disaster

USDA Disaster Designation Assigned for Five Alabama Counties

On November 16, 2018, United States Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that five Alabama counties are under Secretarial Natural Disaster Designation. He announced the declaration during a roundtable discussion with Congresswoman Martha Roby, Commissioner John McMillan and local farmers in Gordon, Alabama. The designation by USDA was prompted by excessive winds and rainfall from Hurricane Michael. The conditions caused …

secretary

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Surveys Florida Timber Damage with Department Representatives

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and representatives from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Florida Forest Service, including State Forester Jim Karels, surveyed timber damage caused by Hurricane Michael and met with members of the timber industry. The Florida Forest Service, a division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, had over 500 personnel involved …

Secretary Perdue on Dept. of Labor Rulemaking on H-2A Visa Program

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised proposed rulemaking by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), which could help farmers advertise job openings to domestic workers as required under the H-2A visa program.  The DOL rulemaking would require that employers seeking to hire temporary workers post the employment opportunities online, rather than in expensive newspapers advertisements reaching a limited audience.  …

Perdue Recounts Hurricane Michael Damage

During a speech last week, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue talked about the effects of Hurricane Michael to agricultural producers here in the Southeast. Stephanie Ho has the story. Perdue Recounts Hurricane Michael Damage Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Critical Funding To Enhance Brahman GeneticsApril 24, 2026Strong Relationship Exists Between the Florida Cattle Enhancement Board and UF-IFASApril 17, 2026Florida …

WTO Members Support Policy Approaches to Enable Innovation in Agriculture

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the United States has joined with 12 other nations to support policies that enable agricultural innovation, including genome editing. The International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology was released in Geneva at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Committee on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures. “Precision biotechnologies such as genome …

Secretary Perdue Regarding EPA Decision on Dicamba

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to extend the registration of dicamba for two years. The extension is for “over-the-top” use to control weeds in fields for cotton and soybean plants genetically engineered to resist dicamba. Perdue’s statement is as follows: “It is important that the EPA …

USDA Announces 2019 Agricultural Outlook Forum

Early bird registration is now open for the 95th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum (AOF), the largest annual meeting of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This two-day event will take place on Feb. 21-22, 2019, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Va. This year’s forum, which is being held under the theme “Growing Locally, Selling Globally,” highlights current issues and …