By Alison DeLoach Farmers and ranchers in Northwest Florida are looking to make a comeback after Hurricane Michael wreaked havoc on their crops. Glen Aiken, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC), is working to help growers affected by the hurricane. According to Aiken, the affected areas …
Herbicide Update for Growers
By Alison DeLoach Rely, an herbicide used as an alternative to glyphosate, has recently been transferred from Bayer to BASF. This transfer of rights has raised questions for growers about whether BASF will support use of the herbicide. Stanley Culpepper, a weed scientist with the University of Georgia, shared his thoughts on Rely. Bayer, the previous manufacturer and marketer of …
What’s Stalling the USMCA?
After months of renegotiation talks, trade representatives revealed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which is poised to replace the current North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). However, there have been changes in Washington, D.C., following the general election that may stall the USMCA. Bill Lane, executive director of Trade for America, briefly discussed this issue during his presentation at the recent …
How Changes in D.C. Will Impact Ag
Changes are happening in Washington, D.C., and some of them will impact agriculture. Robert Redding, an agricultural lobbyist, discussed these changes during the recent Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia. Bob Goodlatte, former House representative, has retired, thus vacating his seat as chair of the House Judiciary Committee. “He (Goodlatte) was a leader on ag labor reform,” …
Georgia Grape Growers Faced with Fungicide Resistance
The wine grape industry in Georgia is on the rise. While vineyards have been present in Georgia for the past four decades, the industry has been gaining significant traction in the last 10 to 15 years. Since the industry is relatively new, it is still fragile and some of the challenges, like downy mildew resistance, are unpredictable. Downy mildew is …
Blueberry Event Gives Growers Hands-On Experience
By Alison DeLoach Pests and diseases are always top of mind for blueberry growers. To help growers better understand how to identify these issues, Juanita Popenoe, a University of Florida (UF) commercial fruit production Extension agent for Orange, Lake and Marion counties, hosted a hands-on event at the Lake County Extension center in Tavares. Blueberry growers had the opportunity to …
Four Ag Leaders Inducted into Hall of Fame
The 40th Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet took place last night in the special events hall on the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Four distinguished ag leaders were inducted into the hall of fame. The evening began with a reception, during which agriculturalists from different industries were able to mingle and catch up with old friends. Following the reception …
Roundup Presents Challenges for Growers
By Alison DeLoach A well-known herbicide for growers, glyphosphate (Roundup), can cause harm to crops if not properly applied. According to Stanly Culpepper, weed scientist with the University of Georgia, when applied too close to planting or when the application rate is too high, Roundup can severely damage a plant. When looking at the labels for Roundup PowerMAX II, there …
U.S. to Withdraw from Tomato Suspension Agreement
The Department of Commerce recently announced that the United States will be withdrawing from the 2013 Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico beginning May 7. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross indicated in a statement that the decision is a result of complaints from American tomato growers that their prices are being undercut by imports. The 6-year-old agreement prevented an anti-dumping investigation …
The Hype on Hemp
By Abbey Taylor and Ernie Neff If you’ve ever told somebody you’re thinking about growing industrial hemp on some of your land, you’ve probably gotten raised eyebrows, smirks, chuckles or outright guffaws in response. Or someone might have said, “Great, you’re going to be growing pot! Invite me over when you get your first crop!” That fun reaction is understandable. …