Already bearing the brunt of global trade retaliation against American agriculture, U.S. pork producers now face additional headwinds in the form of a regulatory land grab by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assert its proper oversight of two emerging issues critical to the future of …
UF/IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory Director Inducted into Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association Hall of Fame
When Craig Watson, Director of the University of Florida IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory, got his first aquarium at age 7, he couldn’t have predicted the important role that fishing and aquaculture would play in his life. “My brother and I would spend hours watching the fish, but I had no idea then it would be the beginning of a career.” On June …
AAC Annual Meeting Recap
The Alabama Agribusiness Council hosted a record crowd for the 2018 Annual Meeting held June 24-26 at the Perdido Beach Resort. The meeting kicked off with the Welcome to the Beach reception, a great opportunity for attendees to reconnect with old friends and welcome first-time meeting attendees. Guests enjoyed light hors d’oeurves while they mixed and mingled and enjoyed a view overlooking the pool. Highlights from the meeting …
CoBank: Trade War Takes a Toll on Ag Economy
Despite the strongest global economic growth the world has seen since 2011, the uncertainty surrounding trade disputes is causing escalating concern for U.S. agriculture. CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange Division says seventy percent of U.S. ag exports are heading to countries that are currently in negotiations or outright trade disputes. CoBank’s Rural Economic Review says the shift from trade war rhetoric to …
Commodity Classic Releases 2019 Schedule
ST. LOUIS (June 27, 2018) — Commodity Classic has released its tentative schedule for the 2019 show slated for Thursday, February 28 through Saturday, March 2 in Orlando, Fla. Commodity Classic is America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused educational and agricultural experience. The 2019 schedule includes extended trade show hours, allowing attendees to spend even more time with the wide array of …
Florida Gets Another Chance to Make Case in ‘Water War’
By: Lloyd Dunkelberger TALLAHASSEE — In a victory for Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the nation’s third-largest state should be given another chance to prove its case that overconsumption of water in Georgia is damaging the Apalachicola River system. The 5-4 decision, written by Justice Stephen Breyer, overturned a 2017 recommendation by a court-appointed special master that found …
EPA Proposes Biofuel Requirements for 2019; On Track to Meet Congressional Deadline
WASHINGTON (June 26, 2018) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a proposed rule under the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) program that would set the minimum amount of renewable fuels that must be supplied to the market in calendar year 2019, as well as the biomass based diesel volume standard for calendar year 2020. “I’ve traveled …
Trump Immigration Furor Underscored in Florida
Amid escalating bipartisan demands for President Donald Trump to stop separating undocumented immigrant children from their families at the southern U.S. border, two high-ranking Florida Democrats were denied access Tuesday to a federal detention facility in Homestead housing an estimated 1,000 minors. The Trump administration family-separation policy — which has resulted in more than 2,000 children being warehoused throughout the …
Perdue Announces New Budget Director at USDA
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the selection of Erica Navarro to serve as Director of the Office of Budget and Program Analysis (OBPA) for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). OBPA administers the Department’s budgetary functions and also develops and presents budget-related matters. The Director is responsible for providing leadership in carrying out Department-wide responsibilities in policy analysis, …
NPPC Testifies at USTR Hearing on Thailand’s GSP Eligibility
At a U.S. Trade Representative hearing, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) called for Thailand’s preferential access to the U.S. market to be revoked or reduced if it does not end its unwarranted ban on U.S. pork. Thailand is a top beneficiary of the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, which gives duty-free treatment to certain goods entering the …