USDA Grant to Provide Relief to Seafood Processors Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic - Deadline Extended Until August 12, 2022
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) recently announced a grant program to distribute $200,000 in relief funds for eligible Alabama seafood processors, dealers, and processing vessels who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The deadline to apply for this program has been extended. The State of Alabama was allocated this funding under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program. ADAI will administer the grant program on behalf... read more ❯
A Healthy You, A Healthy Farm
May is Mental Health Awareness month, and the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries (ADAI) would like to highlight a program that puts Alabama farmer’s mental health at the forefront. The ADAI was awarded the Farm and Ranch Assistance Network project grant, established by USDA in October of 2021. Through this grant, ADAI was able to develop the initiative “A Healthy You, A Healthy Farm.” This program partners with the Alabama Department of Mental Health to provide mental health training... read more ❯
FDA Issues Warning Letters to Companies Illegally Selling CBD and Delta-8 THC Products
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters to five companies for selling products labeled as containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (delta-8 THC) in ways that violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). This action is the first time the FDA has issued warning letters for products containing delta-8 THC. Delta-8 THC has psychoactive and intoxicating effects and may be dangerous to consumers. The FDA has received reports of adverse events experienced by patients who have consumed... read more ❯
Meet cogongrass, the fire-loving, stabby demon plant invading Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – It doesn’t look like much at first, a dense field of grass with a few willowy white tufts like dandelions sprouting at the top. But cogongrass, an Asian-native plant, is spreading fast across Alabama and costing landowners millions. Cogongrass chokes out forests and hunting lands, threatening habitats. It inhibits the growth of other plants and ruins pasturelands, as livestock have trouble eating or digesting it. The weed is also highly flammable and increases the risk of devastating wildfires. Cogongrass doesn’t... read more ❯
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Benefit Cards still 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 $30 benefit card to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables from certified farmers at farmers markets and farm stands in the state of Alabama. This year’s program was launched in January and funds are still available. Market season is here and seniors who have applied should... read more ❯
USDA Grant to Provide Relief to Seafood Processors Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) announces a grant program to distribute $200,000 in relief funds for eligible Alabama seafood processors, dealers, and processing vessels who were financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of Alabama was allocated this funding under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program. ADAI will administer the grant program on behalf of USDA to qualified applicants. The grant is intended to defray... read more ❯
Financial Relief for Landowners to Fight Cogongrass
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Financial relief will soon be available to assist Alabama landowners adversely affected by the non-native, invasive noxious weed, cogongrass. Administered by the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Cogongrass Mitigation Program is made possible through a grant from the USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plant Protection & Quarantine (PPQ). The goals of this program are to reduce the number of infested acres, eliminate cogongrass’s damaging effects on existing ecosystems, and improve the productivity of impacted sites.... read more ❯
New Cogongrass Campaign Addresses Threat to Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) has initiated a new social media campaign to raise awareness of the dangers cogongrass poses to the state. With agriculture and natural ecosystems at risk, ADAI is calling on Alabamians to recognize this threat and share the information. Cogongrass has now infested more than 75 percent of Alabama’s counties. This federally regulated noxious weed was introduced in the U.S. in 1911 as packing material in the port of Mobile. In... 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 April 12, 2022, 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 organizations,... read more ❯
EPA Takes Next Step to Keep Chlorpyrifos Out of Food, Protecting Farmworkers and Children’s Health
WASHINGTON (Feb. 25, 2022) - Today, as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to protect human health, including that of children and farmworkers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking the next step to discontinue use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on food by denying objections to EPA’s rule revoking all chlorpyrifos tolerances. "Today’s action shows how EPA continues to put the health and safety of the public first, particularly that of children and farmworkers” said Assistant Administrator for the Office... read more ❯