commissioner

Commissioner Fried Announces Launch of FDACS Farmer Stress Awareness Initiative

Dan Florida, Labor and Immigration

(Tallahassee, FL/May 24, 2022) — With May marking Mental Health Awareness Month, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried announced today the launch of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) Farmer Stress Awareness Initiative. The formal launch will take place next week at an event at Wish Farms in Plant City on June 2nd at 9am where FDACS will premiere several videos that will …

farmers

Alabama Farmers Concerned with Input Prices, Labor

Dan Alabama, Economy, Labor and Immigration

We’ve talked before about the rising input prices, and how this will affect many decisions heading into the 2022 planting season. Various surveys have indicated that this is a top concern for many farmers this year. Alabama Extension Cotton Agronomist Steve Brown, with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), agrees. He told Southeast AgNet this is something many growers have discussed with him, …

broadband

Florida Lawmakers Talk Broadband and Immigration

Dan Florida, High-Speed Internet/Broadband, Labor and Immigration, Legislative, Regulation

Lawmakers Look to Boost Broadband in Rural Areas (NSF/TALLAHASSEE/January 24, 2022) — Florida lawmakers are looking to use at least $400 million in federal stimulus money to to help broadband providers expand services to mostly rural, underserved areas. But don’t expect to see the money reduce rates for customers. The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee on Monday unanimously supported measures …

Local Working Group

Latest Challenges Related to Ag Labor

Dan Labor and Immigration

We told you last month that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported real output in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting labor sector is projected to grow at an annual rate of 2.3% from 2020 to 2030. That is slightly higher than the 2.2% annual growth rate projected for the entire U.S. economy. But according to a story from Rod Bain, the complexity …

A Cowboy’s Christmas Prayer

A Cowboy’s Christmas Prayer

Dan Alabama, Aquaculture, Beef, Beef, Cannabis, Cattle, Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Cover Crops, Dairy, Equine, Field Crops, Florida, Forestry, Fruits, General, Georgia, Georgia Cotton Commission (GCC), Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC), Grapefruit, Hemp, Herbs, Industry, Labor and Immigration, Lemons, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Orange Juice, Organic, Peanuts, Pecans, Pollinators, Pork, Poultry, Rabbits, Seeds, Sheep-Goats, Soybeans, Specialty Crops, Sugar, Tree Nuts, Vegetables, Wheat

As we celebrate Christmas this year, Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman brings back an old favorite, “A Cowboy’s Christmas Prayer” written by S. Omar Barker. A COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS PRAYERby S. Omar Barker (1895-1985) I ain’t much good at prayin’,and You may not know me, Lord —For I ain’t much seen in churches,where they preach Thy Holy Word.But you may have observed …

H-2A labor

New H-2A Labor Wages Effective Dec. 29

Dan Beef, Beef, Cattle, Citrus, Dairy, Equine, Field Crops, Forestry, Fruits, Hemp, Herbs, Industry, Labor and Immigration, Legislative, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Organic, Pecans, Pork, Poultry, Rabbits, Regulation, Sheep-Goats, Specialty Crops, Sugar, Tree Nuts, Vegetables

A recent issue of the Florida Citrus Mutual Triangle newsletter provided information about the wage that growers must pay H-2A labor, effective Dec. 29. H-2A workers are foreign agricultural workers who are allowed to work in the United States temporarily. In recent years, the vast majority of Florida citrus has been harvested by H-2A workers. The Employment and Training Administration …

desantis

DeSantis Takes Aim at Federal Immigration Policies

Dan FDACS, Florida, Labor and Immigration

(TALLAHASSEE/NSF/Dec 10, 2021) — Gov. Ron DeSantis focused on national politics Friday as he rolled out a series of proposals for the upcoming 2022 legislative session aimed at the border policies of President Joe Biden. DeSantis called for state lawmakers to “fight against the Biden border crisis” by passing legislation to expand a law targeting so-called “sanctuary cities” and to …

4-wheel-drive

Agriculture Output and Labor Growth Projected

Dan Citrus, Labor and Immigration

Real output in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting labor sector is projected to grow at an annual rate of 2.3% from 2020 to 2030, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently reported. That’s slightly higher than the 2.2% annual growth rate projected for the entire U.S. economy. According to the report, the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector is …