Florida’s farmers rely on nutrient management guidelines and recommendations that ultimately come from the University of Florida institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). Those guidelines and recommendations haven’t been updated for a while, according to Florida Farm Bureau Interim Director of State Legislative Affairs, John Walt Boatright. “In essence, many farmers and ranchers depend on best management practices which …
USDA To Conduct First-Ever National Agroforestry Survey
(WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2022) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct the first National Agroforestry Survey, beginning next week. Data collection will begin Feb. 1 and conclude on April 5, 2022. The survey will be sent to 11,100 farmers and ranchers nationwide to gather information on the five agroforestry practices used for climate, …
Citrus Recovery Act Seeks to Update Florida Citrus Commission
It is set to be a busy legislative session for agricultural interests in Florida. One of the bills making its way through the process is SB 1002, the Citrus Recovery Act. Sen. Danny Burgess (R-District 20) introduced the bill to amend the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC). The FCC is the governing body of the Florida Department of Citrus. The Citrus Recovery Act …
Florida Commissioner Nikki Fried on Additional TS Elsa Disaster Declarations by the USDA
(Tallahassee, FL/January 24, 2022) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried welcomed the news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it has designated Dixie and Gilchrist counties as primary natural disaster areas eligible for Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans to help producers impacted by Tropical Storm Elsa in July 2021 recover. “While we were fortunate that the 2021 hurricane season was relatively quiet for Florida, all three storms that made landfall in the …
Two Florida Counties Designated as Primary Natural Disaster Areas
This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of …
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Talks with AgNet Media on Funding for Bridge Repairs
President Joe Biden recently announced a new initiative to fund repairs of the nation’s bridges, to the tune of $26.5 billion. A lot of the public focus on this has been on bridges in big cities, so AgNet Media National Correspondent Sabrina Halvorson talked to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to find out how this will help people outside of …
Florida Governor Could Get More Appointment Power
(TALLAHASSEE/January 21, 2022) — A proposal that critics called a gubernatorial “power grab,” to wrest control of appointments from Cabinet members has started to move forward in the Florida House. Republican supporters called the measure (HB 1295) a “streamlining” of the process for appointing leaders of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of …
Secretary of Transportation on HOS Regulations for Livestock Haulers
Back in late November of last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced they had extended the waiver for commercial truckers from the Federal Hours of Service (HOS) regulation until Feb. 28, 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 the FMCSA included livestock haulers in an initial emergency declaration that provided an exemption from the HOS regulation for …
Florida Legislative Session Starts Tuesday
The 2022 Florida Legislative Session kicks off Tuesday, January 11th and the Florida Cattlemen’s Association (FCA) is preparing for the annual event. FCA Director of Governmental Affairs, Sam Ard, says it’s a year of reapportionment. Of course the budget is always something agriculture watches closely, but Ard is optimistic for another good year. The Florida House and Senate are scheduled to meet in a joint session …
NMPF Encouraging DMC Signup
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to remind dairy producers that signup for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program runs until Feb. 18, 2022. DMC enables producers to get coverage through this important safety-net program for another year as well as get additional assistance through the new Supplemental DMC. National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Senior Vice President of Communications, Alan …