Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries

06/21/2026

06/19/2026

Your food is safe! New World Screwworm is NOT a food safety threat, and it does not impact our meat and poultry products. USDA and its partners are actively responding while FSIS continues to ensure meat and poultry products meet strict food safety standards.

Learn the facts and stop the spread of misinformation: screwworm.gov

06/18/2026

With New World Screwworm making headlines, flies are top of mind for many cattle producers. While staying informed on emerging threats is important, we can't forget about the flies that impact cattle performance every summer right here at home.

Horn flies and other external parasites can reduce weight gain, increase stress, and ultimately cost producers money. Now is a great time to evaluate your fly control program and make adjustments if needed.

Learn more in Alabama Extension's latest article here: www.aces.edu/blog/topics/farming/it-pays-to-control-flies-in-beef-cattle-herds/

06/17/2026

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated parts of Mississippi as primary natural disaster areas due to a recent drought. As a result, Alabama’s Mobile County, which borders the affected areas in Mississippi, has been designated as contiguous disaster county.

This designation allows eligible Alabama producers in this county to apply for USDA assistance programs, including emergency loans, to help recover from production losses and increased costs associated with the disaster.

Producers are encouraged to contact their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office for details on available assistance, eligibility requirements and deadlines. Find your local USDA Service Center at www.farmers.gov/working-with-us/service-center-locator

06/16/2026

$1.625 billion is available to specialty crop farmers through USDA's Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers program. These payments provide financial support to allow producers to pay for production and marketing inputs in the face of significant market disruptions and elevated input costs during the 2025 growing season. The deadline to apply is August 7, 2026.

On June 1, producers with a http://Login.gov account can access and submit their pre-filled application at fsa.usda.gov/ascf, and beginning June 8, producers can request their pre-filled application from their USDA Farm Service Agency county office. Payments will be issued as applications are submitted and approved, beginning as early as the first week of signup.

Apply at: www.fsa.usda.gov/resources/programs/assistance-specialty-crop-farmers-ascf-program

06/15/2026

Check out the classified ads below for June!🐮🌟Great items for sale are being published regularly.

If you would like to place an online classified ad for free visit: agi.alabama.gov/divisions/executive/alabama-farmers-and-consumers-bulletin/

06/12/2026

Alabama is taking proactive steps to keep New World Screwworm (NWS) out of our state. In response to the recent detection in Texas and New Mexico, enhanced interstate movement requirements for warm-blooded animals, including equine, livestock and companion animals, are being put in place for animals entering Alabama from the infested states.

These measures are designed to protect animal health, strengthen biosecurity and safeguard Alabama agriculture. If you suspect an animal may have NWS, please call the State Veterinarian’s Office at 334-240-7253 or email [email protected].

For more information visit, agi.alabama.gov/nws

06/11/2026

ADAI's State Apiary Inspector Brandon Hargraves is back with the monthly Apiary Activity Report - June Brief! While drought has created mixed honey flow conditions across Alabama this spring, June remains a critical month for harvesting honey, managing mites and preparing colonies for summer.

June's edition also focuses on:
🐝 Honey flow varies by region: Lower Alabama continues to benefit from strong nectar sources, while drought has reduced honey production across much of Central and North Alabama.
🐝Harvest and protect resources: Evaluate honey supers, harvest capped honey promptly and preserve valuable drawn comb for future colony growth.
🐝Focus on colony health: Monitor and treat for Varroa mites, improve hive ventilation, and prepare colonies for summer dearth conditions by watching food reserves and ensuring access to water.

Please share this important newsletter with your fellow beekeepers or beekeeping friends! 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓!

06/10/2026

USDA recently announced its Great American Cotton Plan, an initiative designed to strengthen the cotton farm economy, expand market opportunities, increase domestic textile manufacturing, and promote products made with American-grown cotton.

Alabama has been consistently ranked among the nation’s top cotton-producing states. This plan will help support cotton producers through increased market access, enhanced risk management tools, investments in domestic processing and the promotion of natural cotton fibers through the “Plant Not Plastic” initiative.

We appreciate USDA’s commitment to ensuring American cotton producers remain competitive, while strengthening the future of one of Alabama's most important agricultural commodity.