By Juanita Popenoe Honey bee pollination increases fruit set and yields in many fruit, but not all. Blueberries are supposed to respond to increased pollinator activity with greater yields. Some fruit growers routinely bring in bee hives to increase pollination, but how many are necessary? Highbush blueberry growers in Washington usually rent 10 hives of Italian honey bees per acre …
Pushing Georgia Grown Beyond State Lines
2019 is set to be a year of expansion for the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Grown brand. Gary Black, Georgia commissioner of agriculture, is pleased to see his department grow this year. To stretch Georgia Grown beyond the state’s border, two department employees have been moved into different positions. Sarah Cook will serve as the domestic brand …
Looking Beyond the 2018 E. coli Outbreaks
Food safety continues to be a hot topic in the vegetable and specialty crop industry, especially after the E. coli outbreaks in 2018. One of the commodity conferences offered at the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference was focused on food safety. The session began with a presentation by Trevor Suslow, vice president of food safety with the Produce Marketing …
Peach Pest Forecast
By Alison DeLoach Brett Blaauw, assistant professor and Extension specialist at the University of Georgia and Clemson University, gave his peach pest forecast for the year during his presentation at the recent Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Regarding San Jose scale, Blaauw expects a tough year for growers. He said this winter has been relatively warm, creating a good …
DeSantis Seeks $625 Million for Everglades, Water Efforts
Water protection and restoration projects, including the fight against red tide and the continued cleanup of the Everglades, will account for $625 million of a proposed budget that Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will roll out Friday for state lawmakers to consider. DeSantis on Tuesday outlined part of his environmental budget proposal during an appearance at Rookery Bay Environmental Learning …
Tickets Available for the Florida Ag Hall of Fame Banquet
The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet is quickly approaching. Ray Hodge, president of the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation, is encouraging industry members to purchase tickets as he expects a big crowd at this year’s event. According to Hodge, the four inductees for 2019 have been great representations of Florida agriculture. “This year’s class is very diverse, but …
Science Could Lead to Longer-Lasting Fruits and Vegetables
By Jenelle Patterson We’d all like to slow the hands of time and stay young forever, and scientists have been trying for centuries to figure out what causes aging. Research into human aging has now identified some causes, but can this information be applied to horticultural crops? Here, we will explore how these two fields synergize and how combining them …
Federal Government Reopens for Now
After a month-long shutdown, the federal government reopens officially for three weeks following an announcement from President Donald Trump. The 800,000 federal workers who have been on furlough will be receiving back pay for the days that offices were closed due to the shutdown. The funding will keep the government running until Feb. 15. “I am very proud to announce …
Florida Legislators Discuss Ag Issues
By Gary Cooper Red tide, blue-green algae, hemp and hurricanes were among the items discussed in recent days during legislative committee meetings in Tallahassee, Florida. Lawmakers and state officials are getting down to business and looking forward to the start of the legislative session in early March. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Tuesday gave senate agriculture committee members a status …
State Block Grants Needed for 2018 Hurricane Recovery
The 2018 hurricanes cost several southeastern growers millions of dollars in lost production. Now, those growers are looking for federal dollars to help them recoup their losses from hurricanes like Florence and Michael. However, according to Robert Redding, an agricultural lobbyist in Washington, D.C., grants on the state level are imperative for vegetable and specialty crop growers. Redding believes growers …