Tickets are now on sale for the 40th annual Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet on Feb. 12, which will honor four inductees who have made invaluable contributions to Florida agriculture. The banquet, which each year celebrates the accomplishments of industry leaders who have served in research, education and business, is held in the Special Events Center at the Florida …
Perdue Applauds USDA’s 2018 Accomplishments
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue applauded the accomplishments made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) over the past year. USDA has continued enacting President Trump’s goals of regulatory reform, streamlining government and refocusing USDA to be customer oriented. “In 2018 we have fought for American farmers, ranchers and producers by delivering new and improved trade deals like USMCA …
Family Farm Recognized for Environmental Leadership
Lykes Bros., Inc., was honored for their environmental stewardship with a County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) award on October 18. Lykes Bros. Inc., has grown a 500-acre Brooksville farm to more than 610,000 acres in Florida and Texas. Lykes Bros. Inc., has been a leader in agribusiness for more than a hundred years and fully invests in responsible …
Fried, Caldwell Face Off Over Medical Marijuana, Water
Democrat Nikki Fried, a medical-marijuana lobbyist, had to defend her desire to move the state’s oversight of medical marijuana into the agency she wants to run. Her Republican opponent, state Rep. Matt Caldwell, was questioned about his support for a bill that delayed for 20 years an unmet deadline to reduce nutrients flowing into Lake Okeechobee. Fried and Caldwell — …
GPC Hurricane Michael Update: Impact on Georgia’s Peanut Industry
Hurricane Michael devastated Georgia agriculture during the most inopportune time; harvest season for many agricultural commodities. One of those commodities included peanuts, where 50 percent of the crop had been harvested. The remaining 50 percent is yet to be harvested as crop conditions deteriorate and damaged peanut buying points struggle to regain power to dry and grade the peanuts. Many …
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on Modernizing Standards of Identity and the use of Dairy Names for Plant-Based Substitutes
Consumers should be able to know at a quick glance what type of product they’re purchasing for themselves and their families. Implementing clear and transparent food labels and claims is an issue I’ve made a high priority. We’ve outlined these goals in a new, multi-year Nutrition Innovation Strategy released earlier this year. As part of this plan, we promised to address issues …
Agri View: Another Nematode
Everett Griner talks about the discovery of a new species of nematode in today’s Agri View. Another Nematode Every farmer knows what a root-knot nematode is. They know it is a plant pathogen that is highly reproductive, commonly found in cotton and soybeans. It also thrives in specialty crops like sugarcane and sweet potatoes. I mention these crops because they …
Commissioner Putnam Announces 2019 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Honorees
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation announced the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame inductees for 2019. The induction ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on Feb. 12, 2019. More information is available FloridaAgHallofFame.org. “Agriculture is Florida’s oldest industry, and it continues to support …
Putnam Announces Winners of 2018 Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced the recipients of the Commissioner’s Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award, which recognizes the environmentally innovative farming techniques of Florida’s farmers and ranchers. This year’s recipients are: Jim Strickland of Blackbeards’ Ranch in Manatee County, Chuck Allison of Wild Goose Farms in Umatilla, and James Shinn of Shinn Groves/ Tree O’Groves in Lake Alfred. Florida’s …
Environmental Groups Seek Clean Water Language in Farm Bill
Environmental groups want clean water regulations in the farm bill. A coalition of environmental groups penned a letter to the farm bill conference committee with suggestions the coalition claims will “help address the challenges facing the nation’s drinking water supplies.” There have already been several victims of water contamination in the country that professionals who offer camp lejeune water contamination …