Commissioner Adam H. Putnam to Host Media Availability on Florida Wildfires

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Nearly 80,000 acres within state fire jurisdiction have burned due to wildfires in 2017, a more than fourfold increase from the same timeframe in 2016. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and State Forester Jim Karels will hold a media availability today to discuss these wildfires and forecasted wildfire conditions.

Minding the malt

Without it - if disease or a freak act of nature were to damage those crops, for instance - farmers and the craft brewing companies that rely on them would undoubtedly take a hit. Such was the case made Wednesday by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who visited the Southern Tier Distilling Company, located at 2051 Stoneman Circle in Lakewood.

Breakfast On The Farm

Brian and Lauren Arbogast, and their two sons, Jackson , 6, and Branson, 8, are hosting the Virginia Cooperative Extension's Breakfast on the Farm on May 27 at their farm in Lacey Spring. The Arbogast family is hosting the Virginia Cooperative Extension's annual Breakfast on the Farm on May 27 at their farm in Lacey Spring.

U Of Illinois Economists Analyze Relationship Between Cash Rent And Net Return To Land

U OF ILLINOIS ECONOMISTS ANALYZE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CASH RENT AND NET RETURN TO LAND Apr. 18, 2017 Source: by Nathan Carson and Michael Langemeier Center for Commercial Agriculture Purdue University Net crop returns have dropped significantly since 2013. Budgeted earnings per acre for a corn/soybean rotation in Indiana were $120 in 2013.

Pleasant Prairie wetland due for restoration

A Kenosha developer intends to restore more than 400 acres of wetland habitat within a 625-acre parcel in the village's Barnes Creek area beginning next year. Bear Development has filed plans with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the project that aims to enhance existing wetlands while restoring to wetlands other areas previously used for farming.

WV Man Recognized Nationally for Helping Feed Kids

Governor Justice's office joined representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture today to recognize Dr. William White with the Summer Food Champion Award. White received the national recognition as a result of his work with the Summer Food Service Program to help feed children in the Mountain State.

USDA Offers Renewal Options for Expiring Conservation Stewardship

Acting Deputy Agriculture Secretary Michael Young has announced that a contract renewal sign-up is underway for the Conservation Stewardship Program , USDA's largest working lands conservation program with more than 80 million acres enrolled. Participants with existing CSP contracts that will expire on Dec. 31 can renew their contract for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional activities to achieve higher levels of conservation on their lands.

Farmers dismayed that USDA delays fair practice rule

A rule designed to protect the legal rights of farmers who grow chickens and hogs for the nation's largest meat processors has been delayed by at least six months, halting an initiative rolled out in the final days of Barack Obama's administration. The rule was first proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2010 but was finally rolled out in December and was set to take effect on April 22. The rule would make it easier for farmers to sue companies they contract with over unfair or deceptive practices.

San Bernardino school had no knowledge of teacher’s troubled relationship with shooter, police say

California school officials at the site of Monday's killing and suicide that left three people dead had no prior knowledge of the ongoing con... -- In the wake of the U.S. airstrikes in Syria last week in response to a chemical attack that killed dozens of people, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it... WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today welcomed an announcement from the U.S. D... Kearney, Neb.

US Congress Calls for Action on Honduras in Response to Murders of Land and Environmental Activists

In two strongly worded letters to the new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, almost 80 United States legislators on Friday expressed their grave concern at the risks facing activists who defend their land and the environment in Honduras. A recent Global Witness report exposed how more than 120 land rights defenders have been killed since 2010.

Resources are available for beginning farmersAre you thinking about…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a website to connect farm entrepreneurs with programs, services and resources for anyone interested in getting started into farming at www.usda.gov/newfarmers. The site features advice and guidance on everything a new farm business owner needs to know, from writing a business plan, to obtaining a loan to grow their business, to filing taxes as a new small business owner, starting or expanding an operation, developing new markets, supporting more effective farming and conservation practices, and having access to relevant training and education opportunities.

On-the-farm research making the case for industrial hemp

Real-world research in more than a dozen states in recent years is giving farmers new understanding of how to grow industrial hemp and showing that it has promise to be a viable commercial crop in the U.S. The 2014 federal farm bill allowed for university and state-sponsored research programs of the plant whose fiber can be used in products from paper to clothing and whose oil can be an ingredient in food and health products. Programs have now been launched in 15 states, with two more states coming online, according to the hemp advocacy nonprofit Vote Hemp.

new Republicans hope Trump amenable to food stamp restrictions

Maine resident Zak McCutcheon says he likes soda but acknowledges he'd drink less of it if his governor convinced Republican President Donald Trump to put restrictions on the approximately $200 a month he receives in food stamps. He thinks it may even make recipients healthier and less overweight.