agriculture

Industrial Hemp A Featured Topic at UF/IFAS Ag Policy Conference Feb. 26 in Balm

Web AdminHemp, Industry News Release, Top Posts

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Industrial hemp may soon be a financially significant crop in Florida, and an expert with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities related to this fledgling industry at the fourth annual Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference in Balm. The conference happens 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. …

Desantis Urged to Help Farmers on Trade Deal

Web AdminFruit, Industry News Release, NAFTA, Produce, Trade, USMCA, Vegetables

Incoming Gov. Ron DeSantis is being urged to use his close ties with President Donald Trump to bolster efforts to help Florida farmers fend off low-priced crop imports that weren’t addressed in the rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement. During a conference call last week, several members of DeSantis’ Transition Advisory Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources & …

agriculture

Farm Bill Helps Pave Way for Hemp Production

Web AdminFarm Bill, Hemp, Legislative, Top Posts

The farm bill has passed through the House and the Senate and received President Trump’s signature on Dec. 20. While some agricultural industries were let down, other industries may have an opportunity to thrive. According to Jerry Fankhauser, assistant director of the University of Florida’s Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the farm bill includes language that will take industrial hemp off …

Secretary Perdue Comments on Signing of USMCA

Web AdminIndustry News Release, Top Posts, USMCA

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding the signing of the new trade pact, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), replacing the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): “I have often said that we live in the best neighborhood on Earth – North America – and the signing of a new trade agreement with Mexico and …

Lake Okeechobee Algae: A Decades-Long Debate Continues

Web AdminTop Posts, Water

As the Lake Okeechobee blue-green algae debate continues, it can be difficult to decipher the truth from misinformation. A debate that has now become a national news story has been decades in the making. The same arguments from north and south of the lake have been made throughout the debate’s history. The algae issues in the waterways on the east …

A Grower’s Perspective on Labor Shortages

Web AdminLabor, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Chalmers Carr Ask any specialty crop producer in the Southeast to identify the greatest agricultural concern today and virtually every one of them will say access to reliable, legal and affordable laborers. How has this become such a huge issue? What can be done to solve this issue to allow the southeastern region to flourish and grow in its …

Support for House Trade Bill to Protect Florida Growers

Web AdminIndustry News Release, Trade

The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association wholeheartedly supports the Agriculture Trade Improvement Act of 2018 introduced by U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo (District 26) and Al Lawson Jr. (District 8) on Tuesday. The Agricultural Trade Improvement Act of 2018 would amend the Tariff Act of 1930 and allow American specialty crop growers to request the imposition of antidumping or countervailing duties. …

Perdue on Lack of Protection for Southeastern Specialty Crop Growers in USMCA

Web AdminLegislative, Top Posts, Trade, USMCA

It was announced on Sept. 30 that the United States, Mexico and Canada reached a new deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The deal will be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). NAFTA was a trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico that was made in 1994 under the Clinton administration. The idea for …

New NAFTA Leaves Unanswered Questions

Web AdminLegislative, Top Posts, Trade

It was announced on Sept. 30 that the United States, Mexico and Canada reached a new deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The deal will be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). NAFTA was a trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico that was made in 1994 under the Clinton administration. The idea for …

Senators Take Aim at Unfair Trade Practices Hurting Florida Fruit and Vegetable Growers

Web AdminFruit, Industry News Release, Trade, Vegetables

U.S. Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced legislation to help Florida fruit and vegetable growers combat unfair trade practices. The bill comes amid long-standing and increasing complaints from Florida farmers that Mexican growers illegally flood the U.S. market with subsidized produce during the winter season. Florida is one of the few places in the country that can …