National Watermelon Association

 

"Shaping the Watermelon Industry for Future Generations"

FMCSA Extends Hours of Service Waiver for Grocery Carriers, Including Food 

The Federal Motor Safety Administration hereby declares that the continuing national emergency warrants the extension of Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002.  

This extension continues the exemption granted from Parts 390 through 399 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for the fifty States and the District of Columbia.

This notice extends the exemption through December 31, 2020, subject to the restrictions and limitations set forth in this Extension. 

Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 was issued following the declaration of a national emergency by the President pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 5191(b) in response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the public health emergency declared by the Health and Human Services Secretary, and the immediate risk COVID-19 presents to public health and welfare.

Emergency Declaration No. 2020-002 was previously set to expire on September 14, 2020.

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Round 3: Food Box Program

Following President Donald Trump’s approval to include up to an additional $1 billion in the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved up to $1 billion in contracts to support American producers and communities in need through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program.

Earlier this week, USDA reached a milestone of having distributed more than 90 million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more...

Agriculture Innovation Agenda

The USDA has announced it is seeking public and private sector input on the most innovative technologies and practices that can be readily deployed across U.S. agriculture.

The agency is looking for ready-to-go technologies and practices to achieve its goal of increasing agricultural production by 40% to meet global population needs in 2050 while cutting U.S. agriculture’s environmental footprint in half. Read more...

Trump & Biden Talk Agriculture

A new look  into the priorities for rural America of President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden is revealed in responses to a questionnaire distributed by the American Farm Bureau Federation.

The agency asked the Republican and Democratic candidates to respond with their stances on several topics directly affecting America’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities.

The topics included trade, labor, regulatory reform and sustainability. Read more...


Farming Rises in Industry Ratings

For the first time in Gallup's 20 years of tracking Americans' views of various business and industry sectors, farming and agriculture is the clear leader. The former top-ranking industries, restaurants and computers, remain in the top four, with the grocery industry rounding out the group.

Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry's image has improved modestly since last year, and it has yielded the "worst rated" distinction back to the federal government. Read more...