By Jordan Powers When visualizing the daily life of farmers, we often think of green fields, hardworking families and harvest time. Often missing from the picture of the modern American farmer is his daily concern with fuel and fertilizer prices, crop yields and trade issues. On June 9, Gopinath “Gopi” Munisamy, distinguished professor of agricultural marketing and interim head of …
Meet Alabama Extension’s New and Improved Farming Basics App
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. – In 2019, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System brought the world of farming to the palm of a farmer’s hand with a smartphone application (app). The Farming Basics app opened a gateway of information for small and beginning farmers. Fast forward to 2022 — this app has a facelift, providing even more information to farmers. “The new …
Supreme Court EPA Ruling Watched Closely by Agricultural Interests
By Frank Giles The Supreme Court of the United States has made some consequential judgements during its latest term. Among them on the last day of June, was its ruling on the case — West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The case has been watched closely by many industries, including agriculture, because it took up the question of the …
USDA Proposes Changes to Florida Citrus Marketing Order
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced proposed amendments to the Florida citrus marketing order. As recommended by the Florida Citrus Administrative Committee, changes would include reducing the size and quorum requirements of the committee and revising the nomination and selection processes of committee members. The requirement of allocating committee seats based on volume from each district would also …
July 4th Cookout Prices Up by 17%
This year’s Independence Day cookouts will have consumers paying a lot more for their favorite backyard food fare. They will pay $69.68 for their summer cookout foods, including cheeseburgers, pork chops, chicken breasts, homemade potato salad, strawberries and ice cream, based on a new American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) marketbasket survey. The average cost of a summer cookout for 10 …
UF/IFAS Extension to Host Vegetable Growers Meeting
South Florida vegetable growers should mark their calendars for Monday, July 11, as the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension will host a virtual meeting on fumigants and systemics. The vegetable growers meeting will be held from noon to 2 p.m. and includes presentations from various UF/IFAS specialists. Josh Freeman will discuss a systems approach …
Biopesticides (Seem to) Perform Poorly Against Black Spot on Kale
From Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath in The South Carolina Grower . As part of a U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic Transitions Program grant, we tested 10 biopesticides on organic kale ‘Oldenbor’ to determine if any product controlled Alternaria leaf spot, a.k.a. black spot on kale. None look promising. No biopesticides reduced black spot on kale compared to the non-treated …
NCDA&CS Finds Spotted Lanternfly in Forsyth County
RALEIGH – The North Carolina (N.C.) Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services confirmed the first established presence of the invasive spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) in the state. Initial surveys indicate the known distribution of the pest is within a 5-mile radius in Forsyth County near Interstate 40 in Kernersville, extending to the Guilford County line. Survey efforts are ongoing. “We have …
Combining IPCs and Brassinosteroids to Protect Young Citrus Trees
Research studies show that about 60% of Florida citrus trees are infected by HLB disease within six months of planting. By one year, 100% of citrus trees are infected. For that reason, the use of individual protective covers (IPCs) has become very popular to protect young citrus trees from the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). The covers have proven to be effective in …
Oriental Fruit Flies Found in Florida
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has confirmed the presence of Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis, in Pinellas County. Two male flies were captured during routine trapping in a methyl eugenol-baited fruit fly detection trap in St. Petersburg on May 17. Expanded intensified delimitation trapping over the 80-square-mile surrounding area resulted in two additional males being captured in traps …