Broward County Democrat David Walker opened a campaign account Friday to run in 2018 for agriculture commissioner, according to the state Division of Elections website. Walker joined fellow Democrat Michael Christine in taking the initial step to try to succeed term-limited Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. Christine opened his campaign account in April but did not raise any money in June …
Nearly $1 Million Grant Will Help Struggling Blue Crab Industry
A researcher at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences wants to study the blue crab and a viral pathogen that infects it. Now, a nearly $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation will help Donald Behringer and colleagues study the disease along the entire western Atlantic seaboard. In Florida, several disasters—including hurricanes in 2004, 2005, …
Renegotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement
The renegotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement get underway on August 16th. Canada, Mexico, and the United States can sit down at a table to update the twenty-year-old agreement. Former Chief Agricultural Trade Negotiator Darci Vetter said the upcoming negotiations represent an opportunity for needed updates to the agreement. Vetter talks about certain parts of NAFTA that need …
Vilsack Helping Create Support for Democrats in Middle America
Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is dedicating some of his time in trying to help the Democratic party gain support in middle America. ABC News reports Vilsack is part of a group called New Democracy, which includes sitting and former governors, along with others. Will Marshall, the Democratic policy veteran who is running the group, says the group plans to …
ABC / Disney Settlement with BPI Worth More Than $177 Million
The settlement between Disney, the parent company of ABC News, and BPI, or Beef Products Inc, is worth more than $177 million. The terms of the settlement agreement are not disclosed. However, last week Disney disclosed a charge of $177 million, “net of committed insurance recoveries,” incurred in connection with the settlement of litigation, during a quarterly finance report. South …
Farm Machinery Stocks Drop After USDA Reports
Last week’s Department of Agriculture crop reports sent stocks of farm machinery companies lower. USDA on Thursday reported higher than expected crop yields in the August round of crop reports, which includes key yield speculations. Following the report stocks of Agco and Deere dropped roughly 2.5 percent each. CNH Industrial, the manufacture of Case and New Holland, dropped 1.5 percent …
MPI Report: U.S. Agricultural Workforce Being Reshaped
Shifting Migration & Labor Strategies, with Drop in Unauthorized Share & Rise in Use of H-2A Program Shifting migration patterns and labor strategies are reshaping the overwhelmingly foreign-born U.S. agricultural workforce, with a drop in the share of unauthorized workers and increased employer use of mechanization and the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program, a new Migration Policy Institute report shows. …
ASA Works to Find Answers on Herbicide-Related Damage
Following reports of dicamba-related damage to soybean crops, American Soybean Association (ASA) President and Illinois farmer Ron Moore releases the following statement committing the association’s resources to the pursuit of a solution: “The issues surrounding dicamba-related damage to crops are serious ones, and as the representative organization for the nation’s soybean farmers, ASA is invested in bringing all parties together …
Ronald Cave Named Director of UF/IFAS Indian River Research Facility
An entomologist recognized internationally as a specialist in biological control of insect pests has been named the director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Indian River Research and Education Center. Ronald D. Cave will serve as the sixth leader of the Indian River REC. From the Indian River REC’s 1947 start as the Indian River …
It’s Tougher to Reproduce When You Change Diets – Just Like a Bug
With the constant introduction of invasive species worldwide, thousands of types of wildlife eat new food, weakening their ability to reproduce, says a University of Florida scientist. That, in turn, could lead to a reduction in our wildlife populations. Scientists already know that when wildlife feed on invasive species, they can get sick, but until now, no one had studied …