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Press Release WHO: National Association of State Departments of Agriculture CEO, several NASDA members and a NASDA industry guest will host a press conference to discuss learned opportunities and challenges to agricultural trade between the U.S. and Cuba on Feb. 21, 2024, following a NASDA-led trade mission to the country. Press Conference Participants: Ted McKinney, CEO, NASDA Amanda Beal, Commissioner, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry Bryan Hurlburt, Commissioner
The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is taking the lead on bringing dietary guidelines into the 21st Century. It is calling for national dietary guidelines not only to be nutrient-based and food-based, but food systems-based. Food systems-based guidelines extend beyond food-based guidelines that “provide advice on foods, food groups and dietary patterns to provide the required nutrients to the general public to promote overall health and prevent chronic diseases.
The Senate’s amendments to Bill C-234 in December could result in farmers paying $910 million more in carbon tax, according to updated analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO). After several weeks of contentious debate, a narrow majority of Senators voted to limit the proposed carbon tax exemption for natural gas and propane used on.
Really attentive long-time readers may remember us posting a video of an interview with Edith Adjako , a Surinamese woman of Maroon descent, recorded by ethnobotanist Dr Tinde van Andel. Dr van Andel and her colleagues have been studying Maroon agriculture and how it relates to African practices. Recall that the Maroons are the descendants of enslaved people who escaped captivity during colonial times and established communities in the interior of places like Suriname which survive to this day.
Wildfires leave damages across more than 1 million acres Donations of hay, feed, fencing supplies, cow feed and milk replacer are needed to support livestock owners impacted by the devastating wildfires that have scorched ranchland across a large portion of the Texas Panhandle. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is establishing Animal Supply Points in several.
This article was co-produced and co-published with Nonprofit Quarterly. From vast riparian watersheds to fisheries to croplands, few corners of the nation’s—and the world’s—food systems have escaped the eyes of the Walton family. The children and grandchildren of Walmart co-founder Sam Walton have long embedded their interests, and, more importantly, their money, among industry groups, policymakers, academics, activists, and NGOs active in the future of food.
Press Release ARLINGTON, Va. – NASDA CEO Ted McKinney issued a statement today following the EPA’s order on the use of existing stocks of the herbicide dicamba. “As co-regulatory partners with EPA committed to preserving environmental stewardship, protecting the rural economy and securing a healthy food supply chain, NASDA commends EPA on issuing an existing stocks order for dicamba that is inclusive of products that are in the possession of growers or in the channels of trade.
Every now and then a headline makes me gasp : Deena Shankar’s article in Bloomberg News begins: It’s been just about a year since the US government slashed additional pandemic-related food-stamp benefits, and some of the companies that make and sell food are seeing that hit their sales. As she explains, Enhanced benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, ended last February, meaning families and individuals saw monthly cuts of $95 to $250 or more in what they received
Every now and then a headline makes me gasp : Deena Shankar’s article in Bloomberg News begins: It’s been just about a year since the US government slashed additional pandemic-related food-stamp benefits, and some of the companies that make and sell food are seeing that hit their sales. As she explains, Enhanced benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, ended last February, meaning families and individuals saw monthly cuts of $95 to $250 or more in what they received
When it comes to Canadian agriculture, criticism towards federal policies and their broader implications is not uncommon. Farmers’ list of grievances reflect legitimate concerns over how this federal government’s bent will shape the sector’s future. However, it’s crucial to differentiate between warranted critique and misplaced outrage.
Climate-resilient crops: Lessons from xerophytes. Breeding for Na+ exclusion to improve salinity tolerance in crops has compromised their drought tolerance, but both tolerances are down to more gene copies in key families when comparing species. Innovation and Technological Mismatch: Experimental Evidence from Improved Crop Seeds. Breeders should strive to give farmers what they want, even if it means releasing multiple locally adapted varieties rather than a single blockbuster.
Forty million U.S. dicamba-tolerant soybean and cotton acres will be directly impacted by the ruling made Tuesday by the U.S. District Court of Arizona in Tucson.
A genetically modified purple tomato first produced by Norfolk scientists nearly two decades ago has been enthusiastically adopted by home gardeners after it was made available for purchase in the United States. Seeds of the high-anthocyanin purple tomato are in strong demand, with more than 1,200 packets selling within 48 hours of launch, and 9,600 sold in the first week.
Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the 2024 Winter Policy Conference today, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture members passed an action item emphasizing the need to resume full federal cost-share for state meat and poultry inspection programs. “To continue supporting and expanding the meat processing industry and the livestock sector, Congress and USDA must ensure consistent and reliable funding is available to sustain state meat and poultry inspection programs,” NASDA
The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) has long led efforts to tax unhealthy products, starting with tobacco. WHO describes its health tax efforts here. It recently issued Global report on the use of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, 2023. The report finds that 108 countries have some kind of tax on sugar-sweetened beverages. But, it finds Less than a quarter of countries surveyed account for sugar content when they impose taxes on these non-alcoholic beverage products.
Wheat yield is made up of many yield components ranging from thousand kernel weight to head size and kernels per head. But when it comes to driving higher yields, all those components take a back seat to the number of heads per square metre. It’s the big data point emerging from three years of data. Read More Wheat yield is made up of many yield components ranging from thousand kernel weight to head size and kernels per head.
A sustainable blue cheese industry needs more microbial diversity. The Open Source Seed Initiative gets written up in The Guardian. Looks like we need something similar for cheese microbes. The Guardian then follows up with mung bean breeding and fart jokes. But then goes all serious with talk of trillions of dollars in benefits from sustainable food systems.
The following is excerpted from Taras Grescoe’s The Lost Supper , and has been lightly edited for length and clarity. There were times during this voyage that it seemed humanity was driving down an alley toward a brick wall, fast. Catastrophe loomed everywhere I looked: in the dust bowls on the once-fertile plains of central Turkey, in the vanishing lakes of Mexico City, in the fetid cesspools outside the factory farms of North Carolina, in the disease-ravaged olive trees of Puglia, in the rapi
Digital photos, video, ownership records vital in reporting procedures Landowners who have experienced Panhandle wildfire losses to agricultural infrastructure or livestock are advised to properly document losses in preparation for filing insurance claims or qualifying for federal assistance. “It is recommended that landowners take photos of deceased livestock before burial, as well as burned equipment, Read More → The post Texas Panhandle wildfires: Documenting agricultural losses appeare
Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – Members of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture adopted policy today at NASDA’s Winter Policy Conference to increase advocacy for farm safety and minimize injury to those who work in the agriculture industry. The new policy marks the first policy dedicated specifically to farm safety. It states, “NASDA supports initiatives for comprehensive outreach and education to the agriculture community, farm owners, and farmworkers to reduce the numb
The USDA announced the latest data on the US agricultural system in a press release. It summarizes the highlights: Number of farms: 1.9 million (down 7% from 2017) Average size: 463 acres (up 5%) Total farmland: 880 million acres of farmland (down 2%), accounting for 39% of all U.S. land. Revenues: $543 billion (up from $389 billion) Net cash income (less expenses): $152 billion.
In recent years, many corn growers in Ontario have wrestled with gibberella ear rot in the crop and the high levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) levels it can produce in the grain. It’s made for stressful harvest seasons, especially in 2018 when mycotoxins produced by the gibberella fungus in some fields climbed well above safe feeding. Read More In recent years, many corn growers in Ontario have wrestled with gibberella ear rot in the crop and the high levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) levels it
Every once in a while I get the urge to remind everyone where they can get information on training courses in crop diversity conservation, and indeed training materials. So, anyway, of course there’s the Plant Treaty. A couple of online courses are available, on the Treaty itself and on Farmers’ Rights. Then there’s USDA’s GRIN-U.
Growing up, I was an A student, president of the Student Council, and poor. However, benefits my mother received made me ineligible for free lunch. As a result, I often went without breakfast or lunch entirely. I would find myself eating leftovers from other people’s plates. One day, I decided I wasn’t going to be hungry anymore. I got in line in the cafeteria and filled my tray with food.
Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today at the 2024 Winter Policy Conference , National Association of State Departments of Agriculture members passed a policy amendment supporting farmers and ranchers’ ability to safeguard animal health through the responsible use of vaccines. Members also emphasized the importance of utilizing vaccines that have undergone a thorough approval and licensing process by the USDA and FDA, ensuring a robust foundation of scientific and peer-reviewed research.
