Category Archive

Priorities for 2026: Navigating Trade, Policy and Elections By Mike Joyner Florida’s specialty crop producers and the wider agricultural industry continue to encounter significant challenges. This includes unfair trade, rising input costs and issues tied to both the cost and availability of labor. However, several emerging opportunities expected in 2026 may help drive meaningful change. In last year’s column, I …

By Clint Thompson Southeast watermelon producers who are pondering the use of grafted plants to combat fusarium wilt disease must remember that grafted plants have later maturity than regular plants. That’s a message that a panel, including Josh Freeman, regional sales manager with TriEst Ag Group, shared at the recent Suwanee Valley Watermelon Institute in Fanning Springs, Florida. “Nobody knows …

By Clint Thompson The emergence of neopestalotiopsis disease in Southeast strawberries has forced growers to manage their crops differently compared to previous years. Take Florida producer Dustin Grooms for instance. Grooms, who grows strawberries with Fancy Farms in Plant City, Florida, had to recently consider the disease’s impact against managing the crop amid plunging temperatures. “We had some cold weather …

By Clint Thompson Cost reduction is near the top of watermelon farmers’ priority lists heading into the 2026 season. It was the subject of a presentation at the recent Suwanee Valley Watermelon Institute in Fanning Springs, Florida. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, was one of …

Whitefly populations remain closely watched in southern Florida. According to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, scouts report pressure in Southwest Florida vary by location and crop stage, though overall population levels are moderate and increasing. Elevated nymph populations are observed in older tomato fields. Whiteflies remain low in most conventional watermelon and tomato fields. Organic vegetables are experiencing …

As we enter the height of Florida’s strawberry production season, many consumers crave the taste and aroma of the fruit. That’s part of what compels Mark Porter to try to enhance those qualities. For his doctoral dissertation, Porter led novel research in which he and his faculty advisors found groups of genes that will enable them to develop the tastiest …

By Frank Giles  The annual Florida Ag Expo, which is held in early November at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC), took a break this year to make way for the recognition of two milestones — the center’s centennial celebration and groundbreaking for the Center for Applied Artificial …

By Clint Thompson Grafted plants provide watermelon growers a costly solution in their fight against fusarium wilt. Josh Freeman, regional sales manager with TriEst Ag Group, estimates the added costs to double what a normal watermelon plant would be. While the added expense is not ideal, it provides farmers a guaranteed solution in their fight against the annual plant disease. …

By Clint Thompson The harvest/marketing window for North Florida’s watermelon crop is not open for very long. That is why it is imperative that growers in the Suwanee Valley maximize their crop potential every year. They plant early and harvest the crop before the watermelon industry moves north to Georgia. It is the same scenario for watermelon-producing states up and …

Plant City, FL – Chuck Hollenkamp, Wish Farms Director of Strawberry Grower Relations, was honored with the Florida Strawberry Growers Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual gala. This prestigious recognition celebrated Hollenkamp’s four decades of leadership and dedication to the Florida strawberry industry. “Chuck’s ability to build lasting relationships and his steady leadership have been instrumental to our success,” …