Florida Hurricane Ian Figures and California Farm Bureau Farm Bill Input
**Florida's Department of Ag issued preliminary figures from Hurricane Ian and the losses to Florida ag and infrastructure total between $1.18 billion and $1.89 billion.
www.agrimarketing.com reports, the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Ag Services says the preliminary losses were around $1.56 billion.
The government update issued last week takes into account citrus tree replacement, animal infrastructure damage and forestry.
www.agrimarketing.com/s/142921
**The share of U.S. acreage for major cash crops, wheat, corn, soy, and cotton, that are planted using conservation tillage has increased over the past two decades, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service data.
Farmers reported employing conservation tillage on the majority of acres of wheat at 68%, 76% of corn acres, 74% of soybeans, and 43% of cotton acres.
Conservation tillage, which includes no-till and mulch till, reduces soil disturbance and preserves more crop residue relative to conventional tillage.
**The California Farm Bureau and other ag groups are providing input to members of Congress on a new farm bill, legislation that may significantly affect farms, food consumers and the environment.
Congress is in the process of updating the 2018 Farm Bill.
Farm Bureau representatives have submitted more than 60 recommendations, including for commodity price increases, greater transparency for milk checks and funding for conservation programs and rural development.