Florida Farmer: It’s a Very Tough Situation

Web AdminFlorida, Top Posts, Vegetables

By Clint Thompson Every day the coronavirus lingers in the United States means more business that is not coming the way of Florida farmers, including Sam Accursio. Restaurants remain closed. So many citizens are unemployed. Fruit and vegetables are not being consumed as much like they were. Accursio produces pickle and cucumber, green beans and yellow and green squash on …

Managing Mite Populations in Blueberries

Web AdminBerries, Pests, Top Posts

By Ashley Robinson Several mite species have been reported as pests of Florida blueberries. According to Oscar Liburd, professor of entomology at the University of Florida (UF), southern red mites and false spider mites are especially high on growers’ radars this year.   SOUTHERN RED MITES Currently, there is little known about the management of southern red mites in southern …

Heroes in our Food System COVID-19 Pandemic

Web AdminAlabama, Food Safety, Top Posts

By Kristin Woods, Alabama Extension With Alabama’s production season getting into full swing, it is important to know that our growers and industry leaders are making sure that safety is not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, there is no indication that it is infectious through food or food packaging. The highly trained food system …

Florida Governor Issues Stay-At-Home order

Web AdminFlorida, Top Posts

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a statewide “Safer at Home” Executive Order (EO), which will begin at 12:01 a.m. on April 3 and, unless extended, will expire on April 30. This “Safer at Home” declaration orders all people in Florida to limit their movements and personal interactions to only those necessary to obtain or provide essential services or conduct essential …

COVID-19 Response: One Person Plants Food Gardens; Floridians Get Useful data From UF/IFAS, FAMU Extension

Web AdminFlorida, Top Posts

By: Brad Buck, 813-757-2224 (office); 352-875-2641 (cell); bradbuck@ufl.edu COVID-19 may take jobs away from people, but it can’t take away Tanya Murillo’s resilient spirit and her desire to grow vegetables in her yard. Murillo’s employer closed March 13 because of the coronavirus. She went home where eight people live. No self-pity for Murillo. Everyone in her household needed something to …

Farmers and Other Essential Food Production Workers will Carry Permission Letters during COVID-19 Shutdown

Web AdminFlorida, Industry News Release, Sugar

(U.S. Sugar) — All U.S. Sugar employees and suppliers who have been deemed essential to the nation’s food supply and national security will begin carrying authorization letters to inform authorities that they are approved to be out of their homes and working. “Our farmers, workers and other essential food production vendors will continue working around the clock to keep safe, …

Late Blight Disease Discovered at UF Research Farm

Web AdminFlorida, potato, Top Posts

By Clint Thompson Potato and tomato producers in Florida need to be wary of the discovery of Phytophthroa infestans, the causual agent for potato and tomato late blight. Gary England, RSA/Director for the Hastings Ag Extension Center in Hastings, Florida, confirmed that samples collected from the Extension Center site tested positive. He scouted the rest of the affected portion of …

Georgia Vegetable Growers Should Plan Ahead to Prepare for Harvest in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic

Web AdminGeorgia, Top Posts, Vegetables

By Andre Luiz Biscaia Ribeiro da Silva/UGA CAES News Most vegetable crops in Georgia — such as bell pepper, specialty peppers, tomato, eggplant, cucumber, yellow squash, and zucchini — are currently being planted and will continue to be into early April. These crops should be harvested in May and June. However, in light of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Georgia …

Farmers, Other Essential Food Production Workers Will Carry Permission Letters During COVID-19 Shutdown

Web AdminFlorida, Sugar

Contact: Judy Clayton Sanchez 863-902-2210 Clewiston, FL – Today, all U.S. Sugar employees and suppliers who have been deemed essential to the nation’s food supply and national security will begin carrying authorization letters to inform authorities that they are approved to be out of their homes and working. “Our farmers, workers and other essential food production vendors will continue working …

Florida’s Tomato Industry Crippled by Pandemic

Web AdminFlorida, Tomatoes, Top Posts

By Clint Thompson With restaurants closed across the country due to coronavirus pandemic, little, if any, of Florida’s tomato crop is being harvested right now. Bob Spencer, President of West Coast Tomato in Palmetto, Florida, said his company farms between 3,500 and 4,000 acres every year but estimates that he’s losing 90% of his business right now. Since about 70% …