Farmers and ranchers have received a temporary reprieve from federal reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), thanks to a nationwide injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The ruling delays enforcement of the Beneficial Ownership Information filing requirements, which were set to take effect Jan. 1, 2025. The CTA mandates that businesses, …
Senators Call for Freeze on H-2A Wage Rate
Sixteen U.S. senators recently introduced a bill to revert the H-2A program’s adverse effect wage rate (AEWR) to the December 2023 rate through the end of the 2025 growing season. Two of the senators who introduced the Supporting Farm Operations Act of 2024 are from citrus-producing states — Rick Scott of Florida and John Cornyn of Texas. A majority of …
EPA Ban of Chlorpyrifos Overturned by Court
The federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Nov. 2 ruled the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) failed to follow the law when it revoked chlorpyrifos tolerances — effectively banning the pesticide. “Its (EPA’s) decision was arbitrary and capricious … so we grant the petitions for review and vacate its order,” the court stated. See the court’s ruling here. The American …
U.S. Citrus Demand Exceeds Supply
While the U.S. domestic supply of citrus has declined tremendously, imports have increased substantially. That, says American Farm Bureau Federation economist Daniel Munch, is a telltale sign that consumer demand for citrus in the United States is now greater than domestic production capacity. “In other words, we’ve become partially reliant on other nations for citrus products,” Munch writes in U.S. …
Weather, Costs and Other Citrus Impacts
In U.S. Citrus Production – An Uphill Battle to Survive, Daniel Munch zeroed in on issues impacting citrus-producing states. In excerpts that follow, the American Farm Bureau Federation economist focuses on weather, disease, population, production shifts and increasing costs that have impacted citrus. FLORIDA FACES NUMEROUS CHALLENGESIn 2017, Hurricane Irma’s high winds and damaging rains battered key citrus-producing regions in …
U.S. Citrus Concerns Summarized
American Farm Bureau Federation economist Daniel Munch recently detailed concerns about the U.S. citrus industry in a report titled U.S. Citrus Production – An Uphill Battle to Survive. Excerpts providing an overview of those concerns follow. Once leaders in citrus crop production, U.S. growers (particularly those in Florida) have faced numerous challenges that have led to an unfortunate decline in …