Geopolitical expert Peter Zeihan was the keynote speaker for the recent California Citrus Mutual Showcase. The showcase was presented on March 4 online. Zeihan said he believes North America will recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19 this year, but the rest of the world will not. That, along with other factors, leads him to predict a trade war is inevitable, …
USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Applications Being Accepted in Alabama
The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) has announced they are accepting grant applications for projects that enhance the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops in foreign and domestic markets in the state. The application deadline for these grants through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is May 3, 2021. Specialty crops are defined by USDA as fruits and vegetables, …
CFAP Application Deadline Extended
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it has extended the deadline to apply for the latest round of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). The original deadline was today, Feb. 26. But according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the new deadline will extend 30 days after USDA completes a review of the program. USDA had suspended processing and payments …
AFBF: Farmers Need More Time to Apply for CFAP
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is asking the USDA to extend the deadline to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Last month, an additional $13 billion in assistance was made available to help farmers and ranchers who are suffering losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the current deadline is Friday, Feb. 26, recent severe weather and …
UF/IFAS, FDACS to Help Teach Science, Engineering Through Aquaculture
Through a $64,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm to Schools program, the University of Florida and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) will help some Florida K-12 educators who teach science, technology, engineering, math, and agriculture start or strengthen aquaculture education programs. To apply for the program, follow the steps. The deadline for applications …
Fried & FDACS Launch Bilingual Farmworker Vaccine Education Campaign
With the COVID-19 vaccine becoming available for at-risk populations in Florida, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services launched a bilingual vaccine education campaign to encourage COVID-19 vaccination among Florida’s farmworkers and agriculture community. A recent study found that food and agricultural workers are among those most at risk of death from COVID-19, facing a 39 percent increase in excess …
USDA, FDA Offer Update on Transmission of COVID-19 Through Food or Food Packaging
The following statement about COVID-19 and its impact through food or food packaging can be attributed to Acting USDA Secretary Kevin Shea and Acting FDA Commission Janet Woodcock: After more than a year since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was declared a global health emergency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. …
Crop Insurance Town Hall Held by Commissioner Nikki Fried and USDA
(FDACS) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried held a town hall meeting on crop insurance issues at Chipola College in Marianna, Florida. Fried was joined via Zoom by Acting Administrator Richard Flournoy of the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) and other RMA senior and regional leaders to answer questions from agriculture producers on crop insurance and risk management. Photos/Video: A video recording and high-res …
Georgia Citrus Conference to Be Online
Due to COVID-19, the 2021 Georgia Citrus Association (GCA) Conference will not be held in person. Instead, the GCA is launching a new website and membership platform. This state-of-the-art tool will allow members to view presentations by experts at any time. Topics include weed management, citrus diseases and disorders, testing for diseases, precision agriculture, crop insurance, cold protection and the …
USDA to Survey Planting Intentions
The cold, wet conditions being experienced across the Southeast has many wondering when the 2021 crop production season will ever begin. But with that time nearing, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers to determine their plans for the upcoming growing season. “Each year, the agriculture industry awaits USDA’s Prospective Plantings report, which provides …