(UF/IFAS) — A new University of Florida app will help the state’s blueberry growers identify and manage disease and insect injuries commonly encountered in Florida before their crop is ruined. Collectively, blueberries are a $60 million-per-year crop in Florida. Patricio Munoz, the UF/IFAS blueberry breeder and an assistant professor of horticultural sciences, came up with the vision for, and supervised …
Enhancements Made to New EQIP Rule
Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) released the final rule for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The rule updates USDA’s flagship program as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and integrates feedback from agricultural producers and others. NRCS received nearly 600 comments on the interim final rule, which was published December 17, 2019. NRCS …
New Rule Makes Enhancements to Environmental Quality Incentives Program
(USDA/NRCS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the final rule for its Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The rule updates USDA’s flagship program as directed by the 2018 Farm Bill and integrates feedback from agricultural producers and others. “This final rule enables us to continue helping producers manage their land in the most beneficial ways possible,” said Kevin Norton, acting Chief of USDA’s …
FDACS Submits 2021-2022 Legislative Budget Request
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) announced Thursday they were submitting the Department’s Legislative Budget Request (LBR) for Fiscal Year 2021-2022. The request focuses on key priorities for the Department, while taking into account the looming $5.5 billion revenue shortfall projection caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our budget priorities of supporting Florida farmers, protecting consumers, improving water quality and …
UGA Closes Tifton Dairy Research Center
From the Georgia Milk Producers According to the Georgia Farm Bureau, after several years of battling low milk prices, changes in administrators and recent state budget cuts from COVID-19, the vacuum pumps at the University of Georgia (UGA) Tifton Dairy Research Center were permanently turned off on Sept. 4, Georgia Milk Producers reported in its September Georgia Milk Review. Since …
USDA Seeking Input for Agriculture Innovation Agenda
To further the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) work on the Agriculture Innovation Agenda (AIA), USDA has announced it is seeking public and private-sector input on the most innovative technologies and practices that can be readily deployed across U.S. agriculture. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Acting Chief, Kevin Norton, says USDA is taking public comments on ready-to-go technologies and practices. …
NAMI Provides Comments to Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee
On behalf of the members of the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute), Vice President of Regulatory and Scientific Programs Susan Backus provided comments during the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services’ virtual meeting on the Scientific Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. “The benefits of meat and poultry consumption as part of healthy, balanced dietary …
Alabama Peanut Check-off Wins 95% Approval in Referendum
Dothan, AL, July 29, 2020 – Alabama peanut farmers voted to continue the current assessment on peanuts that is collected by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and administered by the Alabama Peanut Producers Association (APPA). In a referendum conducted on July 23, 2020, 95% of those who voted said “yes” to continuing APPA’s programs in education, promotion and …
Government Dietary Guidelines Reaffirm Beef’s Important Role in a Healthy Diet
WASHINGTON (July 15, 2020) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) today thanked the members of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) for recognizing beef’s role in a healthy lifestyle, including the essential role of beef’s nutrients at every life stage. The DGAC released recommendations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human …
Florida Receives $440,000 in USDA Farm to School Grant Funds
Tallahassee, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it will award $440,913 to six Florida-based recipients for the Farm to School Grant program. The Florida awardees include the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and its direct support organization Florida Agriculture in the Classroom. USDA Farm to School Grants support a wide range of activities …