Members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to Taiwan’s Ambassador to the U.S. asking for the removal of import restrictions on American agricultural products, including pork. The bipartisan letter was signed by 44 House members and sponsored by Republican David Young of Iowa and Wisconsin Democrat Ron Kind. The letter calls for the U.S. to suspend trade benefits …
Perdue Applauds Red Tape Reduction for Farmers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue applauded the removal of a burdensome regulation that has long plagued family farms. The rule requiring producers to obtain Data Universal Number System (DUNS) and System for Award Management (SAM) numbers to participate in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs has been eliminated. Congress included this repeal in the …
Southern Peanut Growers Conference July 19-21
Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort Mark your calendars for the 20th Annual Southern Peanut Growers Conference, July 19-21, 2018, at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, Miramar Beach, Florida. This year’s conference offers farmers an opportunity to learn more about legislative issues, peanut promotions and production issues. The registration fee for growers is $145 which includes all conference events and meals. …
National FFA Organization Awards More Than $2.5 Million in Scholarships
The National FFA Organization and National FFA Foundation have awarded more than $2.5 million in scholarships to 1,842 recipients, thanks to the generosity of 114 sponsors. More than 8,800 students applied online for the scholarships, with many of the applicants being considered for multiple awards. Approximately one in every five students who applied was awarded a scholarship. The scholarships were …
Five Counties in Georgia as Primary Natural Disaster Areas with Assistance to Producers in Florida
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Atkinson, Clinch, Coffee, Jeff Davis and Ware counties in Georgia as primary natural disaster areas due to losses and damages caused by a recent drought. Farmers and ranchers in the following contiguous counties in Georgia also qualify for natural disaster assistance. Those counties are: Appling Charlton Pierce Bacon Echols Telfair Ben Hill Irwin Toombs Berrien Lanier Wheeler Brantley …
USDA/NIFA Invests in Research on the Implications of Gene Editing Technologies
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced awards to advance research on public engagement and the implications of gene drive and other gene editing technologies. The funding is made possible through the Social Implications of Emerging Technologies initiative within NIFA’s Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities (AERC)’s program area. “Recent advances in gene editing …
‘Infectious Interest in Horticulture’ Helps Earn UF/IFAS Professor Top Honor
University of Florida environmental horticulture professor Sandra Wilson loves to teach, but just as importantly, she loves to hear about the successes of her former students. They find employment in their field. They get married. Those moments bring a gleam to her eyes. Former students are now adjunct professors, scientists, an entrepreneur, a horticultural and landscape foreman and more, she …
Alabama Farmers Discuss Farm Bill Plans with Ag Secretary
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue met with Alabama farmers May 3 to hear their ideas for the farm bill Congress is drafting. Perdue held the meeting at the request of Alabama’s U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, who chairs the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. About 20 farmers attended a roundtable discussion with Perdue at Sam Spruell’s Marion County farm near Guin. …
USDA Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule for National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard
The U.S. Department of Agriculture invited public comment on the proposed rule to establish the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard mandated by Congress in 2016. The standard will provide a uniform way to offer meaningful disclosure for consumers who want more information about their food and avoid a patchwork system of state or private labels that could be confusing for …
USDA Seeks Feedback from Growers about 2018 Crops, Stocks, Livestock Inventories and Values
During the next several weeks, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct two major mid-year surveys, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey. The agency will contact nearly 700 producers across Florida to determine crop acreage and stock levels as of June 1, 2018. “Two of the most important and well-known surveys NASS …