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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “financial”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking steps to streamline and provide flexibilities for environmental compliance requirements for 2024 hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. It is allowing its Farm Service Agency (FSA) to expedite approval of payments and practice implementation for Emergency Conservation Program (ECP), Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) and Tree Assistance Program (TAP) applicants impacted by the …
Producers may sign up for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s $2 billion Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program through Jan. 8, 2025. MASC provides financial assistance to specialty crop producers to help expand domestic markets or develop new markets for their crops. MASC helps specialty crop producers offset higher marketing costs related to: ELIGIBILITY MASC covers numerous commercially marketed …
The application period is now open for Georgia’s SAFETY 24 Hurricane Helene Relief Loan Program. The low-interest, emergency loan program will provide Georgia farmers funds to recover from Hurricane Helene damage, replace lost income and continue farm operations until additional federal aid is delivered. Farmers who suffered losses from Hurricane Helene and reside in a Federal Emergency Management (FEMA)-designated disaster …
Preliminary crop and infrastructure losses from Hurricane Milton are estimated between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) reported the preliminary estimate a week after Milton made landfall on Oct. 9 near Siesta Key in Sarasota County as a Category 3 hurricane. The information in the FDACS document, Preliminary Estimates of Damage to …
Eligible Florida farmers, ranchers and growers impacted by Hurricane Milton can apply for low-interest or interest-free loans of up to $500,000, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) announced. Impacted agricultural producers can learn more and apply here for the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program. Loans may be used to restore, repair or replace …
Florida farmers, ranchers and growers impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for interest-free loans through the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program. Eligible agriculture and aquaculture producers can use loans to restore, repair or replace essential physical property — including fences, equipment, greenhouses and other buildings — or to remove vegetative debris. The loan availability was announced …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program to include medium-sized and small businesses. Eligible specialty crop growers can apply for assistance for expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety certification. The program includes assistance for 2024 and 2025 expenses. Producers can apply for assistance on their calendar year …
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) recently reported that the Florida Legislature’s fiscal year 2024–25 budget includes $47 million to aid the state’s citrus industry. The funding for various programs is: Additionally, the Florida Legislature’s budget includes a $100 million annual appropriation for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which aims to protect working agricultural operations from development by establishing conservation easements. …
Alico, Inc.’s Citrus Division reported it had “significantly lower than anticipated” early and mid-season orange production for the fiscal quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2023. It blamed the reduction on the ongoing effects of 2022’s Hurricane Ian. Although the early and mid-season crops were lower than anticipated, Alico still harvested more boxes, produced more pound solids and received higher prices …
Seventy-five U.S. House of Representatives members have asked House and Senate appropriations leaders for an H-2A visa guestworker wage freeze in an upcoming spending package. The text of the representatives’ letter to appropriations leaders follows: “We write with shared concerns regarding the annual adjustment to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR). Now in 2024, the H-2A labor rates paid by …
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson recently announced that farmers can apply for the Florida Farm Tax Exempt Agricultural Materials (TEAM) Card beginning Jan. 1, 2024. The card can be used for sales-tax-exempt purchases of agricultural materials. The Florida Department of Revenue will accept online and mailed applications. The plastic wallet-sized Florida Farm TEAM Card is a physical alternative to …
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) was among more than 140 U.S. agriculture organizations that recently urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to revise the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) for 2022. In 2022, President Biden signed into law appropriations legislation providing $3.74 billion in ERP assistance to agricultural producers impacted by numerous natural disasters in 2022. FFVA and …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated numerous Georgia counties as eligible for disaster relief for a variety of reasons. DROUGHT USDA designated 20 Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas due to recent drought conditions. This allows the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to provide emergency loans to producers recovering from natural disasters. Producers in primary and contiguous counties have …
Alico Citrus, a division of Alico, Inc., harvested less than half its citrus in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023 as it did in the prior year. The decline was largely the result of impacts from Hurricane Ian in September 2022. Alico has approximately 49,000 citrus acres in seven Florida counties. The company reported on Dec. 6 that it …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $3 billion to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2022. Eligible producers can apply for financial assistance through the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) 2022. The program will help offset the financial impacts of crop yield and value losses from qualifying disasters occurring in 2022. “In our continued …
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) reported that Congress was expected to receive a supplemental funding request from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in early August. “We worked with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to craft a letter urging (OMB) Director Shalanda Young to include relief for Florida’s farmers in their (OMB) request,” FCM Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has extended the deadline for applications from agricultural producers for the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) to address damages from Hurricane Ian in Florida. The application deadline has been extended to Sept. 25, 2023. The 28 approved counties for ECP signup are Brevard, Broward, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, DeSoto, Flagler, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian …
Florida citrus grower and landholder Alico, Inc. on Aug. 3 announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023 and the nine months ended June 30, 2023. For the nine months, Alico harvested approximately 2.7 million boxes of citrus, a decrease of approximately 51% from the same period in the prior fiscal year. After the completion of the …
The Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka hosted the first annual Growing Together: Central Florida Partners for Agriculture Symposium on July 27. The event was for both beginning and experienced growers and explored various tax, regulatory and insurance issues farm businesses must deal with. Several presentations focused on irrigation and nutrient management and how growers can obtain cost-share funds …
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced two programs that collectively provide $3.7 billion in assistance to crop and livestock producers who sustained losses due to natural disasters like Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022. They are the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) and Emergency Livestock Relief Program. To participate in the programs, producers should have or be prepared to have the …
