Florida farmers might not be held back from planting hemp next year, even if the federal government has not signed off on long-awaited rule changes. Holly Bell, Florida’s director of cannabis, told the Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday that, if all goes well, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ permitting for hemp could be available to farmers by …
Whitefly and Diamondback Moth Management in South Florida
By Karla Arboleda Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are looking into products that are effective against whiteflies and diamondback moths in South Florida. Hugh Smith, vegetable entomologist at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC), works to apply information growers share about their experiences toward better insect management in crops. …
Tempering Expectations for the Future of Organic
A new report from Rabobank is tempering expectations for organic production as growth in the sector is beginning to slow. The six-page report “Organic Produce Premiums Under Pressure,” notes that organic food sales grew an average of ten percent per year between 2010 and 2016. However, the previous two years’ growth was only tracked at six percent. Some of the …
Can a Lower Rate of Hydrogen Cyanamide Be Used in Peaches?
By Tripti Vashisth and Bikash Adhikari The Florida peach industry has an advantage of producing fruit in the early-market window before Georgia and South Carolina fruit hits the market. CHILL HOUR ACCUMULATIONMild winters and fluctuating temperatures in fall continue to be some of the biggest challenges for peach production in Florida. Peach trees are deciduous; therefore, they need a certain …
What the Citrus Sector Should Do to Increase Juice Demand
2019 Citrus Achievement Award winner Bob Behr says the industry needs to get more aggressive in telling its story to the masses.
Wildflowers Help Watermelon Pollinators
By Karla Arboleda To attract more watermelon pollinators, growers can use different types of wildflowers around their crops. That’s what Miriam Jenkins, a graduate of Clemson University’s Wildlife and Fisheries Biology program, determined from her recent study. For pollinator-dependent crops like watermelon, adding certain wildflowers to the surrounding landscape helps create a better area for pollinators to feed. Jenkins said …
Industry Responds to EPA WOTUS Announcement
(Washington, D.C. (USDA-September 12, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for taking another step to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to repeal and replace the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “Repealing the WOTUS rule is a major win for American agriculture. The extreme overreach from the past Administration had government taking …
Cloud-Based Software Helps Farmers on the Ground
A University of Florida agricultural engineer has developed software that can help farmers find the best places to plant crops and to identify fruit and vegetable varieties that perform better against diseases. Now, Yiannis Ampatzidis is leading an effort to refine the software so it can help growers even more. To help farmers protect and even increase their harvests, Ampatzidis, …
Rising Temperatures Bad for Butterbeans in South Carolina
By Karla Arboleda In South Carolina, Clemson University researchers are working toward heat-tolerant butterbeans to preserve this staple crop. Tony Melton, an Extension agent at the Clemson Pee Dee Research and Extension Center, said rising temperatures have contributed to why butterbean production has been falling short in South Carolina. “When it’s hot, and as summers are getting hotter, (butterbean plants) …
Invasion Risk of Hemp Under Research
By Karla Arboleda While the road to hemp production is still under way, University of Florida (UF) researchers are analyzing the risk it poses for invasion. Researchers began digging deeper into what future hemp growers and consumers can look forward to through the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Industrial Hemp Pilot Program. Susan Canavan, a post-doctoral agronomy researcher …