By Maegan Beatty Last week, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted an Orchard Field Day at the Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra, Florida. The field day served as an educational event for commercial farmers, home gardeners and industry representatives. Attendees gathered to learn more about fruit crop diversification options. Speakers covered …
What’s the Future of Fumigation?
By Clint Thompson How specialty crop growers manage weeds when the field is not being sown is just as important as what fumigant they choose prior to planting season. Nathan Boyd, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate center director and professor of horticulture/weed science at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, has conducted years …
Inflation Continues to Impact Organic Produce Sales
Ongoing inflation continued to impact organic fresh produce sales in the first quarter of 2023 as overall dollar sales grew by slightly less than 1%, and volume declined by 3.4% from the same per year-over-year period, according to the Q1 2023 Organic Produce Performance Report released by Organic Produce Network (OPN) and Category Partners. Overall, the total produce department gained …
Maximize Marketing in the Online Space
By Lauri M. Baker Digital marketing could increase sales for agriculture-based businesses that sell directly to consumers. However, many business owners struggle to understand where to place their online efforts and how to effectively market in the digital sphere. The Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement (CREE) conducts research to understand best practices in digital marketing for agribusinesses. Then, the CREE …
The Villages Grown Takes Local to the Next Level
By Frank Giles It is often said that real estate is all about location, location, location. The same can be said for the concept of local food systems. Farms being near the population they serve is a key element to success. There might be no better example of a prime location to establish a farm than The Villages in Central …
Introducing the Commercial Vegetable Production Website
By Elise Schuchman and Craig Frey A new website dedicated to Florida commercial vegetable production is now available. The site (commercialveg.ifas.ufl.edu) is a collaborative effort between the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension offices, research and education centers, growers and crop consultants. It provides commercial vegetable growers with a consolidated access point to the latest …
State of Organic Produce 2022 Report is Released
In a report released by Organic Produce Network, the performance of individual organic produce categories displayed a wide range of results last year (2022). Though total organic produce sales had a 3% increase, and the volume showed a -3.7% decrease, the performance of the top 20 categories varied greatly due to inflation and other factors of a complex market environment. …
USDA NASS Updates Vegetable Production for 2022
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducted a 2022 vegetable grower inquiry. It found that the nation’s production for 26 estimated vegetable and melon crops totaled 658 million cwt, down 2% from 2021. The three largest crops were tomatoes, onions and sweet corn, which combined for 53% of all vegetables produced. The value of utilized …
Getting Started in Precision Ag
By Frank Giles The Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference, held in Savannah, Georgia, in early January, drew specialty crop growers to learn about what’s new in production, products and technology. While precision agriculture in specialty crops has generally lagged behind traditional row crops in terms of adoption, new applications and advancements are catching on. During the conference, a precision …
The Push for Produce Prescriptions
By Clint Thompson The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) aims to see Medicare and Medicaid use produce prescriptions as a covered health insurance benefit. The hope is to help people reduce obesity and health-related concerns by consuming more fruits and vegetables. The domino effect would result in a healthier America and increase demand for produce grown in the United States. …