Agriculture
A ‘shell’ bill to regulate Delta-8 THC rushes through Kentucky House
FRANKFORT — After a court decision last year legalized an intoxicating compound derived from hemp, a bill to regulate Delta-8 THC sped through the House of Representatives on Thursday.? Delta-8 THC can get a user “high” similar to the Delta-9 THC compound found in marijuana. Some hemp farmers have been trying to find a market […]
U.S. agriculture secretary unveils initiatives aimed at small and midsized farms
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Monday announced new steps the Department of Agriculture is taking to recenter U.S. agriculture and benefit small and midsized operations, including a proposed new “Product of USA” labeling rule and an $89 million expansion of the USDA intermediary lending program. At the National Farmers Union conference in San Francisco, […]
Bill could pave way for online news outlets to publish legally-required public notices
FRANKFORT — Without a daily or weekly printed newspaper of record in Northern Kentucky, local leaders are seeking a way to get public notices out to readers digitally.? The House Local Government Committee on March 3 gave its favor to House Bill 534, which would create qualifications for a digital news publication to be considered […]
After compromise, small farm wineries self-distribution advances, awaits only a House vote
FRANKFORT — After the Kentucky Senate last week approved allowing Kentucky small farm wineries to self-distribute their products, a House of Representatives committee followed suit Wednesday.? The bill underwent some changes since it was filed after the wineries and the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Kentucky reached a compromise on the amount of wine the […]
Market innovation a path to economic equity in farming, Vilsack tells ag conference
WASHINGTON – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urged the private sector and government officials to address inequity and promote innovation in what he called a “pivotal moment” in the nation’s history at an industry conference Thursday. In the opening session of the 99th USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum, Vilsack said new income streams and markets will […]
Kentucky small farm wineries seek to self-distribute more product
FRANKFORT — Kentucky’s small farm wineries are asking lawmakers to let them sell up to 30,000 gallons of wine annually to licensed retailers, but the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Kentucky says that’s too much. Charles George, executive director of the wholesalers group, told a legislative committee that the wholesalers would support direct sales to […]
U.S. Senate panel debates safety net spending in upcoming farm bill
WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee quibbled Thursday over spending on crop insurance and ad-hoc disaster relief, previewing potential fights in the 2023 farm bill. Legislators of both parties emphasized their support at a Thursday hearing for better funding programs that protect underserved producers, and accounting for future natural disasters […]
Kentucky agriculture group named to address large animal vet shortage
Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles has named a working group of agriculture industry stakeholders to search for “solutions to the state’s large animal vet shortage,” the Agriculture Department said Friday.? A shortage of large animal veterinarians across the country has created “a negative impact as farmers search to find the veterinary care they need […]
Billions in federal farm payments flow to a select group of producers, report shows
WASHINGTON — The top 10% of recipients of federal farm payments raked in more than 79% of total subsidies over the last 25 years — producing billions of dollars for a relatively small group of U.S. producers, according to a new analysis of federal data from an environmental group. In total, the federal government paid […]
Danville farm will expand beef marketing with USDA value-added grant
In an ongoing effort to diversify the country’s meat processing and create new markets for smaller livestock producers, the federal government is distributing about $3.9 million of grant money and guaranteeing loans that total $5.7 million for more than two dozen projects in 15 states, including Kentucky. Danville farmer Dennis Spencer Guinn was awarded a […]
In West Tennessee, Black farmers take on Tyson Foods
This article was first published by the Tennessee Lookout. Brenda Scott’s father came to west Tennessee as a sharecropper. By 1971 — as a result of hard work and government loans — he had 129 acres of his own, some of which his descendants occupy today. His adult children and grandchildren belong to an enclave […]
Happy cows, good food, more profits for farmers
NEW CASTLE?— For more than a century Henry County relied on tobacco to keep its farmers and its economy going. For most of the second half of the 20th century a federal program?stabilized the price of tobacco, guaranteeing those farmers a steady, predictable income. That all changed in the new century after Congress ended tobacco […]