How to create a chicken garden to keep your feathered friends healthy, and also away from your harvest. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. A chicken garden is a great way to supplement your chickens’ diets while keeping them busy and away from your garden. Place your chicken garden in an area where they have easy access to, …
Feral Swine Control Program Progressing Well in Alabama
We told you last April that funding through the 2018 Farm Bill allowed the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (ASWCC) to launch a program to help property owners in certain areas of Alabama control feral swine. The Alabama Feral Swine Control Program, funded by a grant through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), allowed the ASWCC to launch a three-year program to help farmers …
Growers Discuss Priorities for 2023 Farm Bill
The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire in 2023, so preparations are underway to craft the behemoth legislation into law sometime next year. However, it is common for negotiations to extend into the following year. Whether the new farm bill is passed in 2023 or 2024, there’s a lot of work ahead. The farm bill was the focus of …
Secretary of Transportation on HOS Regulations for Livestock Haulers
Back in late November of last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced they had extended the waiver for commercial truckers from the Federal Hours of Service (HOS) regulation until Feb. 28, 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 the FMCSA included livestock haulers in an initial emergency declaration that provided an exemption from the HOS regulation for …
Dealing with a Dreaded Weed Harmful to Pets and Livestock
How to deal with a dreaded weed that is harmful to your pets. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Goat head weed is sometimes referred to as puncturevine, cat’s head, or devil’s thorn. It’s an annual broadleaf that readily reseeds itself. Not only is it difficult to eradicate, but it can also poison livestock and pets. It thrives …
Small Family Farms Produce Majority of Poultry and Eggs, And Hay
USDA’s Economic Research Service reports most values of cotton, dairy and specialty crops are produced on large-scale family farms, according to 2020 data. USDA defines a family farm as one in which the principal operator and related family own the majority of the assets used in the operation. Large-scale family farms have an annual gross cash farm income of $1 …
Application Deadlines Looming for Two USDA Farm Programs
Livestock producers have only a few more days to apply for two of USDA’s disaster-related assistance programs. Gary Crawford has more. Sponsored ContentStrong Relationship Exists Between the Florida Cattle Enhancement Board and UF-IFASApril 17, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Funding For Quicker Response to Research QuestionsApril 10, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Opportunities That Spark Research ProjectsApril 3, 2026United Dairy …
African Swine Fever One Reason for Stopping Food Smuggling
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported last week that Federal agents had seized and destroyed more than 1,900 pounds of prohibited pork, poultry and ruminant products from New York City-area retailers in the past three months. Smuggling of prohibited foreign food products into the U.S. does pose a threat to U.S. agriculture, but USDA and other agencies are …
Pork Exports May Top 2020’s Record Amount
Numbers from the U.S. Department of Commerce say exports of U.S. pork are on pace to top 2020’s record total of $7.7 billion. From January through November, the U.S. pork industry shipped more than $7.5 billion worth of products to foreign destinations, compared to just over $7 billion from the same period in 2020. The top five markets for American …
India Agrees to Allow Imports of U.S. Pork
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced Monday that the government of India has agreed to allow imports of U.S. pork and pork products into India, removing a longstanding barrier to U.S. agricultural trade. This news follows the successful revitalization of the U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum held in New Delhi in November 2021. The National …