farm computer

Pandemic Fuels some of 2020’s Most-Searched UF/IFAS Extension Information

Dan Coronavirus, Florida, Industry News Release

(UF/IFAS) — The coronavirus pandemic occupied space in everyone’s minds this year, prompting online searches about any variety of topics related to it. The year’s most popular UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publications were no exception, with two of the top 10 being brand-new documents related to food safety and the coronavirus. In all, the Electronic Data Information Source, which hosts peer-reviewed …

alabama farmers

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 for Livestock Producers

Dan Cattle, Coronavirus, Economy, Livestock

USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) continues to provide direct relief to producers who are facing market disruptions and associated costs due to Covid-19. And payments through the program are available for a variety of eligible livestock producers. Payments for beef cattle, hogs and pigs, along with lambs and sheep will be based on the maximum owned inventory of …

net farm income

First CFAP Payments Issued by USDA

Josh McGill Industry

The first payments for farmers and ranchers have been issued through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP).  U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that CFAP payments totaling more than $545 million have been approved by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA). A total of $16 billion in financial assistance is being made available through CFAP, which was one of …

fmmo

Dairy Farmers of American Donating to Needy Families

Dan Dairy, Economy, Industry News Release

(NAFB) — The Dairy Farmers of America cooperative is providing dairy products to needy families. The organization announced this week the launch of its Farmers Feeding Families Fund, which hopes to raise $500,000 for community food banks across the country. Initial seed money of $200,000 has already been raised through the Cooperative’s DFA Cares Foundation. DFA is already holding events …

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Commissioner Nikki Fried to Congress & USDA: “Too Little Too Late” for Florida Farmers

Dan Florida, Industry News Release

(FDACS) — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried sent letters to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue and Florida’s congressional delegation urging further action to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on Florida’s agriculture industry. In the letters, Fried shared the Florida Seasonal Crop COVID-19 Impact Assessment released this week which projects losses for Florida agriculture upwards of $522 million. The USDA recently announced its …

food

Commissioner Nikki Fried Highlights COVID-19 Crop Losses

Dan Field Crops, Florida, Industry News Release, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

(FDACS) — Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) released the Florida Seasonal Crop COVID-19 Impact Assessment, a new report providing data on crop losses facing Florida farmers. Based on figures reported by growers, total crop losses across the state through mid-April 2020 may exceed $522.5 million. Florida is the nation’s second-largest producer of seasonal specialty crops such as blueberries, strawberries, …

Groups React to Announcement of COVID-19 Relief for Farmers

Dan Economy, Industry News Release

NPPC Statement on USDA COVID-19 Relief Package (NPPC) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a COVID-19 relief package that includes $3 billion in planned agricultural product purchases and $1.6 billion in direct payments to hog farmers, including payment limitations of $125,000 per commodity and $250,000 per individual. Industry economists conservatively estimate that hog farmers will lose $37 per …