(ACES) — Changes to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) announced earlier this month is good news for Alabama’s contract poultry growers. “The USDA changes mean that relief funds are available to contract poultry and other contract growers affected by COVID-19 market changes,” said Dennis Brothers, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System agricultural economist. Brothers said contract poultry growers need to understand …
2021 Florida Virtual Beef Conference
For the past 35 years, the Florida Panhandle Ag Extension Team has offered a cattle rancher educational program in Marianna that included a trade show. But, due to COVID19, the 2021 event will be a 90-minute webinar with two invited speakers, brief updates from cattle and forage researchers, and then a question and answer panel discussion. According to Doug Mayo, …
Virtual Platform: Georgia Ag Forecast is Friday
Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 Georgia Ag Forecast Seminar will be virtual this year on Friday, Jan. 29. But it is still expected to present timely information for producers and industry experts. Those interested can still register for the event which is slated to start at 9:30 a.m. Keynote Topics Keynote topics will focus on agritourism and COVID-19’s …
Are Consumers Willing to Pay More for Florida OJ?
Multiple studies point to the value consumers place on Florida citrus and their willingness to pay for the “Florida” brand. Lisa House, director of the Florida Agricultural Market Research Center and a professor in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida, recently spoke on this subject in a Florida Department of Citrus webinar. She provided an overview of …
USDA Announces Key Staff Appointments
(USDA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the names of individuals who will hold senior staff positions in Washington, D.C. Katharine Ferguson was named Chief of Staff in the Office of the Secretary. Most recently, Ferguson served as Associate Director of the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group. Before joining the Aspen Institute, Ferguson served in the Obama Administration …
U. S. Researchers to Host Webinar about COVID-19 Disruptions to Food Supply Chains
(UF/IFAS) — A multi-region, multi-institution research and outreach team investigating the impact of COVID-19 on food and agricultural systems will host a free webinar those engaged in the food supply chain at any level at 2 p.m. EST January 28, 2021. Participants interested in the webinar can register at https://tinyurl.com/lessonsfromcovid-webinar. This hour-long webinar is part of the Lessons from COVID-19: …
Secretary Perdue Comments on MOU on Animal Biotechnology
(USDA) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Assistant Secretary for Health and Head of the Public Health Service Admiral Brett Giroir, M.D., establishing a regulatory environment at the Department of Agriculture for agricultural animal biotechnology innovation: “Today’s Memorandum of Understanding clears a path to bring our regulatory framework into …
Duval Soil and Water Full Board Meeting via Zoom Coming Up
(USDA/NRCS/FL) — The Duval Soil and Water Conservation District Full Board will meet on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, at 3:30 p.m. at the Duval Agricultural Extension Office, 1010 N. McDuff Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32254. This meeting will be held via Zoom teleconference. At this time the Extension Office is open only at limited capacity. Public participation is encouraged, but members …
USDA Measuring Financial Well-Being of Southern Farmers, Ranchers
Late last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) started gathering information about farm economics and production practices. NASS is reaching out to nearly 4,000 farmers and ranchers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina through March, as the agency conducts the final phase of the 2020 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS). “ARMS is the …
Farm Bureau Establishes 2021 Policies
(AFBF) — Farmer and rancher delegates to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s 102nd Annual Convention adopted policies to guide the organization’s work in 2021. Key topics ranged from farm diversity to farm labor and dairy policy to livestock marketing. For the first time in AFBF history, delegates met and voted virtually due to COVID-19. “Our Farm Bureau delegates showed that …