Category: Agribusiness

Tracking Feeder Cattle Basis in South Carolina: It’s More than Transportation Costs

Oct 21, 2025 | Agribusiness

Overview Basis is a measure commonly used in the agricultural industry to assess space and time-specific supply and demand factors for a given commodity (e.g., location, time, quality). Basis is...

How to Conduct a Timber Cruise

Jun 17, 2024 | Agribusiness, Forestry, Natural Resources

A forest inventory assesses the quality, quantity, and value of trees in a forest. Inventory focused on standing timber (live timber) is called a timber cruise. Inventories are also done for other...

Horn Fly Control: Dealing with Insecticide Resistance

Jun 3, 2024 | Agribusiness, Agriculture, Livestock and Forages

Fly management and control are challenging to many beef cattle producers nationwide. Horn flies (Haematobia irritans) are the most prevalent pest in terms of economic losses to cattle producers and...

South Carolina’s Shrinking Dairy Herd: An Overview of Current Challenges and Issues for Dairy Operators

Mar 14, 2024 | Agribusiness, Agriculture, Livestock, Livestock and Forages

From 2000 to the present, the dairy herd across the United States has declined and with it, the number of operations. The number of milk cows across the Southeast has fallen dramatically. This...

Managing Pine Trees with a Thinning

Sep 18, 2023 | Agribusiness, Forestry, Natural Resources

Forest management practices, such as thinnings, are recommended to meet landowner management objectives, including generating income, improving habitat for wildlife species, and, most importantly,...

Short-Term Operations Support Farm Continuity in Times of Distress

Jul 11, 2023 | Agribusiness, Agriculture

This article helps a farm business think through contingency scenarios in case a key member of the farm is absent. The discussion and resources can benefit anyone stepping into new responsibilities...

Elderberry Syrup: Food Safety and Regulation Requirements for Making and Selling

Nov 1, 2021 | Agribusiness, Food, Food Systems, Food Systems and Safety, Health

Food producers in South Carolina are regulated to ensure they meet the food safety standards for protecting public health. The regulation requirements for elderberry syrup, a recent fast-growing...

10 Tips for Farm Social Media

Jun 2, 2021 | Agribusiness, Agriculture

This guide is intended for those who have existing social media accounts for their farm operations but would like to make their content more effective. It is not a ‘how-to’ guide, but concepts to...

Conservation Easement Tax Implication Basics

Feb 19, 2021 | Agribusiness, Forestry, Natural Resources

The information in this publication is provided only for educational purposes and to inform the reader of relevant topics. This is not to be perceived or utilized as formal tax or legal advice. It...

A Guide to Buying Local Beef

Jan 25, 2021 | Agribusiness, Livestock, Livestock and Forages

Buying local beef can be a challenge for local businesses and consumers alike. Because farmers are familiar with their product, they may not realize how much information new customers need to make a...

Calculation for Specialty Crop Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) Payment

Jul 23, 2020 | Agribusiness, COVID-19

*This article was updated on July 23 to reflect information on eligible crops and payment rates. For the most up-to-date information on crop eligibility and crop payment rates, please review the...

Federal Grant Applications: What You Need to Know Before You Start Writing

Jul 5, 2020 | Agribusiness, Agriculture, COVID-19

Sometimes disaster relief arrives as a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant, and there may be more grants resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. While obtaining a grant is appealing, many...

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) for Non-Specialty Crop Producers

Jun 19, 2020 | Agribusiness, Cotton, COVID-19, Soybean

Please note the purpose of this publication was for timely education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic (in June of 2020). It is up to the reader to seek current education on the topical content...

The South Carolina Shellfish Industry Faces a Challenging Recovery After COVID-19

Jun 18, 2020 | Agribusiness, Agriculture, COVID-19

South Carolina Shellfish Industry Recovery: What Will it Take? The South Carolina shellfish industry has suffered due to COVID-19 related restaurant closures.1 Now that restaurants have started...

Impacts of COVID-19 Restaurant Closures on South Carolina’s Shellfish Industry

Jun 17, 2020 | Agribusiness, COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restaurant closures had a significant impact on many agricultural businesses in South Carolina. One of the most impacted was the seafood industry. While the...