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 …

Commissioner Fried Testifies Before U.S. International Trade Commission

(FDACS) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried testified before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on the urgent issue of unfair foreign trade devastating Florida’s and America’s domestic produce industry. The virtual hearing was on an ongoing ITC investigation into unfair trade practices by foreign exporters leading to a surge of blueberry imports in the U.S. market. Since entering the U.S. market in 2009, …

Farm & Biofuel Coalition Rejects EPA’s Excuses

(RFA) — A coalition of the nation’s largest biofuels and agricultural trade groups filed its reply in support of its motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia. The motion, originally filed on November 23, 2020, asks the court to enforce its 2017 decision requiring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to address its improper waiver of 500 …

13 Alabama Counties Designated as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available (USDA/FSA) — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 13 Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Autauga, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Elmore, Lowndes, Marengo, Mobile, Monroe, Washington and Wilcox counties who suffered losses caused by Hurricane Zeta that occurred from October 28 through October 29, 2020, may be eligible …

Five Florida Counties Designated as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available (USDA/FSA) — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated five Florida counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Calhoun, Gadsden, Holmes, Jackson and Washington counties who suffered losses caused by Hurricane Sally, high winds, excessive rains and flooding that occurred from Sept. 14 through Sept. 19, 2020, may be eligible for U.S. …

USDA Invests $4.6 Million in High-Speed Broadband in Rural Georgia

ReConnect Funding to Connect 1,326 Rural Georgia Households to High-Speed Internet e-Connectivity (USDA) — The Trump Administration announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $4.6 million to provide broadband service in unserved and underserved rural areas in Georgia. This investment is part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program. “The …

UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Virtual Workshop Available

(UF/IFAS) — The UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Program launched a virtual workshop with research and program updates, available online beginning January 11 for $40. The workshop consists of a collection of pre-recorded lectures and prepared documents available for on-demand viewing. In addition to the virtual delivery, there are opportunities to engage with experts from UF/IFAS. As the two-year pilot project …

Georgia Ag Commissioner Concerned with Seed Coat Fragments in Cotton

It was announced this week that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is collaborating with the Georgia Department of Agriculture in raising awareness and further examine the significant increase in seed coat fragments in cotton produced in the state. In a phone interview with Southeast Agnet’s Randall Weiseman, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black said in …