American Farmland Trust (AFT) announced a partnership with Edelen Renewables and Arcadia last Tuesday. To protect America's farmland and ranchland, the Farmers Powering Communities is using solar energy to combat climate change. They are bringing this renewable energy to communities where it is not readily available or places that do not have access to rooftop solar panels. This will begin in 2023 across a number of states that already have...
Over 90% of Puerto Rico's crops were destroyed as Hurricane Fiona hit the island as a Category 1 hurricane on September 17, 2022. Agriculture is an important aspect of the island, and some of the plants that were blown over did not lose their fruit, so farmers can still harvest and export the fruit if they have the correct equipment to get to their fields. The main crops that are grown are rice, sugar, cane, coffee, and corn.
The Economic Research Service (ERS) through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported in 2021 the number of households with children that were experiencing food insecurity was at a 20 year low. In 2020, 14.8 percent of households were food insecure, while in 2021 this number dropped to 12.5 percent. Food insecurity in children was 7.6 percent in 2020 while it was down to 6.2 percent in 2021.
Grow with Google partnered with the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture (AFBFA) to train 2,000 teachers in digital skills. These teachers will reach 200,000 students in rural communities around America by the end of the 2022-2023 school year. AFBFA is supporting this effort by creating the Farm Bureau Foundation Fellows Program, which is an 8-month program designed to help fellows develop a place-based curriculum that incorporates...
Feeding Minds Press has released a new title, Hero for the Hungry by Norman Borlaug. This book tells the story of Norman Borlaug, the "Father of the Green Revolution," and his fight to end world hunger. “We’re excited to introduce today’s youth to Norman Borlaug,” said Daniel Meloy, executive director of the Foundation. “With ‘Hero for the Hungry,’ we hope Norman Borlaug’s story of science and true American grit inspires young...
The United States Department of Agriculture (UDSA) has a new $550 million program that is supporting projects that enable underserved producers access to land, capital, and markets, and train the next diverse generation of agricultural professionals. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the funding is part of “USDA’s unwavering commitment to advancing equity for all, including people who have been underserved, marginalized, and adversely...
Shannon Carnevale, Natural Resources and Conservation Extension Agent for UF/IFAS Extension Polk County, and Lara Milligan, Natural Resources Agent for UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County, started their podcast, Naturally Florida in June of 2021. Since, they have published over 18 episodes, which are available on most common podcast apps such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Amazon Music. This podcast won the Silver Award for...
Gut health takes 2 forms in cattle: how effectively the nutrients in the food are being processed and used by the body, and how effectively pathogens are being contained in the digestive tract so they are not impacting the rest of the body. These pathogens are beneficial to the digestive tract in cattle as they assist in the food breakdown process. In animals with good gut health, there is a barrier that keeps these pathogens contained. When...
Breaded and stuffed raw chicken products have been the cause of 14 outbreaks and over 200 foodborne illnesses since 1988. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will declare Salmonella as an adulterant in breaded and stuffed raw chicken products. Some of these products in the food appeared to be cooked, but were only heat treated to set the batter and breading, or still raw. “Food safety is at the heart of everything,” says Ag...
Studies have been done by Fundecitrus that found the first four stages of orange tree shoot development are the most attractive ones to Huanglongbing (HLB) spreading psyllids. These stages, (V1 to V4) are critical to take care of in a young orange trees life, insecticides should be used to keep the pesky psyllids away. “This is because the insecticides applied to the leaves do not have a systemic action, that is, they do not move within the...
