Horticulture; Greenhouse, Nursery & Sod 

Produce Safety Alliance grower training is April 18 in Clanton and May 16 in Auburn. These courses satisfy FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements and cover produce safety, worker health, hygiene, wildlife and developing a food safety plan. Learn more at afvga.org.

-Mac Higginbotham, divisions director

Beef

The Alabama Farmers Ag Foundation (AFAF) helped sponsor a hands-on calving simulator during the 2018 American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association Symposium at Auburn University March 23-24. Over 800 U.S. and international students, advisers and representatives attended the symposium. Thanks to AFAF’s sponsorship, more than 35 students also became Beef Quality Assurance certified.

-Nate Jaeger, division director

Forestry

Tuscaloosa-based The Westervelt Co. announced construction of a new south Alabama lumber mill. The mill will complement an existing facility in Moundville, the second-largest southern yellow pine-producing facility in the U.S. It will create over 100 new jobs and produce about 250 million board feet annually.

-William Green, division director

Soybean; Wheat & Feed Grain

Farm Bureau members can save $100 when registering for INTL FCStone’s Top-Tier Grain Producer Risk Academy in Chicago July 23-25. The meeting is tailored for farmers with 2,000 or more tillable acres of corn, soybeans, wheat or canola who want to learn grain marketing and risk management trends. Register with code “AFBF” at bit.ly/2HYcoem.

-Carla Hornady, divisions director 

Peanuts

The Alabama Peanut Producers Association sponsored a PB&J Party during Auburn University College of Agriculture’s Ag Week March 30. Two teams competed to make the most peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in an hour. Two thousand sandwiches were donated to those in Lee and Montgomery counties in need of a nutritious meal.

-Caleb Bristow, division director

Pork

On April 1, China placed an additional 25 percent tariff on U.S. pork exports in retaliation for tariffs on steel and aluminum shipped to the U.S. China was U.S. pork’s third-largest market, with more than $1 billion shipped to the country in 2017. Hopefully these tariffs will be short-lived as negotiations continue.

-Guy Hall, division director