By Karla Arboleda People in South Carolina looking forward to growing industrial hemp will be able to get research updates from Clemson University. While hemp pesticides have been approved in South Carolina, growers are still awaiting more regulations to be established by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA). David Dewitt, state coordinator for the Clemson Extension Hemp Program, talked …
FTE: New Suspension Agreement Is Step in Right Direction
Washington, D.C. (FTE-September 19, 2019) — The Florida Tomato Exchange (FTE) welcomes the signing by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Mexican tomato exporters of a new agreement suspending the antidumping investigation of fresh tomatoes from Mexico. The new suspension agreement includes strong monitoring, enforcement and anti-circumvention provisions, including border inspections, that should help eliminate the injury to American tomato …
Breeding Better Soybeans for the Southeast
By Karla Arboleda In the deep Southeast, researchers are breeding better, drought-tolerant and protein-rich soybeans so growers can continue to market high-quality crops. Ben Fallen, a soybean breeder and assistant professor at Clemson University, works to develop varieties of soybeans that will grow with less complications. His program screens breeding lines to find favorable soybean characteristics. “We’re looking at two …
Florida Eyes Washington on Hemp Rules
Florida farmers might not be held back from planting hemp next year, even if the federal government has not signed off on long-awaited rule changes. Holly Bell, Florida’s director of cannabis, told the Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday that, if all goes well, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ permitting for hemp could be available to farmers by …
Industry Responds to EPA WOTUS Announcement
(Washington, D.C. (USDA-September 12, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for taking another step to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to repeal and replace the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “Repealing the WOTUS rule is a major win for American agriculture. The extreme overreach from the past Administration had government taking …
Rising Temperatures Bad for Butterbeans in South Carolina
By Karla Arboleda In South Carolina, Clemson University researchers are working toward heat-tolerant butterbeans to preserve this staple crop. Tony Melton, an Extension agent at the Clemson Pee Dee Research and Extension Center, said rising temperatures have contributed to why butterbean production has been falling short in South Carolina. “When it’s hot, and as summers are getting hotter, (butterbean plants) …
Congressman Yoho Introduces Ag Guest Worker Bill
As labor continues to be a top-priority issue for producers nationwide, Congressman Ted Yoho is aiming to lessen worries of a labor shortage by introducing a new ag guest worker bill. He discussed this new bill in a recent exclusive interview with AgNet Media’s Abbey Taylor. According to Yoho, the bill shies away from immigration and focuses solely on ensuring …
Perdue on New Draft Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico
Washington, D.C. (USDA) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement after U.S. Department of Commerce announced a new Draft Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico: “I want to thank my colleagues at the U.S. Department of Commerce for working diligently to reach a mutually beneficial agreement for tomato growers in both the U.S. and Mexico. …
Closing the Information Gap on the Produce Safety Rule
By Karla Arboleda A study conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service showed that growers across the United States expressed uncertainty over new food safety requirements for their operations due to an information gap. Researchers compared illness outbreaks associated with tomatoes, strawberries, cantaloupes and apples between 1998 and 2016. In order to have the first …
Vegetable and Specialty Crop Seminars Cover Crucial Issues
By Ashley Robinson Last year, AgNet Media incorporated vegetable and specialty crop (VSC) seminars into the 28-year-old Citrus Expo. The change was met with positive feedback from both growers and industry members. Therefore, AgNet Media decided to expand that side of the program and debut the Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo (VSC Expo) this year, being held in conjunction with …