August 18, 2008 - Dept. of Ag Diagnostic Lab Assists Montgomery Zoo

MONTGOMERY - Commissioner Ron Sparks says that the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries’ Diagnostic Lab in Auburn was able to assist the Montgomery Zoo with diagnostic services this past weekend for an elephant that died at the zoo late last week. Lab staff examined the 23 year-old animal and determined that it died from intussusception, a rare intestinal disorder. · Next Page»

August 14, 2008 - Sparks Supports Buckmasters Expo

MONTGOMERY - Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries Ron Sparks is extremely pleased that the Buckmasters Expo will be held in Montgomery on August 15-18. The Buckmasters Expo has been held in North Carolina for the last 3 years, but due to the extensive renovations to the Civic Center in downtown Montgomery and much support from state and community leaders, the Expo has returned to Alabama. · Next Page»

August 7, 2008 - Sparks Concerned Over McCain’s Farm Bill Comments

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries’ Commissioner Ron Sparks is extremely concerned over Senator John McCain’s recent comments in opposition to the Farm Bill while in Wisconsin. McCain’s quotes include comments such as this, “I don’t support agricultural subsidies no matter where they are. The farm bill, $300 billion, is something America simply can’t afford.” · Next Page»

August 5, 2008 - Sparks Issues Eat Local Challenge

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks issues an “Eat Local Challenge” in honor of National Farmers Market Week, August 3-9. This week consumers are encouraged to visit the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries’ website agi.alabama.gov where they will find daily tips for becoming a “localvore” for the week. Sparks hopes that enjoying locally grown foods will encourage citizens to continue the healthy habit long after National Farmers Market Week is over. · Next Page»

July 02, 2008 - Sparks Advises Consumers About “Bad Gas”

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks advises consumers that there are some measures they can take to help protect themselves from receiving “bad gas.” One of the most common complaints to the Department’s Weights and Measures Division recently has been about bad gas believed to contain sludge. The Department inspectors have been extremely vigilant in their efforts to protect consumers from receiving bad gas, but there are some measures that consumers can take to help protect themselves and others. · Next Page»

June 27, 2008 - Sparks Urges President and Senate to Act on HR 6377

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks urges President George W. Bush and the US Senate to act on HR 6377. This bill directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to take steps to curtail excessive speculation in the commodities futures markets. · Next Page»

June 27, 2008 - Department of Agriculture & Industries Provides Africanized Honey Bee Training To First Responders

The Department of Agriculture & Industries’ Plant Industry Section hosted an Africanized Honey Bee Workshop for first responders on June 25th at the State Fairgrounds in Montgomery. The exercise included field training for first responders in handling Africanized honey bee swarms and stinging incidents. · Next Page»

June 26, 2008 - Sparks Urges Restaurants to Serve Alabama Grown Tomatoes

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks urges restaurants to serve their customers Alabama grown tomatoes. Some Alabama restaurants continue to leave tomatoes off their list of choices since the salmonella outbreak. The outbreak has caused a glut in the market, but gun-shy buyers have been reluctant to purchase tomatoes, even those from states on the FDA’s “safe to eat” list. Sparks feels the decision for some restaurants to continue to leave tomatoes off menus is based on economics instead of food safety. · Next Page»

June 24, 2008 - Commissioner Sparks Opens State-Of-The-Art Diagnostic Facility

BOAZ, AL - The dedication of the Mitchem-Sparks State Diagnostic Laboratory in Boaz, Alabama was held on June 24. The new facility is a 5,069 square foot state-of-the-art livestock and poultry diagnostic lab. · Next Page»

June 23, 2008 - Sparks Announces Farmers Market Day 2008

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks announces that the annual Farmers Market Day will be held Saturday, July 12, 2008. This special day will give local farmers an opportunity to display their best homegrown produce and flowers and provide tons of fun for the entire family. All events will be at the Montgomery State Farmers Market on Federal Drive next to Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery. · Next Page»

June 23, 2008 - Department of Ag & Industries Hosts Africanized Honey Bee Workshop for First Responders

MONTGOMERY - Commissioner Ron Sparks announces that the Department of Agriculture & Industries will host an Africanized Honey Bee Workshop for first responders on June 25th from 9am until Noon in the auditorium of the Richard Beard Building at 1445 Federal Drive in Montgomery. The exercise will include field training for first responders in handling Africanized honey bee swarms and stinging incidents. · Next Page»

June 20, 2008 - Sparks Reminds Consumers to Look for Alabama Grown Tomatoes at Grocery Stores

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks reminds consumers that they can find FDA approved “safe to eat” Alabama grown tomatoes in many grocery stores throughout the state. While consumers have continued to purchase tomatoes at local farmers markets, they have been hesitant to get them at supermarkets. · Next Page»

June 17, 2008 - Department of Ag & Industries Hosts Foreign Animal Disease Training Exercise

