The Latest: Inspectors checked ride hours before derailment

Florida officials say a roller coaster passed a state inspection only hours before it derailed and sent two riders plummeting to the ground. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Friday that the Sand Blaster at the Daytona Beach Boardwalk had been seen Thursday by inspectors from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Farm Market iD To Release In-Season And Predictive Crop Data

SEASON AND PREDICTIVE CROP DATA Jun. 14, 2018 Source: Farm Market iD sent via AgPR --the news distribution service for agriculture Farm Market iD - a data company with four decades' experience working with ag companies - announces the upcoming release of new In-Season and Predictive Crop data. The company uses machine learning, satellite imagery and predictive analytics to provide this data.

Area small businesses receive loans, may prove promising for Panhandle’s economy

A sign that lending institutions may be loosening up their purse strings a bit, two Eastern Panhandle small businesses secured commercial loans this quarter to open or expand, officials said. Two businesses located in the downtown Martinsburg area had commercial loans approved by the U.S Department of Agriculture, said Matt Coffey, business coach with the Small Business Development Center of the Eastern Panhandle, who gave a quarterly small business update to the Berkeley County Development Authority Wednesday.

Farm bill has ‘path to victory,’ but food stamp hurdle remains

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts urged colleagues to support his bipartisan farm bill Wednesday, gearing up for a showdown with Republicans in the House who insist food assistance provided through the bill be connected to work requirements. Roberts, a Kansas Republican, has said the Senate can't pass a bill with those requirements and that he would need to work with Democrats to craft legislation.

Assn Of Equipment Mfgrs Calls On Senate Ag Committee To Advance The 2018 Farm Bill

ASSN OF EQUIPMENT MFGRS CALLS ON SENATE AG COMMITTEE TO ADVANCE THE 2018 FARM BILL Jun. 13, 2018 Association of Equipment Manufacturers reports: Association of Equipment Manufacturers President Dennis Slater issued the following statement today calling on the United States Senate Agriculture Committee to mark up the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, which contains a robust safety net for U.S. farmers and ranchers: "Sound agricultural policy that promotes a strong farm economy will not only assist farmers and ranchers but also help protect many of the 1.3 million equipment manufacturing jobs across the country.

Nat’l Cattlemen’s Beef Assn Issues Statement On Modernizing Ag Transportation Act

NAT'L CATTLEMEN'S BEEF ASSN ISSUES STATEMENT ON MODERNIZING AG TRANSPORTATION ACT Jun. 13, 2018 National Cattlemen's Beef Association reports: National Cattlemen's Beef Association President Kevin Kester today issued the following statement in response to the introduction of the Modernizing Agricultural Transportation Act in the U.S. Senate: "The National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the producers we represent are glad to see another bipartisan effort designed to provide much-needed relief for livestock haulers.

Hemp, Inc. Applauds Addition of Hemp Legislation to 2018 Farm Bill

"Securing the Hemp Farming Act as part of the 2018 Farm Bill has been a top priority of mine. I look forward to continuing to work with my Senate colleagues on this and many other issues important to Kentucky agriculture as we move towards consideration of the Farm Bill," McConnell said in a statement.  The Senate's farm bill still needs to be approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee and the full chamber.

Sen. Mitch McConnell pushes hemp legalization in farm bill

Declaring he has "won the argument" on hemp, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that the Senate is on track for a vote to legalize the crop that comes from the same plant that produces marijuana. The Senate Agriculture Committee is scheduled to consider the farm bill Wednesday.

Florida approved thousands of concealed weapons permits without background checks

For more than a year, the state of Florida did not conduct national background checks on tens of thousands of applications for concealed weapons permits. A previously unreported Office of Inspector General investigation found that in February 2016 the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stopped using an FBI crime database called the National Instant Criminal Background Check System to ensure that applicants who want to carry guns do not have disqualifying histories in other states.

Tyson Foods recalls breaded chicken products over plastic contamination concerns

Tyson Foods is recalling about 3,120 pounds of frozen breaded chicken products that may have been contaminated with blue and clear soft plastic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on Friday . The recall affects 12-pound boxes containing 3-pound bags of uncooked, breaded chicken tenderloins, with lot code 1378NLR02 and establishment number P-746.

TRENTON a ” Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Steve Oroho that would support…

Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Senator Steve Oroho that would support small businesses by establishing New Jersey “Food Hub” opportunities for local farmers was passed by the Senate Economic Growth Committee. “Many of New Jersey's small to mid-size farms lack the capacity to access larger markets, placing our farmers at a disadvantage,” Oroho stated.

Senate unveils farm bill, leaves food stamps alone

The Senate Agriculture Committee on Friday released a bipartisan farm bill that makes mostly modest adjustments to existing programs and, unlike the House version of the bill, doesn't pick a fight over food stamps. The Senate bill, dubbed the "Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018," is budget-neutral and aims to renew subsidy, conservation, nutrition, rural development and commodity programs set to expire on Sept.

Ira Berlin, 1941-2018

Ira Berlin, who died on June 5 at the age of 77, was one of the outstanding historians of his generation, whose writings on slavery and African-American culture transformed how scholars think about these crucial aspects of the American past. He also made a deep mark as a documentary editor, as founder of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project at the University of Maryland, which has made accessible thousands of previously unexamined documents in the National Archives relating to the vast human drama of emancipation.