FSMA Implementation for Food Facilities and Farms – Why this Matters to You
The FDA has announced several final rules in recent months as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). There are some key details that every member of the fresh produce industry needs to examine and understand in terms of how FDA defines certain activities and types of operations.
What You Need to Know About the GMO Food-Labeling Bill
President Obama signed a bill into law that makes labeling genetically modified foods mandatory. Keep reading for more information on the new requirements and how this may impact your packaging.
A New Image of the Average American Farmer
Calloused hands from years of hard labor. Weary eyes from decades of watching the sun and the fields and the weather. Deep wrinkles from what seems like a century of hoping that this year’s harvest will provide enough to get by. This is the stereotypical farmer that many Americans tend to think of when we are talking about the people that grow our food. Dirty boots, coveralls, plaid shirts, straw hats and maybe a piece of straw sticking out from between their teeth.
Why Farmers Shouldn’t be Afraid of Big Data
Big data, by definition, is extremely large sets of data that may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends and associations. In agriculture, big data refers to all of the information being collected by various agriculture technologies or farm employees.
Penalty Increase: Ensure You are in Compliance to Avoid Civil Penalties
Did you know, on July 1, 2016 the Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvement Act went into effect. Of course, the devil is in the details or in this case the rules. The US Department of Labor just announced “new” rules to adjust civil penalty amounts to adjust for inflation.
More Carrots, Less Sticks: How D.C. is Preventing Farmers from Feeding the World
In 1835, Alex de Tocqueville, a French political thinker and historian known for his works Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution wrote, “The greatness of America lies in her ability to repair her faults.” But, how do we repair our faults within the current political discourse?
Precision Ag Made Simple: It’s not Complicated
Farmers have always faced a variety of challenges, spanning from weather, environmental degradation, regulatory and compliance, costs of production and labor, and the chaos of markets. Precision agriculture allows farmers to easily track all of this data while collecting real-time information that can help farmers respond more quickly to the challenges they face.
Why Highland Precision Ag Puts the Farmer’s Interest Ahead of Anything Else
He’s the brains behind Highland Precision Ag. Growing up alongside his grandfather in the fields of Georgia, Steve has seen firsthand some of the challenges growers have faced with maintaining postharvest quality, as well as handling and marketing their products. That’s why he’s dedicated himself to building a company steeped in precision agriculture practices committed to the success of the farmer.
How Farmers Can Overcome Changing Weather Patterns
Climate change. No one wants to talk about it, yet, it’s something that will continue to have an impact on the agriculture industry for years to come. And farmers—arguably the individuals most affected by weather variability—may be on the front lines in the battle against it, armed with more sustainable farming practices, such as precision agriculture technologies.
$130 Million Available for Foundational Agricultural Research, Education & Extension
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced yesterday that $130 million in funding is available to support sustainable, productive and economically viable plant and animal production systems, including: certified organic production, agriculture technology, food safety and more.