MONTGOMERY - Today, the Agriculture Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness Section of the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries hosted a Foreign Animal Disease Full Scale Exercise at the State Fairgrounds. More than 200 first responders, veterinarians, public information officers and emergency management staff from seven states were on hand for the foreign animal disease simulation. · Next Page»

June 16, 2008 - Sparks Announces Cooperative Effort in Pesticide Certification

MONTGOMERY - Commissioner Ron Sparks announces that the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ Pesticide Management Section and Alabama Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) are launching a cooperative effort to record and track continuing education units (CEUs). · Next Page»

June 13, 2008 - Sparks Announces Opening of Boaz Lab

MONTGOMERY - Commissioner Ron Sparks announces that the dedication of the Mitchem-Sparks State Diagnostic Laboratory will be held at 11am on Tuesday, June 24, 2008. The new facility located at 1833 Industrial Blvd. in Boaz is a 5,069 square foot state-of-the-art livestock and poultry diagnostic lab. · Next Page»

June 10, 2008 - Southern Ag Commissioners Meet about Salmonella Tomato Issue

MONTGOMERY - Commissioner Ron Sparks said seven Southern Commissioners of Agriculture called an emergency meeting this morning in response to the recent outbreak of salmonella in raw tomatoes. During the meeting, Commissioners from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Alabama, who are all attending the Southern Association of State Departments of Agriculture (SASDA) meeting in Lexington, Kentucky, held a conference call with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to voice their concerns about the information provided to the public about the tainted tomato issue. · Next Page»

June 9, 2008 - Sparks: Alabama Grown Tomatoes on FDA “Safe to Eat” List

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks has announced that Alabama grown tomatoes will be placed on the Food & Drug Administration’s “safe to eat” list as of tonight. Local farmers who grow tomatoes have not been adversely affected by the recent outbreak of salmonella in raw red tomatoes that has caused some grocery stores and restaurants to pull tomatoes from their shelves and menus. Alabama’s harvest season has just begun and an ample supply of Alabama grown tomatoes should arrive at markets this week. · Next Page»

June 9, 2008 - Senior Citizens Recognition Day at Fairview Farmers Market

MONTGOMERY - The Fairview State Farmers Market will host Senior Citizens Recognition Day on Tuesday, June 10, from 9am-2pm. There will be food demonstrations, door prizes, entertainment, food sampling, and homemade ice cream. Farmers Market Vouchers will also be handed out to senior citizens. · Next Page»

June 6, 2008 - Department of Ag & Industries Hosts Foreign Animal Disease Training Exercise

MONTGOMERY - Commissioner Ron Sparks has announced that the Agriculture Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness Section of the Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries will be hosting a Foreign Animal Disease Full Scale Exercise on June 17, 2008. The training exercise will be held at the State Fairgrounds on Federal Drive beginning at 9:00a.m. · Next Page»

May 30, 2008 - Sparks Concerned About Soaring Gas Prices

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks is urging Congress to continue its probe of the rapidly rising price of fuel. Alabama’s Department of Agriculture & Industries is responsible for Weights and Measures in the state, which has two main responsibilities: if consumers pay for a gallon of fuel, the consumer receives a gallon of fuel and if fuel is labeled with a certain octane rating that it actually has that octane level in the pump. Because of the Department’s role in gas regulation, Sparks says citizens have voiced their concerns repeatedly throughout the state. · Next Page»

May 29, 2008 - Sparks Pleased with Release of CRP Land

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks commends Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer for authorizing the release of certain acreage enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to be available for hay and forage. More than 24 million acres of land enrolled in CRP will be eligible for this critical feed use program. USDA estimates that this program will make available up to 18 million tons of forage worth $1.2 billion. · Next Page»

May 28, 2008 - Sparks Helps Honor Hometown Superstars

FORT PAYNE, AL - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks will help honor members of the group Alabama when larger-than-life bronze statues of the Country Music Hall of Fame superstars will be dedicated during a ceremony at City Park in downtown Fort Payne on June 7th at 11:00am. · Next Page»

May 22, 2008 - Sparks Concerned Over Farm Bill Veto

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries’ Commissioner Ron Sparks announced his concern over President George Bush’s decision to veto the Farm Bill. In President Bush’s veto message, one of his reasons for rejecting the bill was his opinion that some farmers are making too much money and do not deserve to be subsidized. Sparks believes that the President’s position does not take into account the circumstances of farmers in Alabama and throughout the Southeast. · Next Page»

May 19, 2008 - Farmer’s Market Groundbreaking

The City of Enterprise, along with the Enterprise Farmer’s Market, and Department of Agriculture Commissioner, Ron Sparks will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Farmer’s Market site on Friday, May 23 at 10:00am at the corner of 134 and Main Street, next door to Dog Days. · Next Page»

May 1, 2008 - Sparks Shows Appreciation for Bravery of Bryan Elementary Kids

MORRIS, AL - Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries’ Commissioner Ron Sparks will be at Bryan Elementary in Morris on Friday, May 2nd from 1:00pm-3:30pm to show his appreciation for the children’s bravery following a terrible accident that occurred during a field trip to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga in March. Sparks wants to let the children know that people across the state appreciate how courageous they remained in such a frightening situation. · Next Page»

