Click here for a high-res photo MAITLAND, Fla. (Sept. 22, 2021) – The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) honored the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Marketing and Development with its 2021 Friend of the Industry Award. The award was presented during FFVA’s 77th annual convention in Naples on Sept. 14. The award recognizes the …
New Class of FFVA’s Emerging Leaders Announced
MAITLAND, Fla. – The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) announced on Tuesday the selection of 15 up-and-coming agriculture industry leaders for Class 11 of its Emerging Leader Development Program. Administered by the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation, the creation of the Emerging Leader Development Program back in 2011 has provided more than 110 young leaders with an immersive experience on …
FFVA Convention: Timely Issues at Forefront of Three-Day Event
By Clint Thompson This week’s Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) convention was filled with timely topics and educational insight into how to help the vegetable and specialty crop growers remain sustainable. Maybe most importantly, though, it was three days of reunion with friends and colleagues within the industry, says Mike Joyner, FFVA President. “People are just so ready to …
FFVA President: We Just Want Fair Trade
By Clint Thompson The audience may change but the message remains the same for Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) President Mike Joyner. Imports are taking a toll on Florida’s vegetable and specialty crop producers. The future of his growers’ livelihoods is in jeopardy if immediate action is not taken. Joyner’s message was shared this week during the annual FFVA …
Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference Returning to In-Person Format
By Clint Thompson It is never too early to start thinking about the upcoming Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, scheduled for Jan. 6-9, 2022, in Savannah, Georgia; especially since it will be an in-person event next year. The annual meeting was held virtually this past January due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, Charles Hall, executive director of the …
FFVA Statement on New FDACS Report
Aug. 30, 2021 On Monday, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) released its latest report on the impacts of Mexican imports on Florida’s seasonal producers. The report “demonstrates that Florida producers continue to suffer a disproportionate economic injury.” The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association issued the following statement on the report: “Today’s economic impact report from FDACS …
Sanitation Remains Key in Whitefly Control
By Clint Thompson Sanitation of vegetable crops susceptible to whiteflies remains a key management strategy for Florida producers. Hugh Smith, an associate professor of entomology and nematology at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, encourages growers to clean up their fields properly following harvest to reduce the risk of feeding damage and potential viruses. “If you don’t make …
GFVGA Celebrates 25 Years of Impact
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp attends organization’s celebration By Clint Thompson It is not often an organization celebrates 25 years of impact to Georgia’s No. 1 industry – agriculture. But that is exactly what is happening this year with the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA). Twenty-five years after its first organizational meeting at the Rural Development Center in Tifton, …
Bed Formation Key to Vegetable Producers’ Management System
By Clint Thompson A key to vegetable producers’ success this fall starts before they even plant their crops. Forming the perfect bed in vegetable crop systems helps growers facilitate the movement of fumigants to control nematodes and weeds, as well the movement of water and fertilizer through the drip system. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension weed scientist Stanley Culpepper stresses …
Bayer Committed to Increasing Fruit, Vegetable Consumption
Monheim, July 21, 2021 – With an announcement on Wednesday of new portfolio innovations and a business strategy for horticulture, Bayer reaffirms its commitment to increasing worldwide consumption of fruits and vegetables. The strategy focuses on activities that deliver solutions to the farm, advance sustainable innovations on the farm and address value chain and consumer needs beyond the farm. “Only …