Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Benefit Cards Available for Seniors
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) is a federally funded program administered by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ Farmers Market Authority Section. The SFMNP provides eligible seniors with a $50 benefit card to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from certified farmers at farmers markets and farm stands in the State of Alabama. “The SFMNP card allows senior citizens to purchase more local products. I want to encourage those who are eligible to apply and begin... read more ❯
USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Applications Being Accepted
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) is accepting grant applications for projects that enhance the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops in foreign and domestic markets. The application deadline for these specialty crop block grants through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is March 15, 2024, 5:00 p.m. CST. Specialty crops are defined by USDA as fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture (including maple syrup and honey) and nursery crops (including floriculture). Commodity groups, agricultural... read more ❯
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in Alabama Commercial Poultry Pullet Farm
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial pullet farm in Marshall County, Alabama.
Samples from the flock were tested at the Alabama State Diagnostic Laboratory, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed positive at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa. APHIS is working closely with state animal health... read more ❯
ADAI Accepting 2024 Applications for Growing and Processing Industrial Hemp
MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Alabama hemp growers, processors/handlers and universities may apply for an industrial hemp license from the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) starting, Wednesday, November 1, 2023. Applications will only be accepted online at https://agi.alabama.gov/hemp/formsandapplications/. The final day to apply for a hemp license is January 15, 2024 by 5:00 pm (CST). In 2016, the Alabama Legislature passed the Alabama Industrial Hemp Research Program Act, Section 2-8-380 Code of Alabama 1975, tasking ADAI with the development of a licensing... read more ❯
USDA Designates 11 Additional Alabama Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Today, Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate announced that USDA Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack has designated eleven Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas due to a recent drought. Additional counties were listed as contiguous disaster counties. “We recognize that the drought conditions have hit Alabama farmers hard and hope this disaster relief from USDA will ease some of the financial burdens,” said Commissioner Pate. “We encourage farmers to reach out to their local USDA... read more ❯
ADAI Works with ALDOT to Waive Hay Hauling Permit Fees
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Due to ongoing drought conditions, the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries (ADAI) has consulted with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to waive the hay hauling permit fee. Haulers still must apply for a permit and comply with the requirements. The permits available for loads up to 12 feet wide, 14 feet high with up to 80,000 lbs. on five axles.
“The lack of rainfall and high temperatures are affecting livestock producers’ winter forage planting conditions,... read more ❯
USDA Designates Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas
Montgomery, Ala. USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced a Secretarial natural disaster designation for five Alabama counties as primary natural disaster areas due to a recent drought. Additional areas in the state and adjacent states were named as contiguous disaster counties. This designation will extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from drought through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming... read more ❯
LIVESTOCK SHELTER OPEN IN ALABAMA IN PREPARATION FOR HURRICANE IDALIA
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – In preparation for Hurricane Idalia, entry requirements have been lifted for livestock animals that are moving across state lines. The following temporary sheltering facility has agreed to provide a place for evacuees with livestock including horses and cattle to stay. Pike County Cattlemen's Association - Cattleman Park
4100 US HWY 231 S
Troy, AL 36081 Building Number: 334-566-0892 The shelter is only equipped to shelter livestock, not pets or companion animals such as dogs or cats. These facilities will be available at... read more ❯
Commissioner Pate Advises Horse Owners to Vaccinate for EEE & West Nile Virus
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) Commissioner Rick Pate has announced that a horse has tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) by the ADAI’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Auburn. The positive result originated from a horse in Baldwin County. EEE is a mosquito-transmitted disease that is more severe than West Nile Virus (WNV). The mortality rate in horses from WNV is reported at around 30%, while the rate for EEE is almost 90%. “Unfortunately, mosquito-borne viruses like EEE... read more ❯
Yellow Legged Hornet
On Tuesday, August 15, 2023, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) announced the first detection of the yellow-legged hornet (YLH), Vespa velutina, in North America. The specimen was reported by a beekeeper near the port of Savannah, GA. This hornet is not to be confused with the Northern giant hornet discovered in Northwestern USA in 2020, which has not been found outside of that region. The yellow-legged hornet is a predator of honeybees and poses a risk to Alabama’s beekeeping... read more ❯