Questions About Carbon Markets Remain

There are still a lot of questions when it comes to carbon markets. That’s today’s This Land of Ours. The international World Economic Forum is underway this week in Switzerland. More than 2,500 people are attending, including political leaders, business heads, and more. There’s a big focus this year on agriculture-related topics. University of California, San Diego, professor David Victor …

USDA Seeking Producer Feedback about 2022 Crops

Over the next few weeks, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct two major mid-year surveys, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey. NASS will contact nearly 5,000 producers across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina to determine crop acreage and stock levels as of June 1, 2022. “The June Agricultural Survey and the June Area …

Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day to be Held in July

It has been announced that the 2022 Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day will be held July 21 in Moultrie, Ga. Farmers from across the Southeast are invited to learn practical information from the region’s top agricultural scientists about the newest technologies that can be used to improve your operation. The half-day driving tour event is free for anyone who works in …

House COVID Subcommittee Report Makes Accusations Against Meatpackers

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released a report Thursday that says “meatpacking companies engaged Trump Administration political appointees in an aggressive campaign to force workers to remain in dangerous plants with high risk of coronavirus transmission.” The subcommittee is chaired by Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC), who released the following statement with the report: “The Select Subcommittee’s …

Vilsack: ‘Don’t Lose Sight of Farm Families’

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made a plea to the Senate Ag Appropriations Committee in an effort to get help for the nation’s farmers and ranchers who are struggling. The committee met this week to review President Biden’s budget proposal for the Department of Agriculture. “I represented farmers during the 1980s as a small-town lawyer. I can tell you the pain. I can …

NPPC to Weigh in on EPA Formaldehyde Risk Assessment

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) will soon submit comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s toxicological review of formaldehyde. NPPC says formaldehyde is used in pork production for, among other things, preventing Salmonella infections in pigs and as a disinfectant. Pork industry-funded research has demonstrated formaldehyde’s potential as a mitigant for contamination of feeds with viruses such as African swine …

Federal Wildlife Officials to Weigh Protections for Gopher Tortoises

(NSF/TALLAHASSEE/April 26, 2022) — Federal wildlife officials will decide in the coming months whether increased protections are needed for gopher tortoises, as Florida looks for ways to move the animals out of the path of development. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Center for Biological Diversity reached a settlement Tuesday that will require the federal agency to determine …

Phase 1 NEPA Revisions Met with Criticism from Farm Groups

Last week, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) announced their final adjustments to portions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Several ag groups have raised concern about the Phase 1 NEPA revisions and the negative impact it will have on agriculture. The latest revisions would effectively reverse the amendments made in 2020, which was the first comprehensive update in …

Farm Groups Oppose Final NEPA Changes

Key farm groups are opposing the Biden Administration’s final phase 1 revisions to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) affecting major infrastructure projects. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) say the revised NEPA rules are a step backwards and jeopardize the very projects the Biden Administration is promoting. Here is AFBF’s Shelby Hagenauer. …