TURFGRASS INDUSTRY NEWS
proposal’s announcement in October 2022. Te final rule (Release Number: 23-2369-NAT) took effect on March 11, 2024. Editor’s Note: Te “Handy Reference Guide to the Fair Labor Standards Act,” which was to be updated by the U.S. DOL to incorporate the new regulations, can be found at the link that follows.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/compliance-assistance/handy- reference-guide-flsa
AgWeb Offers Smart Farming Insights As offered in its March 12, 2024, email, Discover the untapped potential of the agricultural frontier through our latest, exclusive compilation of whitepapers. Delve into the forefront of technology, innovative farming methods, and crucial insights to enhance your farm's technological framework. Go to the link that follows and fill out the information-required form to download the document.
https://preferences.farmjournal.com/2024-
AgWebInnovationInsights_2023-TopProducerModernFarmer-SignUp.html
GAO Report Touts Benefits, Challenges to Adoption of Precision Ag From Irrigation Today News Harvest issued March 5, 2024. Te report examines the current state of precision agriculture and presents a number of policy recommendations to address low adoption rates. Te Government Accountability Office, Washington, D.C., released a report, “Precision Agriculture: Benefits, Challenges, and Policy Options” (GAO-24-105962), examining the state of precision agriculture, its advantages, and obstacles to its widespread adoption. Te report also presented policy solutions to enhance its use and benefits. It can be found at
https://www.gao. gov/products/gao-24-105962. Adoption and Federal Support Although precision agriculture technologies have been accessible since the 1990s, their adoption was reported at 27 percent among U.S. farms from June 2022 to June 2023. Te United States Department of Agriculture and National Science Foundation have backed the sector with around $200 million in R&D funding from 2017 to 2021 to boost adoption and technological advancements. Benefits and Challenges Te benefits of precision agriculture include increased profitability, reduced input usage and environmental gains. However, challenges such as high initial costs, data sharing concerns and the absence of standards hinder broader use. Policy Recommendations Te GAO report suggests policy measures across three areas to overcome these obstacles:
• enhancing adoption: Improve accessibility to financial assistance and extend educational outreach.
• fostering innovation: Support R&D for better on-farm data gathering and analysis, and advocate for interoperable standards.
• data management: Promote better data analysis tools and encourage transparent data sharing practices.
Te CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 included provisions for GAO to conduct a technology assessment and review federal programs, according to the report.
TPI Turf News May/June 2024
President’s Budget Confirms Crop Insurance Essential to Farm Safety Net From press release issued March 13, 2024, By National Crop Insurance Services On March 11, President Joe Biden released a proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget that fully funds the Federal crop insurance program in recognition of the indispensable role that crop insurance plays in the farm safety net. Te budget states that the “administration supports improvements to crop insurance, proactively managing risk from natural hazards, including the permanent authorization of the cover crop incentive program.” Te release of the FY 2025 Budget follows a January letter from more than 60 farming, banking, and conservation organizations asking the Secretary of Agriculture and the Biden Administration to protect crop insurance from harmful budget cuts. Tese organizations represent a wide swath of American agriculture, including both row crop and specialty crop growers, ranchers, farm lenders, manufacturers, and environmental advocates. “Given the challenges faced by rural America and the critical nature of crop insurance, cuts to the program should be avoided. We urge you to continue to support America’s farmers and ranchers and oppose cuts to crop insurance during this year’s budget process,” the organizations wrote. Farmers, agribusinesses, lenders, and lawmakers agree that crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net and is crucial to the economic and food and fiber security of urban and rural America. Te American Association of Crop Insurers, Crop Insurance and Reinsurance Bureau, Crop Insurance Professionals Association, Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, and National Crop Insurance Services released the following joint statement on this impressive show of support from rural America for the Federal crop insurance program: “America’s farm families face incredible challenges every day,
including the threat of unexpected weather disasters. We’re proud that the certainty provided by crop insurance helps these families manage their risks and protects the world’s safest and most affordable food supply. Both the Biden Administration and Congress have repeatedly recognized the importance of crop insurance as the most critical element of the farm safety net, and we encourage them both to once again fully fund crop insurance. “Te crop insurance program works for farmers and taxpayers alike by:
• Providing predictable, within-budget assistance to farmers and allowing farmers to customize their policies to their individual farm and financial risk needs.
• Requiring farmers to share in the risk. Last year, farmers spent $6.8 billion to purchase crop insurance and then shouldered a significant portion of losses through deductibles.
• Complementing farmers’ efforts to invest in conservation and climate-smart farming practices.
“Te Federal government spends less than a quarter of one percent of its budget on the farm safety net, including crop insurance, making this a worthwhile investment to protect the world’s most affordable and safe food and fiber supply.”
63
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