April 23, 2008 - Dept. of Ag Biodiesel Classroom on Wheels in Huntsville

HUNTSVILLE, AL - Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries’ Commissioner Ron Sparks announces that the Department’s Biodiesel Classroom on Wheels will be in Huntsville for the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Plant’s Earth Day activities on Thursday, April 24th from 2:45-5:00 pm. The plant is located at 1 Cottonvalley Drive, in Huntsville, Alabama. Agriculture & Industries’ Deputy Commissioner Glen Zorn will be in attendance. · Next Page»

April 18, 2008 - Commissioner Sparks Addresses MCF Detection

MONTGOMERY - Yesterday, the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirmed through testing that wildebeest-associated malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) was present in a cow from a mixed-use operation in Texas that had sold cattle to a farmer in Alabama and six other states. The disease appears to have spread to the animal from exposure to captive wildebeests on the same property in Texas. · Next Page»

April 10, 2008 - Sparks Warns: Use Caution When Selling Grain

MONTGOMERY - Current high grain prices have given Alabama producers a chance to have a profitable year. As a precaution, Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries’ Commissioner Ron Sparks warns that the high and volatile grain prices can cause certain problems in the grain industry. One such problem is the possibility of large margin calls for grain buyers after contracting the producers’ grain. · Next Page»

March 12, 2008 - SPARKS ANNOUNCES AGRICULTURE CENSUS FORMS STILL BEING ACCEPTED

MONTGOMERY- Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks says the original deadline for returning completed Census of Agriculture forms may have come and gone, but it’s not too late for Alabama farmers to speak up for their communities, industries, and their future. · Next Page»

March 10, 2008 - SPARKS URGES CONGRESS TO PASS FARM BILL

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture Commissioner Ron Spark today urged Congress to pass a Farm bill “Farmers are within days of planting their crops and farmers must know how to plan for the year, they can not do that without a farm bill,” said Sparks. · Next Page»

March 6, 2008 - SPARKS LEADS ALABAMA’S FIRST TRADE MISSION IN UKRAINE

MONTGOMERY- Commissioner Ron Sparks of the Department of Agriculture & Industries recently returned from the Eastern European Country of Ukraine. Commissioner Sparks led the first American trade mission to participate in a food based trade show in Ukraine. · Next Page»

February 22, 2008 - SPARKS GIVES DISATER AID TO ALABAMA FARMERS

MONTGOMERY - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks has issued an emergency order to reduce the germination percentage of soybeans that are sold in Alabama, from 70% to 60%. This will give farmers and seed dealers extra availability to acquire an adequate amount of seeds. · Next Page»

February 21, 2008 - CATFISH DISASTER RELEF FUNDS DISTRIBUTED

MONTGOMERY- Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks and Congressman Artur Davis proudly announce that the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries will distribute approximately $3.1 million in disaster funds to 138 catfish producers in Alabama. · Next Page»

February 12, 2008 - SPARKS & BRIGHT OPEN NEWLY CONSTRUCTED BIODIESEL FACILITY

MONTGOMERY, AL - Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks and Montgomery’s Mayor Bobby Bright announced a partnership to turn used cooking oils into biodiesel fuel for City vehicles last fall. Today was the grand opening of the newly constructed Center for Alternative Fuels Biodiesel Production facility. Several government officials were on hand to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony including Rep. Marc Keahey, Rep.Steve Hurst and Montgomery City Council Rep. Martha Robie. · Next Page»

February 6, 2008 - SPARKS CONFIRMS POULTRY FARMS DESTROYED IN ALABAMA DUE TO SEVERE TORNADOS

MONTGOMERY, AL - Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture & Industries Ron Sparks has confirmed that several poultry houses across North Alabama have been damaged and some destroyed due to a tornado that moved through Jackson County on Tuesday Night. · Next Page»

January 14, 2008 - WAY to Healthier Alabama Public Schools

MONTGOMERY, AL - Childhood obesity is on the WAY out for some Alabama public schools using Wellness, Academics, and You, a multidisciplinary, standards-based health and wellness curriculum for fourth- and fifth-graders. WAY to a Healthier Alabama is a coalition of public and private partners - Alabama Department of Education, Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama - who have committed $1 million to Alabama public schools in an effort to combat childhood obesity and improve the health of Alabama’s children and their families. · Next Page»

January 10, 2008 - Sparks Congratulates Display Contest Winners Of October Month Of Alabama Food

MONTGOMERY, AL - On Monday, January 14, 2008, a Press Conference will be held to announce the winners of the Display Contest for the October Month of Alabama Food and a check will be presented to the Janie Sims Children’s Foundation in the amount of $60,300 as a portion of the proceeds from Alabama manufacturing companies involved in this program. · Next Page»