By Ryan Atwood To be a farmer is to be an optimist. Farmers work long hours, deal with weather events, labor issues, trade issues and global pandemics that are beyond their control. The 2020 Florida blueberry harvest season was a tough one due to increased imports and the coronavirus pandemic. The government did provide some assistance to farmers through the …
Export Markets Remain Key for Southeast Pecan Producers
With the 2020 pecan season in the books, growers in the Southeast are looking to write a new chapter in 2021, one they hope will have a better ending. The story of this past season’s crop centered on devastatingly low prices and low morale among farmers still trying to recover from Hurricane Michael in 2018. The biggest question remains, what …
Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot Survives in Florida Strawberry Fields
Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot has impacted Florida strawberry production the last three seasons. The disease has taken a discouraging development for Florida producers this year, however, says Natalia Peres, Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. “What we’ve seen this season is different than what we’ve seen the past two seasons. We can’t …
Challenge Builds To Protect Florida Citrus Interests From Unfair Trade
Florida Citrus Mutual’s Mike Sparks says addressing Mexican OJ is now at the top of agenda for industry stakeholders.
Secretary Perdue Statement on H-2A Modernization
(Washington, D.C., January 15, 2021) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued a statement today applauding the Department of Labor’s final rule modernizing the H-2A visa program: “This final rule streamlining and modernizing the H-2A visa process will go a long way in ensuring American farmers have access to a stable and skilled workforce, all while removing unnecessary bureaucratic processes. …
USDA Publishes Final Rule for Domestic Production of Hemp
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2021—The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today the final rule regulating the production of hemp in the United States. The final rule incorporates modifications to regulations established under the interim final rule (IFR) published in October 2019. The modifications are based on public comments following the publication of the IFR and lessons learned during the 2020 …
Blueberry Imports Devastating to Florida Industry
Florida’s agricultural and political leaders had their say Tuesday in describing the negative impact blueberry imports have had on the state’s farmers. “Agriculture is essential to Florida’s economy. Our No. 1 economy is tourism, obviously, but our No. 2, and it’s very close behind tourism is in fact agriculture. It means so much to Florida that it’s a $131 billion …
COVID Forces Farmers to Consider Alternate Marketing Opportunities
COVID-19 altered the marketing plans of Southeast vegetable and specialty crop producers in 2020. Restaurants closed, which crippled certain sectors of the fruit and vegetable industry. Farmers must continue to adjust as a new season approaches while the pandemic continues. Jessie Boswell, Alabama Regional Extension agent, who specializes in commercial horticulture and farm and agribusiness management, believes the pandemic’s …
Georgia Vegetable Growers to Vote to Continue Assessment
Georgia vegetable growers will vote Feb. 1 through March 2, 2021 to determine the continuation of the Georgia Vegetable Commission marketing order which allows assessment of one cent per marketing unit of vegetables as described in the current marketing order. The marketing order applies to growers with 50 acres or more of total annual production of the following crops – …
PPP an Option Again for Business Owners Amid Ongoing Pandemic
The second round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) offers financial relief to business owners continuing to struggle amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Bob Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington, D.C., encourages vegetable and specialty crop producers to consider enrolling in the program. “We also have a second round …