Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue last week announced further Department of Agriculture restructuring under his plan announced in May. Perdue says the work streamlines bureaucracy, improves efficiency and makes the federal agency more customer friendly. The actions involve innovation, consolidation and the rearrangement of certain offices into more “logical organizational reporting structures,” according to USDA. The most notable change is the …
Putnam Says Irma Will Hurt Ag Industry
From nursery businesses in Miami-Dade County to citrus growers in Central Florida, the agriculture industry will take a hit from Hurricane Irma, state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said. Putnam, who is running for governor next year, said during an interview on Fox 13 in Tampa that protecting people is the priority, but, based on past storms, the powerful hurricane will …
UF/IFAS Responds to Hurricane Irma with Releases, Resource List
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has prepared links and resource lists for dealing with the impact of Hurricane Irma. Topics include the impact of citrus and other crops, how to safeguard livestock, and what UF/IFAS Extension offices across the state are doing to help residents. Please click here for access to releases, closings and resources. …
Beef Industry to White House: Scuttling KORUS is Also a ‘Job Killer’
The U.S. beef industry says if President Trump withdraws the US from the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, millions of dollars and thousands of jobs will be lost throughout the Midwest and other regions. As the president tries to appeal to blue collar workers in the rust belt who voted for him, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association tells the White House, …
Farm to School Bill Introduced
Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, and ranking member Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, reintroduced the Farm to School Act to expand the Farm to School Grant Program. The program promotes the use of home-state agriculture products in school cafeterias. The bill would increase school eligibility and reduce barriers for farmers to participate. It also would allow broader …
U.S. Cropland Value Holds Steady
The USDA’s 2017 Land Values Summary shows that the average acre of American cropland is worth $4,090. That’s unchanged from last year and the third-highest in history. Pastureland values increased by $20 from last year to a national average of $1,350. That’s the highest value for pastureland USDA has ever recorded. The Southern Plains states of Texas and Oklahoma saw …
White House Suspends Discussions on Ending KORUS
White House officials have temporarily halted discussions on the possibility of terminating a free trade agreement with South Korea. A senior White House official told Reuters on Wednesday night that the deal could still be terminated but there were no immediate plans to do so. President Trump had been talking with his senior advisers about the possibility of withdrawing from …
House Debates Ag Spending Bills as Fiscal Battle Looms
House lawmakers began debating bills on Wednesday to fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Politico’s Morning Ag Report says the funding would be for all of the fiscal year 2018 and be part of a package of eight government spending bills. The ag appropriations bill would set aside $20 billion in discretionary funding for …
Funding to Recruit and Educate a More Diverse Agricultural Workforce
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $945,400 in available funding to help foster the next generation of multicultural scholars in agricultural sciences. Funding is made through NIFA’s Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP). “The Multicultural Scholars Program seeks to help young people reach their potential in the agricultural sciences,” said NIFA Director …
Cattlemen Launch Month Long Media Campaign for Comprehensive Tax Reform
NCBA Launches new website: CattlemenForTaxReform.com The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association kicked off a media and advertising campaign that will shine a spotlight on how various federal tax provisions impact America’s cattle and beef producers. The campaign, which will focus heavily on the death tax, aims to build support in Washington for comprehensive tax reform that makes our tax code fair …