(TALLAHASSEE/January 18, 2022) — Florida lawmakers could further carve up the use of voter-approved conservation money, after a Leon County circuit judge this month rejected a challenge by environmental groups to how money has been spent. The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday approved a measure (SB 1400) that would provide $20 million a year to help protect …
NCBA Backs WOTUS Recommendations from Advisory Committee
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Advisory Committee (FRRCC) has issued their report on the Waters of the U.S (WOTUS) rule. The FRRCC’s recommendations include: Ensuring EPA compliance with the Clean Water Act and Supreme Court precedent limiting federal jurisdiction over bodies of water. Developing a clear definition of WOTUS that is easily interpreted by farmers and ranchers. Protecting WOTUS exemptions …
Alabama SWCC on Installation of Irrigation Pivots
Back in 2019, the Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee (SWCC) worked with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) to identify watersheds that would have funding priority for new irrigation systems. To update that progress, Alabama SWCC Executive Director Dr. William Puckett, told Southeast AgNet this week about the four areas of the state they are working with. Learn more …
Changes to Clean Water Rule Will Hurt Family Farms
(WASHINGTON, January 5, 2022) — Farming members of the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) will participate in a roundtable on Thursday, Jan. 6, to discuss the impact of the proposal to repeal and replace the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR). The event is hosted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy. The Biden administration recently proposed a “step …
Agricultural Water Use Changes Proposed
Taylor Langford O’Bannon, food safety Extension agent for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), shared information on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed changes to the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule. The changes pertain specifically to Subpart E (Agricultural Water). “The proposed changes, if finalized, will replace the pre-harvest microbial quality criteria and testing …
Alabama Producers Urged to Complete Irrigation Questionnaire
The Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries (ADAI) wants to remind producers who performed agriculture irrigation upgrades in 2021 to complete an irrigation questionnaire. Hassey Brooks explains how eligible applicants can receive an irrigation tax credit. Ultimately, the Alabama Department of Revenue will issue the irrigation tax credit, but ASAI is responsible for collecting completed irrigation questionnaires from producers. The deadline date …
Reactions to Latest EPA Announcement on WOTUS
Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Army released a proposed rule to re-establish the pre-2015 definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The proposed rule would remove the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), which was finalized in 2020 and provided long-overdue certainty and clarity for farmers affected by the scope of WOTUS jurisdiction. Various commodity …
EPA, Army Announce Regional Roundtables on WOTUS
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army are calling on communities to propose roundtables to provide input on the implications of the new “WOTUS” rule. The regional roundtables will engage stakeholders representing many perspectives in important conversations designed to help the agency work to develop an enduring definition of the “Waters of the U.S. Rule” that …
Irrigation and Nutrient Management BMPs
A Citrus Expo presentation about best management practices (BMPs) focused on what growers should be doing now in their irrigation and nutrient management programs. The presentation noted that current BMPs were developed prior to HLB’s discovery in Florida in 2005, and that studies are underway to revise the citrus BMPs for nitrogen and phosphorus. The presentation was created by University …
AFBF: EPA Should Keep “Navigable” in New WOTUS Rule
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) submitted recommendations last week on the definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The comments were filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers. In June 2021, the EPA announced its intent to revise the definition of WOTUS and solicited pre-proposal recommendations. In the recommendations, AFBF expresses disappointment …