Recently, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) announced that once again, sugarcane and vegetable farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) surpassed annual phosphorus reduction targets by reducing phosphorus 44 percent – bringing the average annual reduction to 56 percent since the program began in 1996. “Good news on water gets lost in the shuffle, but sugarcane farmers continue …
Farmers Prevented From Planting Crops on More Than 19 Million Acres
Agricultural producers reported they were not able to plant crops on more than 19.4 million acres in 2019, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This marks the most prevented plant acres reported since USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) began releasing the report in 2007 and 17.49 million acres more than reported at this time …
Florida Water Officials to Address Farmers at Expo
Water issues will join hemp and labor topics during discussions this Wednesday at the combined Citrus Expo and Vegetable & Specialty Crop Expo. The two day event, August 14-15, will be held at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers. Following the 9:00 a.m. keynote presentation on hemp rule updates by Holly Bell, director of cannabis for the Florida Department …
USDA Invests in Rural Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in 24 States
Investments will Benefit 133,000 Residents in Rural Communities WASHINGTON, (USDA) – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service Administrator Chad Rupe announced that USDA is investing $135 million in 49 projects to improve rural water infrastructure in 24 states (PDF, 170 KB). “Under the leadership of President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Perdue, USDA continues to partner with rural communities to …
Judge to Hear Arguments in ‘Water War’
Going along with a request from Florida’s attorneys, a federal judge will hear arguments in December in a long-running water war between Florida and Georgia. Senior U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Paul J. Kelly, who was appointed by the U.S. Supreme Court to serve as a special master in the case, has scheduled oral arguments Dec. 16, according to …
Senators Introduce Legislation to Redefine WOTUS
(NAFB) — Senators Joni Ernst of Iowa and Mike Braun of Indiana introduced the Define WOTUS Act last week. Feedstuffs Dot Com says the legislation will codify a definition of the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) Rule and reassert Congressional authority to define the term. Ernst says the Obama-era rule threatened Iowa’s farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses by giving the …
State Revives Red Tide Task Force
(NSF) — A task force focused on red tide outbreaks along the Gulf Coast has been reorganized within the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the revised panel, tasked with studying the causes of red tide, during a press conference Friday at the SandBar Tiki & Grille in Englewood. The panel, comprised of researchers and scientists, …
NCBA Applauds Introduction of the Define WOTUS Act
WASHINGTON (NCBA) – National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Colin Woodall released the following statement in response to the introduction of the Define WOTUS Act by U.S. Sens. Mike Braun of Indiana and Joni Ernst of Iowa: “America’s cattle producers welcome the introduction of the Define WOTUS Act. The Trump Administration is working hard to repeal …
Water Conservation Practices Discussed at Sunbelt Field Day
During last week’s Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day, Tyron Spearman was able to learn more about water conservation practices. Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New GroundJuly 15, 2024CIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024
Lawsuit Filed Over Lake Okeechobee Releases and U.S. Army Corps-Created Water Shortage
Clewiston, Fla. (U.S. Sugar) – U.S. Sugar announced that it shared similar concerns with environmental groups who filed an earlier lawsuit over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ complete disregard of its own policies and procedures governing Lake Okeechobee. The Company filed a lawsuit this morning in federal district court. “Since November of 2018, the Corps has released unprecedented volumes …