The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumers Services (FDACS) has an updated website to help the state’s residents know how to proceed if they receive unsolicited seeds in the mail. Those who do receive seeds, please click here. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services(FDACS) is warning Floridians about unsolicited packages of seeds received through the mail. The seed packets may …
House Ag Committee Seeks Specialty Crop Relief
House Agriculture Committee members seek more Coronavirus Food Assistance Program relief for specialty crop growers. The group recently sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue with the request. Led by Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat from the U.S. Virgin Islands, the lawmakers say, “The direct payment program under CFAP has failed to provide equitable relief to the specialty crop …
Bringing Technology to Specialty Crops
United States Department of Agriculture Posted by Greg Astill, Markets and Trade Economics Division, Economic Research Service and Suzanne Thornsbury, Senior Advisor for Agricultural Economics and Rural Communities, Office of the Chief Scientist in Research and Science Advances in technology, automation, and remote sensing is a cross-cutting, macro movement in science impacting agriculture outlined in the USDA Science Blueprint (PDF, …
Commissioner Fried Pleads for Secretary Perdue Expand CFAP to Include More Commodities
Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wrote to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Tuesday, once again asking the USDA to expand eligibility for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to include additional agricultural commodities. On July 9, the USDA announced expanded CFAP eligibility that included many impacted Florida crops, but aquaculture and horticulture commodities were not …
CFAP Deadline is Aug. 28
Farmers impacted by COVID-19 and hoping to take advantage of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program have a little more than three weeks left before the Aug. 28 deadline. That is when the United States Department of Agriculture will stop accepting applications from producers. Through CFAP, USDA made available $16 billion in financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have …
Mystery Seeds Could Pose Real Threat
By Maggie Lawrence AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — How much harm could a package of mystery seeds do? Scientists with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System agree that unsolicited seed packets being delivered in Alabama and across the country could pose a real threat to native ecosystems and possibly to people. Threat of Invasive Species Nancy Loewenstein, an invasive plant expert with …
Caution Urged After Mystery Seed Mailings
South Carolina Department of Agriculture COLUMBIA – State agriculture officials are warning South Carolinians to be wary of unsolicited packages of seeds mailed to them. The South Carolina Department of Agriculture and Clemson University’s Regulatory Services division are working together to investigate after residents reported receiving packages they did not order. Similar reports have been made to agriculture officials across …
Farmer Feedback Essential for Adequate Analysis
Feedback during the Notice of Funding Availability comment period for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program yielded positive results for certain commodities added in coverage by the United States Department of Agriculture. It also pointed to the importance of farmers and industry leaders responding to surveys and requests for information. In this case, it allowed the USDA to make appropriate decisions …
Not Enough Funds for CFAP?
The recent revisions to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) was a step in the right direction in the United States Department of Agriculture expanding the scope of what commodities are covered. But it also may lead to a shortage in funds being in place for producers, according to Adam Rabinowitz, “I think it’s going to be challenging for there …
Federal Agencies to Hold Virtual Hearings on Seasonal and Perishable Produce
Washington, DC — The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the United States Department of Commerce will convene virtual hearings next month to discuss foreign trade policies that may be harming American growers of seasonal and perishable produce. At the hearings, officials from the federal agencies will hear from interested …