Strawberry consumers love the fruit’s sweet flavor, and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Researchers are trying to meet that desire, while helping growers produce high yields. But genes and volatile compounds that control flavor are difficult to pinpoint, said Mark Porter, a Ph.D. student in the Plant Breeding Program at the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural …
Applications Now Open for Florida Rural and Family Lands Protection Program
The Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the opening of an application cycle for landowners to apply to the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. The program, which partners with farmers and ranchers through conservation easements, aims to safeguard working agricultural operations that contribute significantly to Florida’s economy and the production of food and fiber. Landowners can now submit …
North Carolina Apple Growers Association Notice of Assessment Referendum
The North Carolina (N.C.) Apple Growers Association will be conducting a referendum for the assessment of apples sold to first purchasers in North Carolina on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Voting will take place at County Extension Offices in counties where commercial apple growing occurs, during regular business hours. The method and amount of assessment being considered will remain as it …
A New Ilarvirus in Florida Tomatoes
By Ozgur Batuman and Salih Yilmaz Ilarviruses can infect both herbaceous and woody plants and are known to be transmitted by pollen and seed with varying efficiency. Thrips have been associated as vectors of ilarviruses since they create wounds during feeding that can serve as entry points for virus particles carried in or on infected pollen. Tobacco streak virus (TSV) …
USDA Report: Fresh Vegetable Imports Up in 2022
It should come as no surprise to specialty crop producers in the Southeast, but fresh vegetable import volume was up in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service Situation and Outlook Report. The U.S. remained a net importer of fresh market vegetables in volume and value in calendar year 2022. Some of the trade highlights for …
Unpredictable: Hard to Gauge What Pecan Market Will Look Like
By Clint Thompson Predicting the pecan market is not an exact science. In fact, it can be as unpredictable as the weather. No one really knows what the market will be like when pecans are harvested in the fall. “I keep hearing, spurts here and there from a couple of people, that demand is there and all of that, but …
The 2023 Citrus Achievement Award Winner Glenn Beck Confident in the Future
By Frank Giles It has been tough to keep an optimistic attitude as HLB spread through Florida citrus groves and took production down to historic lows. Mix in recent weather disasters and being positive is even more challenging. But the 2023 Citrus Achievement Award winner, Glenn Beck, has always believed there will come a day when HLB is finally defeated …
Changes Noted in Florida Citrus Forecast
With the 2022–23 season harvest virtually completed for all varieties, the June citrus forecast for Florida had several slight changes. The Florida orange and grapefruit forecasts each climbed 1% from May, while the tangerines/tangelos forecast dropped 2%. Forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) were unchanged for Arizona, California and Texas. FLORIDA ORANGESFlorida’s all-orange …
Abnormally Dry Conditions Observed in Some Areas Across Southeast
The most recent release of the U.S. Drought Monitor shows abnormally dry conditions in Georgia and Alabama and some moderate and severe drought conditions in Florida. The driest conditions in Georgia remain concentrated to the southwest part of the state, in Crisp, Wilcox, Ben Hill, Turner, Irwin, Tift, Worth, Lee and parts of Dougherty, Colquitt, Cook and Berrien counties. Other …
Christmas Freeze Effect: Shorter Vidalia Onion Crop This Year
By Clint Thompson There were fewer Vidalia onions in Georgia this year. It was a direct result of the freeze event during last Christmas, believes Chris Tyson, University of Georgia Extension area onion agent at the Vidalia Onion & Vegetable Research Center in Lyons, Georgia. He discussed how much of this year’s crop was lost as a result of multiple …