Silk flies are a major pest for South Florida sweet corn growers, but Julien Beuzelin, assistant professor at the University of Florida’s Everglades Research and Education Center, is working to lessen the threat these pests pose. He gave an overview of his silk fly research at the recent Vegetable & Specialty Crop (VSC) Expo. According to Beuzelin, there are three …
Water Issues: Ag Has Allies
By Ernie Neff “I think that the ag industry has a number of allies within the regulatory arena,” says Rich Budell, who moderated a panel of Florida regulators at Citrus Expo. Budell, now a consultant, spent 31 years working on water issues with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). The panelists were Chris Pettit, director of agricultural …
Factors to Consider Before Adopting Alternative Crops
By Karla Arboleda Choosing to grow an alternative crop could prove to be a beneficial move for growers, but there are some factors that must be considered first. From macadamias to avocados, the worthiness of different alternative crops is dependent on several factors. Jose Chaparro, an associate professor at University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in the …
VSC Expo Sees Success
The 2019 Vegetable & Specialty Crop (VSC) Expo, held in conjunction with the 28-year-old Citrus Expo, saw great success with the largest crowd in Expo history on Aug. 14–15 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, Florida. With more than 200 exhibitors and a stellar educational program, themed “Growing Stronger,” growers were able to meet with suppliers, mingle …
Speaker Spotlight: Nick Dufault
By Ashley Robinson Florida watermelon growers continue to struggle with fusarium wilt. Nick Dufault, plant pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), will be discussing this disease during his seminar presentation at the Vegetable & Specialty Crop Expo. Fusarium wilt is a soilborne fungal disease that can affect watermelon plants at any point from …
Vegetable and Specialty Crop Seminars Cover Crucial Issues
By Ashley Robinson Last year, AgNet Media incorporated vegetable and specialty crop (VSC) seminars into the 28-year-old Citrus Expo. The change was met with positive feedback from both growers and industry members. Therefore, AgNet Media decided to expand that side of the program and debut the Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo (VSC Expo) this year, being held in conjunction with …
VSC Expo Speaker Spotlight: Ozgur Batuman
By Ashley Robinson Florida’s tomato growers seeking the latest information on tomato viruses will not want to miss this year’s Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo (VSC Expo) seminar program. Ozgur Batuman, an assistant professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, will be speaking about tomato brown rugose fruit virus. This newly reported …
Citrus, Vegetable and Specialty Crop Industries Collide at the General Session
By Ashley Robinson AgNet Media Inc. is excited to bring the citrus, vegetable and specialty crop industries together for our second annual general session. We invite all growers to attend the general session, where we will kick off the Vegetable & Specialty Crop Expo (VSC Expo), being held in conjunction with the 28th annual Citrus Expo. Topics of broad interest, …
New Proposal Makes H-2A More User Friendly
The H-2A program is set to be revamped. President Trump recently announced that the Department of Labor (DOL) will start the modernization process for the H-2A guest worker program. The DOL published a formal rule change, stating “it should streamline and simplify the H-2A application process, strengthen protections for U.S. and foreign workers, and ease unnecessary burdens on employers.” DOL announced on …
Meet Holly Bell, Florida’s Cannabis Czar
Ever since Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried appointed Holly Bell in February as the first director of cannabis for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, people have been curious about Bell’s background. Raised on an Indiana farm, Bell has been working in the cannabis industry for a number of years. She received her bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics …