The Florida Cattlemen's Convention Allied Tradeshow has brought a challenge to participants for the past 5 years with the Top Rancher and Top Youth Rancher Challenges at the University of Florida/IFAS Forage and Livestock booth. Participants are invited to complete a 15-question quiz with questions on cattle production created by the Forage and Livestock Extension teams. Winners of this challenge receive customized belt buckles with the top 10...
With New World Screwworm on the prowl, farmers and ranchers have a new pest to be on the lookout for. Pasture mealybug, the newest invasive pest impacting pastures, hay, turfgrass, and sugarcane producers, is a small, sap-feeding insect with a white, waxy coating that makes them appear fluffy. This pest was detected in late May 2026 on limpograss in South Florida. This information comes from the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education...
After 60 years of the New World screwworm being eradicated, the pesky fly has returned and is threatening the cattle industry once again. American Farm Bureau Federation President, Zippy Duvall commented, "The re-emergence of New World screwworm in the United States after 60 years will have an immediate impact on farmers and ranchers in the affected areas. We are confident that the longstanding coordination between the states and USDA will...
Supporting over 103,000 jobs and producing nearly $29 billion in total economic output in 2023, Florida's forestry industry has proven it's place in the economy. Ag Commissioner, Wilton Simpson, says, “Florida’s forest industry is a major economic driver for our state. It supports jobs, strengthens rural communities, and provides sustainable products we all rely on. These findings show why it’s so important that we continue to support and...
This article from American Farm Bureau Federation by Economist, Brent Nelson, says that in 2025, a total of 105.25 billion eggs were produced in the United States, according to USDA. This is a decline of 4% from the year before, or about 3.9 billion eggs. The outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has a hand in this decline of eggs from 2024 to 2025 which has resulted in a decline in egg prices for 2026. To read more on this visit...
This American Farm Bureau article states, "Demand for data centers, driven by the growth of artificial intelligence (AI), high performance computing and cloud service adoption, is continuing to outpace U.S. supply capacity. According to a study by Goldman Sachs, in 2025 U.S. demand for data center capacity outpaced supply by about 11.4 gigawatts or about 43%. The study forecasts the capacity supply to increase by 150%, from 26.7 gigawatts in...
Ernie Barnett has been announced as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 2026 recipient of the Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award. This award has been presented annually since 1994. To read more about this, visit
Burn bans and disaster declarations have been put in place across Florida and Georgia as moisture levels drop and wildfire numbers rise. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson reviewed active wildfire efforts and wildfire damage in Clay and Putnam Counties earlier this week, saying “I am incredibly grateful to Florida Forest Service Director Rick Dolan and his team, Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook and Fire Chief Mock for their...
Do you ever wonder why honey (if stored properly) doesn't generally spoil? The answer is hydrogen peroxide! The worker bees secrete an enzyme that, when mixed with the nectar they collect, creates a reaction that produces hydrogen peroxide. This results in not only food that is nutritious for the colony, but also protects it from bacteria, fungi, and even pests. Lewis Bartlett, assistant professor in the University of Georgia Department of...
Cattle producers have been on edge about the threat of New World Screwworm (NWS) creeping its way to our borders. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is implementing a five-pronged plan that started in June to mitigate this potentially large issue. NWS is a parasitic fly that burrows into open wounds on livestock, pets, wildlife, occasionally birds, and rarely humans. The first human case of NWS was reported on August 4th from a...
