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By Breanna Kendrick As Hurricane Florence is knocking on the Carolinas’ doorstep, Tom Dobbins, director of Cooperative Extension Service for Clemson University, has some information to share with South Carolina farmers: “Our agents are prepared to go out and assist the farmers who experience damages from Florence,” he says. Agents will assure proper documentation of hurricane damage is recorded. “It’s …
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As buyers browse strawberry packages at the supermarket, they might see labels such as “organically grown” or “locally grown.” But they’d also like to know if the fruit was produced in a way that preserves the environment, a new University of Florida (UF) study shows. Consumers say they’ll pay more for strawberries grown in a manner that …
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala.—More people than ever are interested in giving farming a try. In the past, people turned to farming family members for help. Today, most people are generations removed from farming. To help budding farmers get started, Alabama Extension now offers a free online course, Farming Basics. Launched Sept. 10, the course addresses critical topics in agriculture. Alabama Extension …
By Breanna Kendrick Some of the biggest advances in agricultural production happen due to technology. Kati Migliaccio, professor and chair of the Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) Department at the University of Florida, focuses on some of the technology used to improve crops and how it helps get food from the field to the table. Engineers in the ABE department …
By Tacy Callies and Ernie Neff At the Citrus Expo general session in August, Rich Budell of the Budell Water Group addressed water supply and quality challenges facing Florida agriculture. He summarizes some of the eye-opening statistics he presented. Budell says in a part of Central Florida, the 20-year water demand is estimated to be 250 million gallons per day …
By Jeffrey K. Brecht and Steven A. Sargent As we approach a new packing season, now is a good time to consider your handling and cooling operations. Take the time to walk through your facilities with pad and paper in hand. This will jog your memory about issues you noticed last season so that they can be fixed this season. …
The Alabama fruit and vegetable industry has seen some tremendous increases over the past decade. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with Auburn University, chalks this increase up to a growing population in Alabama. Currently, fruit and vegetable production takes up about 7,000 acres of Alabama’s landscape. The industry is valued at about $161 million with a value-added production of about $103 …
Source: Alabama Farmers Federation A once-promising pecan crop bore the brunt of wind gusts and torrential rain from Tropical Storm Gordon, which downed trees, limbs and ripe pecans when hitting the Gulf Coast Sept. 4. In Baldwin County, the storm dropped nearly 9 inches of rain. Across the bay in Mobile County, rain totals were lower, though wind damage was …
The 27th annual Citrus Expo saw great success as growers piled into the Lee Civic Center on Aug. 15–16 in North Fort Myers, Florida. Growers experienced the biggest trade show in Expo history, as well as newly added vegetables and specialty crops seminar sessions. The educational program, titled “Planting Tomorrow’s Profits,” featured presentations on the latest research from the University …
As the University of Florida IFAS Extension director for Hendry County, Gene McAvoy has seen firsthand a sea change in the types of workers now coming to the United States to work on farms. “It used to be 95 percent or more of the workers were from Mexico,” McAvoy said. “Now, it’s about 50 percent from Haiti and the Caribbean. …
