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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Top Posts”
By Rich Budell Vegetable and specialty crop producers in the Southeast face many challenges, including labor, disease, trade and weather. An additional — often underappreciated and complicated — issue involves management and protection of fresh water resources. Access to adequate quantities of fresh water during the growing season is critical to production success. Protecting downstream receiving waters from potential adverse …
By Breanna Kendrick Scott Kirouac walked into his grandson’s school some 11 years ago to check in for a Christmas program. A little girl walked in to turn in a note, and Kirouac couldn’t help but notice she was wearing a very dirty dress and duct-taped shoes that were too big. He shared with the staff how sad it was …
Most have probably seen in the news that there has been another E. coli outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are advising consumers to refrain from eating any romaine lettuce from any source until the origin of this outbreak is discovered. Florida growers are now going to suffer from a dried-up market, even though the tainted lettuce …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are advising consumers to avoid eating romaine lettuce because it may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 and could make people sick. No grower, supplier, distributor or brand has been identified. The FDA is conducting a traceback investigation, and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association strongly …
At a lunch meeting in Tallahassee, Florida, with representatives of many of the state’s agricultural organizations, Florida Agriculture Commissioner-Elect Nikki Fried told the group she plans to be a “champion for this industry” in her new role. Several major issues facing Florida agriculture were discussed during the lunch meeting, which was the first meeting of its kind with Fried since …
After the recount madness that ended on Nov. 18, Fort Lauderdale lawyer Nikki Fried claimed victory to be Florida’s next Commissioner of Agriculture. Fried has quickly shifted her focus to the future as the commissioner-elect and is getting ready for a smooth transition. In an exclusive interview with AgNet Media’s Randall Weiseman, Fried talked about her campaign as well as …
WASHINGTON D.C. — The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) fails to provide effective near-term relief measures for Southeast fruit and vegetable producers. Florida is the nation’s largest producer of fresh strawberries during the winter months; however, central Mexico’s strawberry production increased fivefold from 2000 to 2017. “This exponential increase presents a clear and present danger to the sustainability of the Florida strawberry …
The Southeast has an incredibly diverse agricultural industry, and it continues to expand. The December issue of VSCNews magazine will explore up-and-coming crops in the Southeast, as well as some international crops that could be a good fit for this region. Hop production has been a popular topic in Florida, especially at the University of Florida’s (UF) Gulf Coast Research …
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Raised on a family farm in Orange Heights, Florida, Reggie Brown recalls taking his chickens to the Gainesville town square for a 4-H contest when he was about 9 or 10. “I won the blue ribbon. I was real proud,” Brown said. As a child, Brown immersed himself in such Florida 4-H projects. For another project, he …
Southeastern agriculture is faced with many challenges, including hurricanes. Most recently, Hurricanes Irma, Florence and Michael have devastated sectors of southeastern agriculture. Steven McNulty, director of the Southeast U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Climate Hub, wants to help farmers prepare their land as best as they can before a storm hits. McNulty organized a recent meeting in Gainesville to gauge …