I thought this 2023 report was well worth a look. Microbial diseases of animals can be transmitted to humans, and vice versa (witness COVID-19 in mink and zoo animals). Some of these have led to serious epidemics. Lots of people are worried that Confined Animal Feeding Operations could easily become the source of new and deadly forms of influenza.
When it comes to improving fertilizer application and utilization, growers are encouraged to focus on the 4Rs — the right source, right rate, right time, and right place. Former Manitoba Ag soil fertility specialist John Heard won’t argue with that strategy but he would also like farmers to think about the ‘4Ls’ — lift-off, leftover, Read More When it comes to improving fertilizer application and utilization, growers are encouraged to focus on the 4Rs — the right source, right
Early human selection of crops’ wild progenitors explains the acquisitive physiology of modern cultivars. The high leaf nitrogen, photosynthesis, conductance and transpiration of crops was already there in their wild relatives, the first farmers just happened to domesticate greedy plants. The impact of farming on prehistoric culinary practices throughout Northern Europe.
A version of this article originally appeared in The Deep Dish, our members-only newsletter. Become a member today and get the next issue directly in your inbox. Linda Black Elk grew up listening to plants. The Indigenous ethnobotanist and food sovereignty activist foraged with her mom and grandmother in the Ohio River Valley as a child, then made the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota her home alongside her husband, Luke.
I am the director of agriculture programs at the University of Arizona Yuma (UAZ Yuma), a regional Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) that offers tailored degree programs that meet regional workforce's needs. The student population is approximately 70% Hispanic and first generation.
Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – NASDA sends our deepest condolences to the family of Bill Northey, CEO of Iowa Association of Agribusiness, who recently passed. As former Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Bill was a NASDA member from 2007 – 2018 and served as NASDA President from 2011 – 2012. NASDA CEO Ted McKinney and NASDA President, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur reflected on the personal impact Bill made in their lives and for the industry.
Question of the day: What does a 30-second Super Bowl ad cost ? Answer: roughly $7 million (I’m not kidding—for 30 seconds ). Here is Statistica’s “Average cost of a 30-second Super Bowl TV commercial in the United States from 2002 to 2023.” I have to confess to not being much of a football fan but I am riveted by the junk food content—and astronomical cost—of Super Bowl ads.
A good portion of Ontario is nearing the end of what has been a very mild winter. Bare and sometimes thawed ground has many farmers asking if it’s too early for clover, for frost seeding, for tillage, and for patching in wheat crops. There’s also a saying that goes, “just because you can doesn’t mean. Read More A good portion of Ontario is nearing the end of what has been a very mild winter.
If you’re driving along the highway in Florida sometime soon, you may find the roadside dotted with the blooms of thousands of flowers. But they aren’t just eye candy. These flowers are intended to create pollinator habitat corridors. According to Jaret Daniels, curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History, we no longer have the luxury of relying only on conservation lands to address biodiversity loss.
Under pewter-colored skies, Alan Bedtka tramps through the snow and past a stand of sorghum-sudangrass, its chest-high stems rattling in the harsh wind. The tall forage stands out in southeastern Minnesota’s corn and soybean fields, which this time of year have been reduced to stubble poking through the snow. Bedtka is in his mid-30s and working to raising a small cow-calf beef herd profitably.
Alan Cruz is a senior at University of Arizona in Yuma studying agricultural systems management. He was recently named a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Future Leader in Agriculture and will be attending USDA’s 100th annual Agricultural Outlook Forum in Washington, D.C., held February 15-16, 2024.
Press Release WASHINGTON, D.C. – At today’s 2024 Winter Policy Conference , the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture members voted to support consistency and transparency on pet food labels. This action item encourages state feed regulatory programs with authority over pet food to adopt the Association of American Feed Control Officials ’ Model Regulations for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food swiftly and uniformly while respecting individual state legal authorities and regulat
I’m always interested in the USDA’s charts displaying food and agriculture statistics. They help to clarify complicated issues. Agricultural trade is particularly opaque, but here it is at a glance. First, what the US exports: Next, what we import: What so bizarre here is that the categories are the same; we export and import the same kinds of products.
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