USDA is making plans to launch new Farm Bill program to help provide relief to farmers impacted by severe weather, including drought. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the Actual Production History (APH) Yield Exclusion, available nationwide for farmers of select crops starting next spring, allows eligible producers who have been hit with severe weather to receive a higher approved …
Water in the Sunshine State
Florida is the third largest state in terms of population and the 14th in agricultural production, so competition for water resources is fierce in the Sunshine State. “Population growth is a big factor in driving water use demand and that will continue in Florida,” said Richard Budell, who is director of water policy for the Florida Department of Agriculture and …
Industry Reacts to WTO COOL Decision
Industry reaction to the World Trade Organization decision against the United States on the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) law have been coming in steadily since the announcement was made earlier today. National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson says they believe the situation can be handled by USDA. “Under the guidance of USDA, any changes to COOL to ensure …
Food Dialogue on GMOs
What do you know about GMOs? Most people not much with the exception that many have been led to believe they are bad. In a recent Jimmy Kimmel Live, Jimmy Kimmel, he took to the streets to ask people what a GMO was and not one person knew, even thought most believed they were bad. In case you don’t know, …
WTO Announces Decision on COOL
The United States’ Country of Origin labeling (COOL) is still not cool with the World Trade Organization (WTO). In the compliance panel report released today, the WTO found that “the amended COOL measure violates Article 2.1 of the TBT Agreement because it accords to Canadian and Mexican livestock less favourable treatment than that accorded to like US livestock.” In particular, …
Bayer Showcases Food Chain Partnership at PMA Convention
Bayer CropScience showcased its latest global Food Chain Partnership projects at the PMA Fresh Summit Convention & Expo this past week. The annual conference brings together decision makers at every level of the produce supply chain, including growers, importers and exporters, processors and retailers. “To continue to meet the needs of our growers, we must first understand the needs of …
Barn Owls are Sustainable Rodent Control
2014 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album Barn owls are being used in the Everglades Agricultural Area as sustainable rodent control – and it’s working amazingly well! Richard Raid, a plant pathologist with the University of Florida, told us all about these hungry little raptors during what was arguably the most interesting stop on the 2014 CTIC Conservation in …
Learning About Everglades STAs
2014 CTIC Conservation in Action Tour Photo Album This may just look like a swamp but it’s actually a very sophisticated stormwater treatment area in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) which is one of several designed to remove phosphorus from urban and agricultural runoff. These public works projects are the second point of cleanup for the water, while the farmers …
Everglades Conservation in Action Tour Photos
Baby barn owls with a hearty appetite for rodents that destroy sugarcane were one of the highlights of the CTIC Conservation in Action tour this week in the Everglades Agricultural Area. We saw sugarcane being planted and harvested with precision, rich black soil, dozens of varieties of lettuce, a concrete post revealing six feet of soil subsidence in 84 years, …
Florida Farm Bureau Welcomes Conservation Tour
The president of the Florida Farm Bureau welcomed participants on the 2014 CTIC Conservation in Action tour to the Sunshine State Tuesday night as they prepared to visit the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) today. john Hoblick spent some time telling the group, many of whom are from the Midwest, about the EAA and the efforts Florida farmers have undertaken to …