NEWS BRIEFS

Compiled by Jim Frankowiak

FDACS Seeking Woman of the Year in Agriculture Award Nominees

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is accepting nominations for the Woman of the Year in Agriculture Award. The deadline for nominations is August 1. To be considered for the honor, nominees must be at least 25 years old; actively involved in agriculture and residents of Florida for the last consecutive 10 years; possess a minimum of 10 years of agricultural industry experience; have demonstrated community involvement through professional and/or civic contributions, and have made unique or outstanding contributions to the agriculture industry.

Nomination forms for the honor are available at FDACS.gov.

Farm Bureau Foundation Fellows Launch Digital Skills and Ag Literacy Lessons

The 2023 Farm Bureau Foundation Fellows have launched four free Applied Digital Skills lessons dedicated to helping students learn about food, fuel, and fiber. The lessons were developed with support from Grow with Google to make digital skills and agricultural literacy more accessible to students nationwide with a focus on rural classrooms. The lessons are part of the Agriculture and Rural Communities Collection, which are available for free to educators in the U.S.

For more information, visit: agfoundation.org.

2023 Hurricane Season Predicted to be Slightly Below Average

Colorado State University (CSU) is predicting a “slightly below average” Atlantic Hurricane season in 2023. CSU is predicting 13 named storms with six becoming hurricanes and two of the six reaching major hurricane strength with sustained winds of 111-miles-per-hour or greater.

USDA Has $11 Billion Available for Clean and Affordable Energy, New Jobs and Healthier Communities

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has nearly $10 billion available to eligible rural electric cooperatives to deploy renewable energy systems; zero emission and carbon capture systems. USDA will also make $1 billion available in partially forgivable loans to renewable-energy developers and electric service providers to help finance large-scale solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower projects and energy storage in support of renewable energy systems. More information on both programs is available at: www.rd.usda.gov.

USDA Announces Funding for Organic Growers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced new funding to strengthen the market for domestically grown organic goods, and to support producers seeking organic certification, both are part of the USDA’s Organic Transition Initiative. More information and application steps are available by contacting the USDA Plant City Service Center, 201 South Collins Street. Telephone: 813/752-1474.

How to Learn about GMOs

USDA NRCS Seeks Innovative Approaches to Urban Agriculture Proposals

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida will invest up to $1 million for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for urban agriculture, water conservation, carbon sequestration, and soil health. The deadline for submitting proposals is July 14, 2023. For more information, visit: grants.gov and Conservation Innovation Grants – Florida Natural Resources Conservation Service (usda.gov).

“Feed Your Mind” is an agricultural biotechnology education outreach initiative launched by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help consumers better understand genetically engineered foods, commonly called GMOs or genetically modified organism. Information in both English and Spanish is available at: fda.gov/food/consumers/agricultural-technology.

Farm Bureau Speech Contest Entries Welcomed

The Hillsborough County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee is hosting the annual speech contest for students aged 14 –18. This year’s contest will be held on August 15th in Plant City at 6 p.m. This year’s topic is “How Have Supply Chain Issues Impacted Florida Agriculture.” Contact kayleepoppell@ffbf. org to register. More details on this competition are available at floridafarmbureau.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ youth-speech-contest-packet-2923.pdf.