By Karla Arboleda As the Florida hops industry continues to steadily expand, growers should be aware of some new insights on the crop’s cultivation. Although hops research and the general hops industry are fairly new to Florida, in comparison to other North American regions, researchers have found a variety of different pests that show up in hops plants. According to …
Managing Soil Pests
Soil insects can be tricky to spot because they can’t be seen, but they can cause major devastation to vegetable crops. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension system, knows that when pests are out of sight, they are sometimes out of mind as well. Oftentimes, symptoms from soil pests will not appear until planting time. Some soil …
Florida Growers Pave Way for New Crops
By Karla Arboleda Tradition runs deep in Florida, but the state now has more growers producing a new range of specialty crops. PURPLE SWEET POTATODanny Johns, a fourth-generation potato farmer, grows a purple sweet potato with a fresh aesthetic and more nutrients to promote healthier eating. Aside from being brand new eye candy, Blue Sky Farms’ new variety grows right …
USMCA Not Likely to Change for Southeastern Produce Industry
The Southeastern produce industry has been very vocal about the issues it faces with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and now the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which is the NAFTA rewrite. Due to heavy competition from Mexico, the industry says rural communities have been impacted and businesses have not been able to survive. After the USMCA was released, it …
Whitefly Management Methods
By Hugh Smith The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmits tomato yellow leaf curl virus in tomatoes. The pest also transmits three viruses to cucurbits, including squash vein yellowing virus, which causes watermelon vine decline. In addition to virus transmission and contamination, the silverleaf whitefly induces irregular ripening in tomato and the silverleafing in squash that gives it its common name. …
VSC Expo Registration Opens June 1
AgNet Media is excited to introduce a new industry event: Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo (VSC Expo). Held in conjunction with the Citrus Expo, which is now in its 28th year, VSC Expo is set to be an event that growers won’t want to miss. Last year, AgNet Media incorporated vegetable and specialty crop seminars into Citrus Expo. After receiving …
Guest Worker Reform and More Mechanization Needed
By Karla Arboleda While the H-2A program in the United States helps agriculture when native workers are not able or willing, experts agree that H-2A reform could lead to a more sustainable industry. The hard work and discipline required of people working on farms have become less attractive to Americans. This puts U.S. growers at a disadvantage in comparison to …
Sneak Peek: June VSCNews Magazine
The June issue of VSCNews magazine will be growers’ go-to guide for crucial crop diseases in the Southeast. Gary Vallad, University of Florida (UF) pathologist, authors two articles in this issue. In the first feature, he discusses tomato bacterial spot, including where and how it begins in the transplant house. His second article addresses southern blight and the best ways …
Fighting for Florida Ag in D.C.
Each year, Florida Farm Bureau (FFB) gives its members the unique opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., to advocate for Florida agriculture to their legislators. Farmers and ranchers from throughout the state attended the Field to the Hill event last week along with FFB state staff. AgNet Media’s Abbey Taylor was able to tag along with the Farm Bureau members …
Battling Silk Flies in South Florida Sweet Corn
By Julien Beuzelin South Florida sweet corn growers continue to face two major insect problems: fall armyworms and corn silk flies. The two pests can be devastating, but corn silk flies are more challenging to manage than fall armyworms under current production practices. Three silk fly species have been reported to cause the majority of the damage: Euxesta eluta, Euxesta …