In response to a request from Dianne Westmoreland, Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Acting State Executive Director in Georgia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Glynn County in Georgia as a primary natural disaster area due to losses and damages caused by a recent drought. Farmers and ranchers in Brantley, Camden, McIntosh and Wayne counties in Georgia also qualify …
Conaway, Goodlatte Call on Attorney General to Evaluate DOJ Overreach in Prosecuting WOTUS Violation in CA Court Case
House Agriculture Committee Chairman K. Michael Conaway (TX-11) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Bob Goodlatte (VA-6) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions calling for a review of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to prosecute a California court case alleging violations under the Clean Water Act (CWA) – directly related to both the statutory exemptions for farming …
Nominate Bulls for the 2017 Florida Bull Test by June 15
For those interested in nominating bulls for the 2017 Florida Bull Test, here’s a reminder you have until June 15th to do so. The 18th Florida Bull Test will once again take place at the University of Florida’s North Florida Research and Education Center in Marianna. Last year there were 129 consignments from Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi, and the window …
Corn Replant Expected to reach “Historic” Levels
Seed industry leaders are expecting corn replant rates this year to reach historic levels. Ryan Parkin of Beck’s Hybrids told DTN-The Progressive Farmer “this will be a historic replant year, particularly for corn.” Many seed companies say the year ranks first or second in company history for replanting demand. Spring rains were far too abundant, leaving fields across the Midwest …
Perdue Echoes Vilsack on Cottonseed Declaration
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue this week echoed his predecessor, telling U.S. House lawmakers the Department of Agriculture does not have the authority to declare cottonseed as an oilseed. Perdue carried the same message former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack offered to lawmakers on the issue, as advised by USDA lawyers. Perdue was asked about the issue during a House Agriculture Appropriations …
NAFTA a Success Story for Agriculture
A farmer from Nebraska says the North American Free Trade Agreement is a success story for U.S. agriculture and warns of the risks involved in renegotiation. In a letter published by the New York Times, Alan Tiemann writes that NAFTA has tremendously benefited U.S. agriculture. Tiemann, a past U.S. Grains Council Chairman, recalled a delegation of Mexican buyers who recently …
Top Senate Ag Democrat Releases Trump Budget Fact Sheet
A fact sheet released by the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Ranking Democrat highlights the expected impact of President Donald Trump’s proposed budget on agriculture. The fact sheet claims that President Trump is “turning his back on rural America.” Released by Senate Democrat Debbie Stabenow’s office, the fact sheet says cuts included in the proposal to crop insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition …
Experts Expect Down Farm Economy to Continue
A financial expert forecasted to lawmakers Thursday the current agriculture economic conditions will continue. During a Senate Agriculture Committee on the rural economy, Nathan Kauffman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City informed the committee that a farm crisis does not appear imminent, but there are still risks that could lead to more widespread challenges in the coming years. …
Revision of Seg. 1 Peanuts by Peanut Standards Board Draws Praise
The Georgia Peanut Commission issued comments in full support of the proposed rule issued in the Federal Register regarding a recommendation from the Peanut Standards Board to revise the minimum quality and handling standards for domestic and imported peanuts marketed in the United States. The Peanut Standards Board voted in the fall of 2016 to raise the grading score used …
Use Food Thermometers to be Food Safe this Summer
Summer is a time for family vacations, backyard barbecues and plenty of outdoor activities with food as the centerpiece. But before those steaks and burgers go on the grill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) wants to remind consumers to keep their family and themselves safe from foodborne illness by using a food thermometer …