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Squash bugs can be tricky to find and even more of a struggle to kill. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, says he has gotten several calls from producers about squash bug infestations. According to Majumdar, there are no easy solutions to squash bug infestations, which is why this pest continues to be a major issue …
Less than two weeks to submit the questionnaire by mail The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is wrapping up data collection for the 2017 Census of Agriculture. To stay on track for data release in February 2019, the deadline for submitting the paper questionnaire is June 15, 2018. Farmers and ranchers who have not responded …
By Breanna Kendrick At the recent Stone Fruit Field Day, Cory Penca gave a presentation on managing key pests of peaches in Florida. Penca is an entomology Ph.D. candidate and a student in the Doctor of Plant Medicine program at the University of Florida. His presentation covered stink bugs, Caribbean fruit flies, plum curculio and mites. Penca’s pest management practices …
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has positively identified the presence of three Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis, in south Miami-Dade County. The initial fly was discovered during routine trapping, and additional flies were discovered during expanded trapping activities. The department, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, monitors more than 56,000 fruit fly traps statewide as an …
Registration for the second annual Organic Food and Farming Summit is now open! Presented by Florida Organic Growers (FOG), the summit aims to educate organic and conventional growers alike on organic production methods. Similar to last year, the summit will consist of food and farming tours, a trade show, and short- and long-form educational seminars. The first day of the …
By Breanna Kendrick The abundance of rain in Florida over the past two weeks has brought concerns about bacterial disease issues for farmers. Gary Vallad, University of Florida associate professor of plant pathology and associate center director at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discusses some of the precautions growers can take to make it through this rainy season. …
By Breanna Kendrick Ali Sarkhosh moved to America last October from Australia to conduct research on the peach industry in Florida. He is an assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida. Many growers are concerned about the profitability of growing peaches in Florida. According to Sarkhosh, “The opportunity is huge! In the …
By Breanna Kendrick Ali Sarkhosh, assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida (UF), spoke at and co-hosted the annual Stone Fruit Field Day at the UF Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra. The event included discussions on the issues and challenges in the stone fruit industry. It provided information on …
By Breanna Kendrick Plant physiologist and researcher at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, Shinsuke Agehara, is studying the potential of growing hops in Florida. His research focuses on the production of hops and how it will grow in Florida’s climate. The exact amount of hops production in Florida is unknown at this time. Many growers are trying to …
Policies and regulations can impact a grower’s ability to make a living. The June issue of VSCNews magazine will be growers’ one-stop-shop for important governmental updates on the state and federal levels. Southeastern growers will get an overview of their state’s 2018 legislative session. Adam Basford, director of state legislative affairs for Florida Farm Bureau (FFB), gives a summary of …
