By Clint Thompson Florida strawberry farmers may be planting this year’s crop, but multiple farms were in Atlanta last week during the Global Produce and Floral Show. The annual event attracted more than 3,000 buyers and attendees from more than 70 countries. A large contingent of Florida’s strawberry producers were in attendance, including Wish Farms and Director of Marketing Amber …
FSGA Discusses Impact of Hurricane Milton to Florida Strawberry Crop
By Clint Thompson The Florida Strawberry Growers Association’s (FSGA) presence at last week’s Global Produce and Floral Show in Atlanta is a sign to the industry that Florida producers are rebounding from Hurricane Milton’s devastation a couple of weeks prior. “The concern I think to everyone is, ‘Are we okay?’ I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that our …
UF/IFAS Scientists Use AI to Improve Strawberry Disease Detection
Florida’s strawberry season doesn’t return until December. But University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers work year-round to support an industry with a $500 million-a-year farm-gate value in Florida. Among their research endeavors, UF/IFAS scientists search for ways to help growers control diseases that threaten strawberries. Most of Florida’s 13,500 acres of strawberries are grown in …
Chilli Thrips Control: UF/IFAS Study Shows How Strawberry Growers Can Use Less Pesticides
Florida strawberry growers can use less pesticide and save money as they attempt to control chilli thrips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows. An invasive pest in the southeastern United States, chilli thrips was introduced to the United States from Southeast Asia. The first report in Florida came in 1991 in Okeechobee County and …
Sweet Strawberry Season So Far in Florida
By Clint Thompson The Florida strawberry season has already been deemed successful with its sensational quality. That sweet success is likely to continue as the market continues to support strong supply. “Beautiful, absolutely beautiful,” said Kenneth Parker, executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA_, regarding this year’s crop. “I would suggest that the cooler temperatures have definitely been …
Starting Clean Key to Florida Strawberry Success
By Clint Thompson Florida strawberry growers are close to planting this year’s crop. Success this season will hinge largely on how “clean” the plants are that producers get from nurseries, believes Dustin Grooms, a producer in Plant City, Florida. “Getting good plants is the beginning of it all. If you get problematic plants, you’ll fight with it all year. You …
‘Clean Plants’ Vital to Success for Florida Strawberry Growers
By Clint Thompson Florida strawberry growers are close to planting this year’s crop. Success this season will hinge largely on how “clean” the plants are that producers get from nurseries, believes Dustin Grooms, a producer in Plant City, Florida. “Getting good plants is the beginning of it all. If you get problematic plants, you’ll fight with it all year. You …
Agriculture’s Share in Florida’s Blockbuster Budget
By Frank Giles The Florida Legislature passed a record budget of $116.5 billion as it wrapped up its work on May 5. It was an active session for agriculture. It also was a session in which Gov. Ron DeSantis was looking to score wins prior to announcing his run for president in 2024. DeSantis announced his presidential bid on May …
Florida Strawberry Update: Hillsborough County Land Running Low for Farmers
By Clint Thompson Hillsborough County, Florida’s winter strawberry capital of the United States, could soon be in danger. Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida, believes the influx of people moving into the area means there is less and less land to use for agriculture. That will slowly impact the county’s production of strawberries over time. …
Combining UV light, Predatory Mites Could Help Manage Strawberry Pest
Strawberry growers can use ultraviolet light and predatory mites to help control a devastating, but new University of Florida research adds a cautionary note. This integrated approach to managing twospotted spider mites comes as helpful information for growers in Florida’s $400 million-a-year strawberry industry. Sriyanka Lahiri, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist, first found …