Preliminary Agricultural Damage Assessment Estimates Losses at $1.5 – $2.5 Billion (FDACS/TALLAHASSEE, FL/October 17, 2024) — Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson sent a letter [ 1.1 MB ] to the United States Secretary of Agriculture formally requesting a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Disaster Declaration for Florida counties impacted by Hurricane Milton. Hurricane Milton caused catastrophic damage to Florida’s agricultural producers, compounding losses and …
Flooding Concerns for North Carolina Agriculture
Hurricane Helene has altered life in North Carolina with its massive flooding. Lives have been lost. Homes have been washed away. Agriculture has been forever changed. Catastrophic rainfall amounts have led to widespread flooding in the western part of the state. Elena Rogers, N.C. State Extension Area Specialized Agent in food safety for fresh produce, discussed the damage that the …
Disease Management: Grape Producers Must Be Timely with Fungicide Sprays
A saturated spring has North Georgia grape producers concerned about disease management with harvest season on the horizon. Sarah Lowder, University of Georgia viticulture Extension specialist, discussed some of the diseases growers have dealt with over the past few months. “Especially with how wet this year has been, we’re trying to keep on top of our downy mildew management,” Lowder …
Alabama Heirs Property Alliance Helping Educate Residents, Farming Families About Key Issue
(AUBURN UNIVERSITY, AL/May 8, 2024) — Heirs property is common in Alabama. There is land in every county that is classified as heirs property, also known as family land. Whether families are attempting to develop or sell the land left by previous generations, the lack of a clear title makes it difficult for families to move forward. Adam Rabinowitz, an …
Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commissions Seek Nominations
(Atlanta, GA/May 8,2024) — Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper has announced that 12 of Georgia’s Agricultural Commodity Commissions are seeking nominations from producers to serve on their respective commissions. Nomination forms are available on the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s website and will be accepted until May 24, 2024. The Georgia Department of Agriculture administers these commissions, which oversee farmer-funded programs dedicated …
New Agricultural Technology for the Blackberry Industry
By Maegan Beatty Last week, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted an online program to discuss new technologies in commercial crop production. Gilad Freund is an Extension faculty member located in Mop Hahar, Israel. Freund discussed new innovative technologies that are being utilized in the blackberry industry throughout Israel. These new technologies are meant …
AFA and NACD Partner to Host 2024 Sustainability Institute
By Maegan Beatty Agriculture Future of America (AFA) and the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) recently held their 2024 Sustainability Institute in San Diego, California. Over 50 student delegates from across the nation gathered to connect with industry professionals and discuss recent innovations and challenges in sustainability. The institute consisted of a keynote speech by Carlos Suarez who represented …
Ag Workforce Solutions Remain Elusive
By Frank Giles Southeastern specialty crop growers have been seeking reform in farm labor policy for many years. Because of its nexus with immigration policy, meaningful solutions have been hard to come by. Proposals have been put forth, but partisan politics see those efforts stall. That has forced many growers to utilize the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) H-2A visa …
Support for Young, Beginning and Small Growers
By Frank Giles Last month, we celebrated National Farmers’ Day. The day was recognized with the expected expressions of gratitude on social media and other platforms. But I also noted that a few used the day to raise the topic of the aging population of growers. The graying of the audience (myself included) doesn’t go unnoticed at the farm meetings …
AI Set to Supercharge Ag Research
By Frank Giles In the past year, artificial intelligence (AI) has gained worldwide attention as breakthroughs like the large-language model ChatGPT wowed users with its capabilities and nearly humanlike feel when delivering results. As the technology rapidly advances, it also has set off alarm bells for some who believe that computer technology might outpace human ability to control it in …