildland fire suppression costs for the fiscal year have exceeded $2 billion, making 2017 the most expensive year on record. Wildfires have ravaged states in the west, Pacific Northwest, and Northern Rockies regions of the United States this summer. As the …
Congressman Bishop Comments on Passing of Former GA Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin
Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Ranking Member of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies released the following statement regarding the passing of Tommy Irvin, who served as Georgia’s Agriculture Commissioner for 42 years. “I was greatly saddened to learn of the passing of my friend of longstanding, Tommy Irvin, …
Livestock Groups Petition DOT for ELD Waiver
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) joined other livestock groups in hand delivering to Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao a petition for a waiver followed by a limited exemption from compliance with the Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) rule. The petition also asks the Department of Transportation (DOT) to address livestock industry concerns that the current Hours of Service (HOS) rules …
Georgia Pecan Growers Suffer Big Losses from Irma
Georgia pecan growers are looking at what could be major losses from Irma. Gary Crawford has more on the story. Len Wells, University of Georgia Extension Pecan Specialist, says Irma took down quite a few pecan trees. The storm not only created losses for this year’s harvest, but for many years to come. Len Wells, University of Georgia Extension Pecan …
U.S. Sugar Statement Regarding the Impact of Hurricane Irma
Statement by Judy Sanchez, U.S. Sugar Senior Director for Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, Regarding the Impact of Hurricane Irma “First and foremost, our employees and their families are safe. As for our sugarcane and citrus crops, we are conducting field by field and grove by grove assessments that will take days, possibly weeks, before we understand the actual impact. What …
Higher Ag Exports in 2017 and a Trade Surplus Next Year
A U.S. Department of Agriculture report says the value of farm exports will push higher in 2017, coming on the heels of two straight years of lower numbers for farm goods. The forecast from USDA says the fiscal year 2017 will see exports valued at just shy of $140 billion, up $10 billion from last year. That would break the …
Plant-Based Food Sales Up 8 Percent from 2016
The Plant-Based Foods Association and the Good Food Institute released data this week showing that the total market for plant-based food sales is over $3.1 billion. The data shows the growth in plant-based food sales at 8.1 percent over last year. Plant-based dairy alternatives are a fast-growing segment, with 20 percent growth and topping $700 million in sales over the …
European Court Rules Against GMO Ban
The European Court of Justice ruled that member state governments cannot ban the cultivation of genetically engineered crops in the absence of scientific evidence that they are a human health risk. American Soybean Association President Ron Moore said the ruling is a comforting one from a scientific standpoint. “The Court’s decision reverses what the EU calls the ‘precautionary principle,’ their …
Sunset Proposal in NAFTA 2.0
As the next round of negotiations regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement approach, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is considering submitting a “sunset” proposal. That’s a provision that would automatically cancel the deal five years after approval if the three countries don’t agree to renew it. The USTR began circulating the idea among federal agencies last week …
Putnam Says Agriculture Industry Hammered by Irma
Parts of Florida’s agriculture industry are in “tatters” as rural communities throughout the state continue to face severe conditions after Hurricane Irma, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Thursday. Putnam said the storm hammered citrus, vegetable and sugarcane growers, though he didn’t put a cost estimate on the damage. And as many farmers and residents of Florida’s rural counties wait for …