USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced that a contract renewal sign-up is underway for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Participants with existing CSP contracts that expire on December 31 can renew their contracts for an additional five years but, but applications are due by May 5. Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New GroundOctober 1, 2024CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, …
Bumblebees Boost Blueberry Yield
by Brad Buck, University of Florida/IFAS Bumblebees can boost blueberry yield by 70 percent, good news for Florida growers in the heart of their blueberry season, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences study shows. The news also accentuates the need for blueberry pollinators, said Joshua Campbell, a post-doctoral researcher in the UF/IFAS entomology and nematology department. …
Organizations Urge Appropriators to Protect Conservation Funding
More than 220 agriculture, wildlife, and conservation organizations from across the country sent a letter urging the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees to protect farm bill conservation funding in fiscal year (FY) 2018. The groups, which included the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation …
House Agriculture Committee Examines Impacts of Tax Code on Agriculture Industry
The House Agriculture Committee held a hearing to examine how the tax code impacts agricultural producers. Members of the committee heard from a panel of Members of Congress—including Rep. Kristi Noem (SD-at large) and Rep. Lynn Jenkins (KS-2)—from the House Committee on Ways and Means, the committee charged with crafting our nation’s tax code. The Committee also heard from a diverse …
EU Approves ChemChina-Syngenta Deal
The European Union has approved the $43 billion takeover of Syngenta by ChemChina, just a day after receiving U.S. approval. Bloomberg reports the EU approval is conditional on ChemChina’s offer to divest “a significant part” of its Adama unit’s pesticide business, some generic pesticides the unit is developing, a plant growth regulator and some of Syngenta’s pesticides along with related …
Seed Demand Prompts First Half Gains for Monsanto
Monsanto this week announced increased sales and profits for the first half of its current fiscal year. Monsanto’s net sales for the second quarter increased to approximately $5.1 billion, up from $4.5 billion in the prior year period. Gross profit for the quarter also increased over the prior year to $3.0 billion versus $2.6 billion. For the first six months, …
Lawmakers Asking Trump to Talk Beef with China’s President
A group of legislators are pressing the White House to raise the issue of U.S. beef trade with China when President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi (she) Jinping (today) Thursday. A group of 39 Senators, including Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, have penned a letter to President Trump, asking him to raise the issue of U.S. beef …
Perdue Vote Could be Stalled Until May
It’s been nearly 11 weeks since President Donald Trump nominated Sonny Perdue as Agriculture Secretary, and a partisan brawl in the Senate will push the wait into early April, or late May. While it is still possible that leaders could strike an eleventh-hour deal for a quick vote to confirm Perdue sometime soon, the odds are becoming minimal. House Agriculture …
USDA Announces $1.2 Million to Support Aquaculture Research Projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced $1.2 million in available funding for aquaculture research projects in the areas of genetics, disease, production systems, and economics. Funding is made through NIFA’s Aquaculture Research Competitive Grants Program, authorized by the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act. “Sustainability of the aquaculture industry is important …
EAA Farmers, Inc. Issues Statement on Passage of SB 10
A statement from Danielle Alvarez, spokesperson for EAA Farmers, Inc., following the passage of SB10 during the Senate Appropriations Committee: “Today’s amendment acknowledges what EAA farmers have said all along: a storage reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee can be accomplished within the existing footprint of state-owned lands without the need to acquire additional farmland. However, an EAA reservoir will not …