By Breanna Kendrick Most people don’t know that some of the best mangos in the world come from Florida. Jeremy Smollar with Florida’s Finest Farm in Miami is trying to get the word out on what Florida mangos are all about. “I call it the soccer of fruit. Most people don’t know it’s the most loved fruit around the world, …
Round Two of Trade Mitigation Payments Coming From USDA
The second round of trade mitigation payments will be coming to aid farmers and ranchers affected by the trade retaliation from other countries. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue made the announcement today after being authorized by President Donald Trump. It will be the final round of trade mitigation payments that were originally announced back in July in response to …
Hops Research Sparks International Partnership
By Abbey Taylor and Breanna Kendrick The University of Florida’s (UF) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) has become well known throughout the state, partly due to its work with hops. Jack Rechcigl, GCREC director, says the research began about three years ago. “We started working on hops as an alternative crop for our growers. It actually started when …
Cole Crop Field Day Includes Some New Options
Every year the University of Florida (UF) Hastings Agricultural Extension Center holds its cole crop field day due to the high number of cabbage acreage in the tri-county area, which includes Putnam, St. Johns and Flagler counties. However, growers in the tri-county area have been expressing an interest in various alternative crops. So, Gary England, director of the center, made …
UPDATED: E. coli Source Released
Update on E. coli outbreak (Dec. 14): According to a release from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the E. coli outbreak has been traced back to a single farm’s irrigation reservoir. The farm is located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the FDA release, the farm has not shipped lettuce since Nov. 20 and is being cooperative with …
Student Learning Opportunities at UGA
By Breanna Kendrick UGArden is a program at the University of Georgia that began in 2011. The purpose of the program is to grow medicinal herbs for use in products. Noelle Fuller, UGArden manager, began her involvement with the program as an undergraduate student and then as an intern. After her internship, she did her master’s degree research on medicinal …
Alternative Crops Gaining Traction Nationwide
Growers throughout the United States are taking a crack at different alternative crops. Rod Bain discusses this with Dr. Rob Myers, a regional director for the Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education program. Listen below to learn about the potential benefits of delving into alternative crops.
Georgia Blueberry Growers Not Covered in Farm Bill Report
Text for the farm bill conference report has been released. The farm bill has been long awaited by members of the agricultural industry. Seeing it move forward offers a glimmer of hope for a speedy approval. However, Buddy Carter, the U.S. representative for Georgia’s first district, says the farm bill language is missing a piece that is crucial for Georgia …
Two UF/IFAS Researchers Earn Prestigious Honor
Among their many accomplishments, one may be best known for trying to grow plants in space; the other, for helping growers battle bacterial spot disease of tomato. The two University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professors have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Robert Ferl, a UF/IFAS professor of horticultural …
Desantis Transition Panel Weighs Water Issues
Money set aside annually for the restoration of the Everglades and other waterways should also help end the use of septic tanks, a former House speaker suggested Monday as a panel considered potential environmental policies for Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis. Former Speaker Steve Crisafulli said the incoming governor should tap the “Legacy Florida” funding to aid conversions from septic tanks to …