The U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) Office has asked a group of industry advisors to provide feedback on potential changes to the U.S. free trade agreement with Korea (KORUS). World Trade Online reports that USTR is seeking the feedback by mid-August, after recently asking its industry trade advisory committees for ideas on the implementation of the agreement and issues “impacting fair …
Cabinet Eyes Land Deals in Okeechobee, Osceola
Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet next week are expected to consider proposed deals that would help preserve more than 3,000 acres of land in Okeechobee and Osceola counties. The proposals include spending $4.2 million to buy 1,992 acres in Okeechobee County from Open Space Land Trust, Inc. The land is part of a broader project within the state’s …
Controlling Weeds in a Way that Saves the Soil and Costs Less
An onslaught of the weed Palmer amaranth in the southeastern United States has left many farmers wondering if they should continue using environmentally friendly cover crops and conservation tillage, or switch to conventional tillage. Palmer amaranth is aggressive, drought tolerant, a prolific seed producer, and capable of developing resistance to glyphosate, known as “Roundup.” Because of that, thousands of acres …
Army Corps Gives Input in Florida-Georgia Water War
by Lloyd Dunkelberger, News Service of Florida The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a key player in Florida’s decades-old legal fight with Georgia over water flow in the Apalachicola River, has weighed into the pending case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The federal agency’s comments, which were filed in a brief Monday, are important because a special master has recommended …
Putnam Pitches Land Deal to Protect Military Bases
by Jim Turner, News Service of Florida Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, a Republican candidate for governor, said Tuesday the state needs to increase spending for land preservation to help protect military bases from closure. Putnam voiced displeasure that state lawmakers did not provide more money during the current budget year for conservation efforts. Lawmakers set aside $10 million for …
Reducing Hive Losses from Varroa Mites Honey Bee Program
Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda, PhD Clemson University Apiculture Specialist, will be our guest speaker Wednesday, August 16 at the Carroll County Ag Center located at 900 Newnan Road in Carrollton, Georgia 30117 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. She will be speaking with us on her experience and research working with Varroa mites and her honey bee program at Clemson. Dr. …
Dow DuPont Merger to Close This Month
DuPont and The Dow Chemical Company have announced that all required regulatory approvals and clearances have been received to close on a merger of the two companies. The merger will close August 31st, and shares of Dow and DuPont will cease trading at the close of the New York Stock Exchange that day. Shares of DowDuPont will begin trading on …
Ports Contract Eases Trade Concerns
A contract agreement between the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association has eased trade concerns. The two ratified a three-year extension to the labor contract for workers at 29 ports on the West Coast. Politico reports that the announcement Friday comes as a sigh of relief for U.S. importers and exports. In 2014 and 2015, shippers …
USDA NASS: Cropland Values Stable
An annual report by the Department of Agriculture shows cropland values have remained stable this year. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s Land Values 2017 Summary shows a slight increase in average farmland value, but cropland value remained unchanged from the previous year. The United States farm real estate value, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings …
Farm Bill Could Reach House Floor Early 2018
House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway of Texas says he wants to finish the next farm bill this year, with the bill reaching the U.S. House floor for a vote in early 2018. Conaway told a farm bill listening session in California over the weekend that he hopes the farm bill will be on the House floor in the first quarter …