(USDA) — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Georgia State Director Joyce White announced a $4.4 million investment in high-speed broadband infrastructure. This investment will support the construction of 90 miles of fiber-optic infrastructure in Gilmer County. The service area includes 2,159 households, 25 pre-subscribed businesses, two critical community facilities, an educational facility and 24 pre-subscribed farms, including 22 …
E-Verify Sponsors Eye Changes to Stalled Proposals
(NSF) — A politically charged immigration bill is poised to get a makeover that sponsors hope will align the measure with the position backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican Party of Florida. The governor and the Florida GOP, led by Sen. Joe Gruters, are pushing a mandate for public and private employers to use E-Verify, a program that …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Appoints New State Leadership For Florida Forest Service
Tallahassee, Fla.– Today, Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried announced two new leadership appointments for the Florida Forest Service. The selections come after a national search and interviews with multiple candidates. Erin Albury has been appointed State Forester and Director of the Florida Forest Service. Albury succeeds James “Jim” Karels, who has led the agency the past 12 years and served …
Georgia Hemp Production on Hold
By Clint Thompson Georgia farmers looking to grow hemp can’t do so without the state legislature first authorizing $800,000 to the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) to oversee hemp production. In response to a hemp production plan submitted by the GDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) required that the Georgia Legislature appropriated funds for oversight, according to the University …
Georgia Peanut Farm Show Provides a Day of Education for Farmers
Sen. Johnny Isakson inducted into Peanut Hall of Fame (GPC) — More than 1,600 attendees were able to fine-tune their farming operations with information gained at the 44th annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference on Jan. 16, 2020, at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia. The show is sponsored by the Georgia Peanut Commission. …
FSA Encourages Producers to Enroll Soon in ARC and PLC Programs
Producers, Beat the Rush – Call Today to Make an Appointment (USDA/FSA) — USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) encourages agricultural producers to enroll now in the Agriculture Risk Loss (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. March 15, 2020 is the enrollment deadline for the 2019 crop year. Although more than 200,000 producers have enrolled to date, FSA anticipates 1.5 …
Phase One Trade Deal May Benefit Cotton the Most
By Clint Thompson Wednesday’s phase one trade agreement signed by the United States and China is a historical moment in the country’s history, according to Stephen Censky, U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary. “It addresses a lot of the trade issues we have had with China about their structural impediments to our exports as well as make some substantial purchase …
Commissioner Nikki Fried on USTR Commitments to Seasonal Produce Protections
(FDACS) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried offered the following statement regarding formal commitments recently made by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to protect American seasonal produce growers from unfair trade practices harming the industry: “While discouraging that the USMCA and its implementing legislation lacked protections for our seasonal producers, I thank Ambassador Lighthizer for his formal commitments to address this urgent …
Possible E-Verify Compromise Emerges
(NSF) — The Republican-dominated Legislature has long pushed back against requiring employers to conduct immigration background checks for new hires, but a bill filed Friday includes a potential compromise that could hand a win to Gov. Ron DeSantis on the controversial issue. The bill, filed by Rep. Cord Byrd, R-Neptune Beach, would require government employers — such as state agencies …
USMCA to Face Additional Senate Approvals
(NAFB) — The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) timeline remains uncertain. However, lawmakers seem certain they will pass the agreement, at the latest, following impeachment hearings. The Senate Finance Committee did approve the agreement earlier this week, but a Senate parliamentarian has determined that eight other Senate committees must offer approval of the agreement. So, depending on how long a further review …