By Clint Thompson CFAP 2 remains an option for vegetable and specialty crop producers impacted by COVID-19. Growers in Florida, Georgia and Alabama can take advantage of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program which is designed to aid producers who faced market disruptions because of the pandemic. “This is something that is in response to the pandemic that we’re facing and …
CFAP2 Reopening and Growing
By Mary Leigh Oliver AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. – Alabama farmers continue to be impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. To help offset some of that financial loss, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) second Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) is reopening for enrollment on Monday, April 5. The first CFAP began with 13,386 applicants. The USDA provided more than …
Marketing Your Crop: Be Better Prepared
As vegetable and specialty crop producers near another spring harvest season, marketing their product remains a focal point of their farming operations. Adam Rabinowitz, Assistant Professor and Extension Economist at Auburn University, implores producers to be better prepared this year amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “I really recommend producers think about their marketing and distribution earlier and really at the …
Examining Issues Facing Hemp Production and Processing
By Allison Fortner for CAES News Hemp is a promising new industry for profitability, but growers of this newly legal crop will face a mix of public opinions according to University of Georgia research into challenges those in the hemp business may face in the southeastern United States. A recently published article in the Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics …
Risks Come With Hemp Production
Risks come with any crop farmers attempt to produce in the Southeast. Between diseases, pests, input costs, unpredictable weather and instability in the marketplace, producing a crop and making a profit is not a guarantee. Hemp production is no different. Producers need to do the appropriate research before planting their crop next spring. This is especially important since hemp is …
Cautious Optimism: Low Interest Rates Present Opportunities for Farmers
Interest rates are low and should remain that way for the foreseeable future. Adam Rabinowitz, Assistant Professor and Extension Economist at Auburn University, says vegetable and specialty crop producers may have an opportunity to capitalize. “Interest rates are extremely low, and they are forecast to remain low. That is certainly an opportunity to where if there’s interest on any kind …
CFAP 2 Deadline is Dec. 11
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reminds vegetable and specialty crop producers who wish to apply to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) 2 that the deadline is Friday, Dec. 11. This program provides relief to farmers facing market disruptions and associated costs due to COVID-19. It is a program that Adam Rabinowitz, Assistant Professor and Extension Economist at Auburn University, …
Uncertainties for 2021 Growing Season
While 2020 is nearly in the books, farmers are looking ahead to 2021 with the same outlook of uncertainty they had this year following the coronavirus outbreak in March. There’s uncertainty regarding COVID-19 and a risk of not knowing if there will be another nationwide shutdown that could lead to more market disruptions like the ones that impacted Florida farmer …
Agricultural Acres Down Significantly Over Last 100 Years
Agricultural acres have dropped dramatically over the last 100 years throughout the Southeast. According to stacker.com, Georgia and Alabama were two of the top four states to see their farm land decrease the most. Based on numbers from the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, Alabama, ranked No. 4 in decreased acres, had 256,099 farms in 1920 …
Alabama Extension Economist Tries to Clear Up Misconception about Hemp
A misconception between hemp and marijuana has Adam Rabinowitz concerned about how consumers view an up-and-coming agricultural commodity in the Southeast. Rabinowitz worked as an Extension economist at the University of Georgia before he moved to Alabama this summer to become an Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension economist. At UGA, Rabinowitz helped conduct a survey to gauge consumer knowledge …