Cotton farmers in Alabama who use cover crops have a new, cost-cutting option. They can kill their cover crops and plant their cotton in the same pass through a field, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. Cover crops are gaining in popularity because they suppress weeds and help retain moisture and nutrients. Farmers typically plant cover crops in the …
International Trade and Deforestation: Potential Policy Effects via a Global Economic Model
by Jayson Beckman, Ron Sands, Anne Riddle, Tani Lee, and Jacob M. Walloga USDA Economic Research Service What is the Issue? An increasing world population and a shift in global diets toward vegetable oils and animal products increase the demand for agricultural commodities. To meet this demand, forestland is frequently converted into crop fields or pasture, especially in developing countries. …
Ag Secretary Perdue Moves to Make School Meals Great Again
Local Control of Whole Grains, Sodium, Milk to Make Meals Healthful, Appealing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide greater flexibility in nutrition requirements for school meal programs in order to make food choices both healthful and appealing to students. Perdue made the announcement during a visit to Catoctin Elementary School in …
Caldwell to Run for Agriculture Commissioner
by Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida Setting up a primary battle against fellow lawmaker Denise Grimsley, state Rep. Matt Caldwell announced Monday he will run for agriculture commissioner next year. The announcement was not a surprise: Caldwell, R-North Fort Myers, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent months for a political committee that could play an important …
NCC Extremely Disappointed with Exclusion of Cottonseed Policy from Omnibus
National Cotton Council (NCC) Chairman Ronnie Lee said the NCC “is extremely disappointed that the fiscal year 2017 omnibus appropriations bill does not include the cottonseed policy developed by the U.S. cotton industry in consultation with Congress.” Lee said the cottonseed policy is: 1) broadly supported by the entire U.S. cotton industry, as well as many other farm bill stakeholders; …
Time to Celebrate a Year-Round, Healthy Snack – the Strawberry
by Brad Buck, University of Florida/IFAS May is National Strawberry Month, a time to reflect on the history of this sweet, nutrition-packed fruit that grows well in Florida – and to extol its health benefits. Strawberries originally grew in Europe. In France, people regarded them as the highest-quality aphrodisiac. People believed Alpine strawberries provided various medicinal benefits. While some used the leaves, …
Tight Fuel Ethanol Supplies in Brazil Boost U.S. Exports
U.S. Fuel Ethanol exports are up sharply in the current marketing year, thanks in part to tighter fuel supplies in Brazil, which are resulting in higher U.S. imports. The change can be traced to an increase in the price of sugar in Brazil, which comes from stronger export demand for Brazilian sugar products. As a result of that higher demand, …
Florida Teacher Calls Ag Students “Murderers”
A Florida teacher is on the verge of losing his job after bullying and harassing FFA students that were raising livestock to be sold for slaughter. An Associated Press article says Thomas Allison, Jr., who teaches middle school at the Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks, has been placed on unpaid leave. A Marion County School District letter documenting the case …
Perdue Convinces Trump Not to Terminate NAFTA
The new secretary of agriculture played a big part in convincing President Trump to not pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement. He had a little help from the secretary of commerce in doing so. Daily Caller Dot Com reports that just days after taking office, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue persuaded the president to change his mind after …
Farmer Opinions on Trump’s First 100-Days
A new Farm Journal poll offers farmer perspective on Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office. In fact, Farm Journal has tracked farmer opinions on Trump since 2015. Several polls conducted in 2015 and 2016 showed Trump was the clear favorite candidate within the ag sector. The most recent Farm Journal poll wanted to know if farmers were still happy …