(FFA) — As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the country, many schools have turned to e-learning, and after-school activities have come to a halt. What hasn’t ended, however, is FFA members living out the FFA motto – Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve. Throughout the country, there are stories of FFA members and alumni …
FDACS & Commissioner Nikki Fried Create List Connecting Farmers & Buyers
(FDACS) — Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) announced the creation of a Florida Farm to You commodities list, connecting potential buyers with farmers and producers of Florida-grown commodities like fresh produce, seafood, poultry, and more. With restaurants and foodservice businesses closed due to COVID-19, agricultural producers across the country have struggled to sell perishable products like …
Loan Maturity for Marketing Assistance Loans Now Extended to 12 Months
Provides Producers with Marketing Flexibilities Amid COVID-19 Uncertainties (USDA) — Agricultural producers now have more time to repay Marketing Assistance Loans (MAL) as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. The loans now mature at 12 months rather than nine, and this flexibility is available for most …
UF/IFAS Extension Helps Get Food Directly From Farmers to Customers During Pandemic
(UF/IFAS) — As the novel coronavirus disrupts the usual methods to deliver food from farms to consumers, UF/IFAS Extension agents are helping connect growers with customers. Two such specialists are Sarah Bostick, an agriculture agent with UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County and Lisa Hickey, a sustainability agent with UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County. The two are now working together to encourage farmers …
The Day South Florida Agriculture Changed
Submitted by Gene McAvoy, Regional Vegetable Extension Agent IV Emeritus with UF/IFAS “Up to the end of Feb our growers were having a banner year and it looked like this season would be one of those homeruns that come around every 5-6 years.” Here is a report that I prepared on the state of S Florida ag and shared with …
UF/IFAS Offers More Resources for Growers
(UF/IFAS) — UF/IFAS Extension is collaborating with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to compile a list of farms, distributors, and farmers markets selling Florida-grown food directly to final consumers. The intention is to build a directory of sellers who are moving Florida-grown foods to consumers during the market disruptions caused by COVID-19. The list may include …
COVID 19 Response: Your Grocery and Food-Safety Questions Answered
(UF/IFAS) — It’s a battle of facts vs. myths in the rush to get information to the public about how consumers can safely shop for groceries and handle food during the coronavirus pandemic. To get the correct data, we asked three experts with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to answer common questions: Keith Schneider, a UF/IFAS …
Crop and Livestock Prices Plunge Under Weight of COVID-19 Uncertainty
(AFBF) — Updated analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation shows crop and livestock prices falling to levels that threaten the livelihoods of many U.S. farmers and ranchers. Shuttered schools, universities, restaurants, bars and cafeterias are no longer buying milk, meat, fruits, vegetables and other food, causing a downward spiral in crop and livestock prices. Nearby futures prices for nearly …
FDACS Agricultural and Seafood Availability Notice
(HCCGA) — FDACS has created the attached form for producers to fill out with their product availability. Once submitted, FDACS will utilize to forward to their Fresh From Florida contacts, as well as the Florida Department of Corrections, food banks and make connections with other State Departments of Agriculture in hopes of providing market opportunities to move product during the Coronavirus …
Senators Seek Flexibility in FSA Loans
(NAFB) — Lawmakers are urging Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to make temporary flexibilities on Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans permanent for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a bipartisan letter signed by farm-state Senators, they urge Perdue to “take action to ensure the continuity of our country’s food supply and support rural areas during the coronavirus.” The senators seek …