U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement after the U.S Department of Commerce rejected a request to exempt certain greenhouse-grown specialty tomatoes in Mexico from the 2019 U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement. This agreement was put in place to provide relief to domestic tomato growers against unfair trade practices. Exempting specialty tomatoes grown in Mexico from the Tomato Suspension Agreement …
Secretary Vilsack Urges Caution in Statements About Ukraine
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack joined other G7 agriculture ministers Friday morning in a virtual meeting with Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Roman Leshchenko. Following that virtual meeting, Vilsack took the stage at Commodity Classic in New Orleans to give the keynote address, then met with a small group of agriculture journalists, where he shared more of what was discussed in that virtual …
Highlands Citrus Growers Meeting Addresses Nutrition
Growers and industry stakeholders recently gathered in Sebring, Florida, to celebrate the 32nd annual meeting of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA). During the meeting, speakers addressed some of the important issues confronting growers in Highlands County. Scott Angle, University of Florida vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences …
Florida Citrus Crop Tumbles Again in March Forecast
On March 9, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reduced Florida’s orange and grapefruit crop forecasts again. Oranges fell hardest, dropping 3 million boxes, or 12%, to 23 million boxes. The forecast for the non-Valencia crop, which is virtually all harvested, actually rose 500,000 boxes, or 4%, to 18.2 million boxes. That means the total Florida …
Management Tips for North Florida Watermelon Producers
By Clint Thompson Watermelon plants are in the ground in North Florida. Producers need to consider various management options so plants can achieve successful growth over the next few months. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, recommends that growers use a weekly Bravo or other chlorothalonil …
Florida Strawberry Farmer: Input Costs to go up 30% Next Year
By Clint Thompson A challenging year for Florida strawberry production is expected to worsen next season. Especially if the price of oil continues to spike amid the ongoing conflict in the Ukraine, growers are likely to experience extremely high input costs entering next year’s planting season. “Anything that has to do with transportation is going up. If transportation goes up …
Blueberry Harvests Begin in Florida
By Clint Thompson Let the harvests begin! While Florida blueberry producer Ryan Atwood began harvesting his crop last week for mature berries, next week should see an influx of harvest action. “After this cold front moves through, we’ll be hot and heavy next week,” said Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida and farms 56 acres of blueberries, manages another …
Researchers Find Pathway to More Tasty Tomatoes
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers helped discover a way to enhance tomato smell and taste. Breeding efforts over the last half century have emphasized traits that are important to producers – yield, disease resistance, appearance and post-harvest shelf life among them. While those traits are important, modern commercial varieties tend to fall short of …
Russian Invasion of Ukraine Reverberates Through Global Agriculture
By Frank Giles As the Russian invasion of Ukraine stretches into its second week, growers in the United States and globally are feeling the fallout. Fuel price hikes are being felt by all consumers, including growers. Last week, the U.S. main price for oil topped $110 per barrel. That is the highest price in more than a decade. Over the …
Industry Leader Optimistic Despite Oversupply of Florida Tomatoes
By Clint Thompson An oversupply of Florida tomatoes has led to suppressed market prices for growers. That hasn’t deterred the optimism of one industry leader, however, who believes brighter days are on the horizon. “You can’t be in agriculture if you’re not an optimist. Damn right, we’re assuming that right beyond that ugly cloud is a beautiful rainbow, warm skies …