By Clint Thompson An integral part of the Georgia Cotton Commission’s (GCC) annual meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia, will include discussions highlighting the 2023 Farm Bill. The current Farm Bill was signed into law on Dec. 20, 2018. A new Farm Bill is passed every five …
Florida Lawmakers Preparing for Special Session
(NSF/TALLAHASSEE, FL) — With Florida lawmakers already expected to hold a special session next month, Governor Ron DeSantis says he’s working on an agenda with legislative leaders that could mean more special sessions in advance of the 2023 regular session. While he didn’t provide details about issues that could be addressed, DeSantis did say the additional special sessions could happen …
Farmers, Ag Organizations Against EPA Proposal
More than 16,000 farmers and agricultural organizations recently united against EPA’s proposed revision to its 2020 atrazine registration review decision. The farmers and agricultural organizations representing corn, citrus, grain sorghum, sugar cane, and other crops, submitted comments calling for the agency to base decisions on credible scientific evidence. Efforts to help farmers speak out against the proposal were coordinated by …
Ag Groups Argue Against Proposition 12 in Supreme Court
Agriculture groups argued against California’s Proposition 12 to the Supreme Court last week. The American Farm Bureau Federation and National Pork Producers Council challenged the ability of one state to set agricultural production standards for the entire country. California’s Proposition 12 law bans the sale of pork from hogs that don’t meet the state’s arbitrary production standards, even if the …
Disaster Declaration Sought for Farms, Ranches
State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Thursday requested a federal disaster declaration for 17 counties after Hurricane Ian caused widespread damage to farms and ranches. Fried sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture pointing to farm and ranch losses in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Seminole …
FY23 Signup Deadline Announced for Alabama’s Easement and Financial Assistance Programs
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Alabama has announced signup is underway for Fiscal Year 2023 Farm Bill Easement and Financial Assistance Programs. Those programs include: ACEP-WRE, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Wetland Reserve Easements CSP, the Conservation Stewardship Program EQIP, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which also includes the Conservation Incentive Contracts (CIC) ACEP-WRE easements provide habitat for fish and wildlife, …
Thune Introduces Bill to Improve Livestock Disaster Assistance
Senators John Thune and Ben Ray Luján recently introduced the Livestock Disaster Assistance Improvement Act. The bipartisan legislation by the South Dakota Republican and New Mexico Democrat would improve the effectiveness and timeliness of multiple Department of Agriculture programs that assist farmers and ranchers in the aftermath of adverse weather events. The legislation would also provide USDA with direction to …
Florida Lawmakers to Free Up More Relief Money
(NSF/TALLAHASSEE, FL/Oct. 05, 2022) — Florida lawmakers plan to pump more money into a new state disaster-relief fund, which Gov. Ron DeSantis has been running through to speed recovery from Hurricane Ian. House and Senate leaders announced Wednesday the Joint Legislative Budget Commission will hold an emergency meeting next week to release an additional $360 million into the Emergency Preparedness …
NCBA Participates in White House Conference
For the first time in more than half a century, President Biden this week hosted the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. The event was designed to catalyze action for the millions of Americans struggling with food insecurity and diet-related diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Various representatives from the agriculture industry attended, and that included National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) …
AFBF Says Court ESA Ruling ‘Sends a Message’
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) says an appeals court ruling on Modernized Endangered Species Act regulations sends a message to lower courts. Modernized Endangered Species Act regulations will be reinstated after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a district court improperly vacated 2019 revisions. The appeals court determined a district court erred by reversing the regulations without …