The Southeast has an incredibly diverse agricultural industry, and it continues to expand. The December issue of VSCNews magazine will explore up-and-coming crops in the Southeast, as well as some international crops that could be a good fit for this region.
Hop production has been a popular topic in Florida, especially at the University of Florida’s (UF) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, where a hop research plot is located. Several UF researchers working with hops author an article that gives an update on their hop studies. They cover topics such as day length and variety selection.
UF is also beginning to research another potential cash crop: hemp. In VSCNews Assistant Editor Abbey Taylor’s article, Zach Brym discusses the new UF hemp pilot program and its objectives.
Kevin Folta, a professor in UF’s horticultural sciences department, writes about two crops native to the Andes that might be viable in the Southeast. He covers production practices, culinary possibilities and how to obtain seed material.
Researchers from UF and the University of Georgia (UGA) have been studying tea to find out if it can be grown successfully in the Southeast. UGA researcher Donglin Zhang gives readers an update on these efforts.
Finally, reports of Hurricane Michael damage from Florida, Georgia and Alabama are featured in the December issue. Co-authored by Taylor and AgNet Media intern Breanna Kendrick, this article includes interviews with a grower and research professionals from the Southeast shortly after the storm struck.
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