WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (R-PA), Republican Leader of the House Committee on Agriculture, and U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Republian Leader of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, are leading a bicameral effort calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rescind its decision to revoke all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos and ensure its future actions related …
Watermelon Producer: Unknowns a Real Problem for Growers
By Clint Thompson The supply chain crisis that is gripping the U.S. is leaving watermelon farmers in a state of flux on how to proceed with the upcoming season. Florida growers are two months away from planting this year’s crop. Input costs and availability are on top of producers’ minds, says Lara Land, watermelon producer and executive council member of …
Seventy-Five Reps Plead for Freeze to Current AEWR
A total of 75 congressmen recently issued a bipartisan letter to House and Senate appropriations leaders asking that the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) be frozen in an upcoming spending package. AEWR has more than doubled since 2005, with the nation’s average AEWR reaching $17.55 per hr in 2024. A temporary wage freeze would alleviate the increaased financial burden and …
Rubio, Colleagues Introduce Land Grant Research Prioritization Act
U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced bipartisan legislation last week to authorize the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make priority research grants available for land-grant universities to research and develop agricultural applications of artificial intelligence (AI), advanced mechanized harvester technologies, invasive species control and aquaculture. “Florida’s land-grant universities are constantly innovating to address …
New Leader Takes National Watermelon Association Reins
By Clint Thompson The National Watermelon Association (NWA) ushered in a new era at its annual meeting in February. After nearly 20 years, the association has a new leader at the helm. George Szczepanski assumed the leadership role in an industry that’s currently facing numerous challenges, including labor shortages and high wage rates, inflationary impacts with input costs and competition …
Alabama Extension Economist: Hard to Say How Long High Input Prices Will Continue
By Clint Thompson One Alabama Extension economist believes it is unreasonable to predict how much longer input prices will remain at historically high levels. That’s why Adam Rabinowitz wants specialty crop producers to focus on profits and not yields entering this production season. “These input prices, we’re sitting here scratching our heads looking at these prices going up. It’s not …
Biden’s 2023 Budget Proposal: Ag and Rural Funds
President Joe Biden unveiled his budget proposal for fiscal year 2023, Monday. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the President’s budget provides USDA with “the tools needed to support a vibrant, revitalized, and prosperous rural America.” The budget includes more than $10 million for oversight and enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act as well as money to support innovation in agriculture and …
$250 Million Investment to Support Innovative American-made Fertilizer
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing it will support additional fertilizer production for American farmers to address rising costs, including the impact of Putin’s price hike on farmers, and spur competition. USDA will make available $250 million through a new grant program this summer to support independent, innovative and sustainable American fertilizer production to supply American farmers. Additionally, …
Consumer Awareness Key to Tomato Industry’s Fight Against Increased Imports
By Clint Thompson It is no secret that COVID-19 provided challenges to the food supply chain and obstacles for vegetable and specialty crop producers hoping to remain sustainable amid a global pandemic. But one aspect of the pandemic is that it has boosted consumer awareness of where their food comes from. Growers and industry leaders believe a ripple effect from …
What Florida Growers Can Do to Squeeze More Out of the Lime Market
This sector remains a question in the Sunshine State. But there are some things producers can do to turn a sour deal sweet.