President and Ag Secretary Host Farmer’s Roundtable at the White House
Shortly after being sworn in as the 31st Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Purdue, along with President Trump hosted a ‘farmer’s roundtable’ at the White House on Tuesday afternoon. The meeting was to address issues facing the American agriculture community, and allowed representative from all corners of American agriculture to raise concerns and share ideas with the president and the ag secretary. The southeast was represented by James Lamb of Lamb Farms and Prestage Farms from Clinton, NC and North Carolina’s Ag Commissioner, Steve Troxler.
Weather Forecast May 2-8
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey, sees more rain in the forecast for the period of May 2nd through the 8th:
“We could see some lingering warmth along the Atlantic seaboard. Looking at precipitation patterns for May 2nd through the 8th, looks like it will stay showery from the Mississippi Valley, eastward.”
Executive Order Creates New Agriculture Panel
An executive order by President Donald Trump creates a panel to look at agricultural issues. Ray Starling, a special assistant to the president on agriculture, says the executive order will sunset the White House Rural Council started under President Barack Obama in 2011. Trump’s White House will then restart a similar inter-agency rural task force to look at legislative, regulatory, or policy issues that hinder economic growth in agriculture. Starling says the new task force will work to promote agriculture, economic development, job growth, infrastructure improvements, technological innovation, energy security, and quality of life in rural America. The task force will be expected to produce a report within 180 days.
USDA to Study Antibiotics Use in Pork operations
The Department of Agriculture will begin a four-month study in May on how antimicrobials are used in U.S. swine operations. Meat industry publication Meatingplace reports the agency’s National Animal Health Monitoring System, along with the National Agricultural Statistics Service, is conducting a new data collection and reporting effort that will focus on antimicrobial use and stewardship practices on swine nursery and grower-finisher facilities with a capacity of at least 1,000 head. The study is part of USDA’s Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan released in 2015.
A native of the Texas Panhandle, Rhonda was born and raised on a cotton farm where she saw cotton farming evolve from ditch irrigation to center pivot irrigation and harvest trailers to modules. After graduating from Texas Tech University, she got her start in radio with KGNC News Talk 710 in Amarillo, Texas.
