As Congress begins its deliberations on the next farm bill, improvements to the dairy Margin Protection Program must be a top priority for lawmakers, said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, who spoke today before the House Agriculture Committee. During the farm bill hearing on Capitol Hill, Mulhern told committee members that the dairy Margin …
Wet ‘Dry Season’ Damaged Valuable Ornamentals
by Brad Buck, University of Florida/IFAS Florida’s winters are usually dry, but the wet winter of 2015-2016 helped spread pathogens that destroyed ornamental plants in Miami-Dade County. That’s a problem in an area where the industry generated an estimated $998 million annually in sales in 2015, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers say.
Rabo AgriFinance Partnering with FFA to Support Agriculture’s Future
Rabo AgriFinance has announced it will increase its donation to the National FFA organization, serving as a Five Star sponsor of FFA.
Brazil Beef Scandal Limiting Global Options for Buyers
A sanitary inspection bribery scheme in Brazil means less options for global buyers of beef. That could mean more opportunity to export U.S. beef to nations seeking to block imports from Brazil.
USDA Targets $6 Million for Wildfire Relief
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated $6 million to help aid farmers and ranchers recovering from recent wildfires in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
Democrat House Member to Introduce Perdue at Hearing
Democrat David Scott, a U.S. Representative from Atlanta, Georgia, will introduce Sonny Perdue at his Senate Agriculture Committee confirmation hearing Thursday. The Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper reports that Perdue has tapped Scott, an old friend from when Perdue was a Democrat, to make the introduction before Perdue gives testimony to the Senate panel in hopes of boosting Perdue’s bipartisan credentials. …
Froman: TPP Can Still Shape World Trade
Former U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman speaking in Tokyo this week said the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) can still serve as a guide for future trade agreements.
Funding to Support Specialty Crop Pest Management
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $11 million in available funding through the Minor Crop Pest Management Program (also known as Interregional Research Project or IR-4). “The IR-4 funding allows NIFA to ensure that new, robust crop protection products are created,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “These investments will lead to improved …
USDA Announces Funding to Support Antimicrobial Resistance Research
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $11 million in available funding for projects that mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing public health issue that affects more than 2 million people annually. Funding is made through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
Subcommittee Examines Livestock Producer Perspectives on Next Farm Bill
Rep. David Rouzer (NC-7), Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, held a hearing to gather perspectives from key members of the livestock community as part of the committee’s hearing series on the next farm bill. Members of the committee heard from representatives of four major livestock producer groups who discussed the issues facing their …