The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently made another announcement related to Hours-of-Service (HOS). The FMCSA has issued an extended and expanded national emergency declaration in response to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency. Another round of HOS waivers has been issued to help ensure the timely delivery of necessary items. The previous extension of …
Effort to Make Ag Workers a Top Vaccine Priority
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) on Dec. 2 urged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to include agricultural workers among the state’s top priorities for the COVID-19 vaccine allocation. The request was similar to one various national-level food industry organizations made to President Donald Trump in November. “We understand the state has begun preparations for the rollout of the initial …
Confirmation of COVID-19 in Snow Leopard at a Kentucky Zoo
(USDA/APHIS) — The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) announced the first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection in a snow leopard at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky. This is the first snow leopard in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2. Confirmatory testing is ongoing for two other snow …
Ethanol Industry Needs Support, as COVID-19 Losses Near $4 Billion
With COVID-19 cases on the rise again, state and local governments are taking additional actions to limit travel and promote social distancing. In turn, consumption of ethanol-blended gasoline is rapidly falling again, threatening to derail an already tenuous economic recovery in the ethanol industry. Through November, U.S. ethanol producers had already lost $3.8 billion since the start of the pandemic, according …
New Report Assesses Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviors
The “State of the Consumer” Report Highlights Opportunities, Impact of COVID-19 on Beef Demand (NCBA) — The number of consumers who say they intend to eat beef at least weekly increased from 67 percent to 72 percent compared to 2019, and consumer positive perceptions of beef reached 70 percent for the first time,[1] according to a new report released by the …
Managing COVID-19 Risks in the Citrus Industry
The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed so much. SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is primarily transmitted person-to-person, with no evidence it is transmitted by food or food packaging, including citrus and citrus products. Managing COVID-19 among workers is extremely important. COVID-19 impacts on the health of employees can have catastrophic effects, especially when operations are shuttered by health departments. …
COVID-19 Impacts on Florida Citrus
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Florida’s citrus industry were recently summarized by Fritz Roka, director of the Florida Gulf Coast University’s (FGCU) Center of Agribusiness. Roka discussed pandemic impacts on both the citrus production side of the industry and the packing and juice-processing segments. Here are some highlights of Roka’s presentation that apply to both the production and …
Deadline Approaching for Farmers and Ranchers Impacted by COVID-19
FSA Staff Standing by to Help (USDA/FSA) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds farmers and ranchers to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) by Dec. 11, 2020. This program provides direct relief to producers facing market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. “With over 300 eligible commodities, from livestock …
Livestock Auction Market Direct Payment Program & Poultry Processor Reimbursement Program Applications Due by December 1, 2020
Commissioner Rick Pate is pleased to announce the Livestock Market Direct Payment Program and the Poultry Processor Reimbursement Program. Applications for each program will be available at agi.alabama.gov or crf.alabama.gov at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 and the deadline to submit applications is December 1, 2020. Each program will assist Alabama’s agriculture with costs associated with disruptions experienced due to COVID-19. Commissioner Pate and agricultural stakeholders …
Lawmakers Rolled Out Spending Bills
(NAFB) — Senate appropriators rolled out agency spending bills, including one for USDA this week, hoping to avoid the need for more stop-gap funding when the temporary Fiscal Year 2021 money expires December 11th. The proposed Senate bill calls for over 23 billion dollars in USDA discretionary funding, a bit less than a House-passed version, but both increase or fully …