VSC Expo Seminar Schedule Now Available

Web AdminTop Posts, VSCNews magazine

Growers seeking the latest information and research to help make them successful need look no further than the 2019 Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo (VSC Expo) seminar program. Presented by experts from the University of Florida and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the VSC Expo seminars will explore the best production practices and upcoming threats and trends facing the industry. …

Ranch Rim Ditches Debated at South Florida Water Management Meeting

Web AdminFlorida, Industry News Release, Lake Okeechobee, Water

Thanks to south Florida ag news colleague Katrina Elskin at Lake Okeechobee News for this recap of this week’s South Florida Water Management District Governing Board meeting in West Palm Beach. WEST PALM BEACH — The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board once again turned their attention on the nutrient load from agricultural properties at their July 10 workshop …

UF Program Aims to Build Better Peppers

Web AdminFlorida, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda Desirable pepper qualities for consumers include taste, color and spice. And for growers, that list includes nematode resistance. Bala “Saba” Rathinasabapathi, professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services, is breeding seeds to give consumers the best peppers possible. His lab takes an angle toward quality improvement and working with …

EPA Registers Long-Term Uses of Sulfoxaflor While Ensuring Strong Pollinator Protection

Web AdminEnvironment, Industry News Release, Pollinators, Top Posts

Registration provides benefits to growers and is supported by strong science that shows minimal risks for pollinators. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a long-term approval for the insecticide sulfoxaflor— an effective tool to control challenging pests with fewer environmental impacts. After conducting an extensive risk analysis, including the review of one of the agency’s largest datasets on …

Fusarium Wilt Management in Watermelons

Web AdminFlorida, Top Posts, Watermelon

By Karla Arboleda Watermelons this season have suffered through the hot weather, and researchers in Jackson County, Florida, have been seeing mixed results with fusarium wilt management. Josh Freeman, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor of horticultural sciences, works on how to deal with the watermelon disease. “It’s really the primary soilborne disease that growers …

New Tool to Navigate the H-2A Program

Web AdminLabor, Legislative, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

Navigating the H-2A program can be confusing and cumbersome. But, thanks to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), growers applying to the program now have a new tool in the form of an interactive H-2A checklist. According to Kaveh Sadeghzadeh, deputy director of communications for USDA farm production and conservation, “The H-2A checklist tool is the first phase of an …

2019 Legislative Sessions Wrap-Up

Web AdminAlabama, Florida, Georgia, Legislative, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

The 2019 legislative sessions in Florida, Georgia and Alabama have officially ended. Each year, agriculture advocates from all three states work tirelessly to fight for their industry. This article serves as a summary of how agriculture fared in the Florida, Georgia and Alabama sessions. Florida: Some Success, but More Work to Be Done By Adam Basford Going into the 2019 …

Providing Hemp Information

Web AdminAlabama, Florida, Georgia, Hemp, Top Posts

As hemp hype continues to grow, finding correct information about the crop can be a difficult task. In a recent interview, CEO of Green Point Research David Hasenauer discusses the nitty-gritty of growing hemp and hemp regulations with AgNewsWire’s Cindy Zimmerman. Listen to the full interview:

Beneath the Earth, the ‘Black Box’ of Soil Holds a Key to Crop Growth

Web AdminFlorida, Industry News Release, Research, Soil, Vegetables

IMMOKALEE, Fla. (UF/IFAS) — Like much of what lies just beneath the earth’s surface, soil microbes present a mystery. University of Florida scientist Sarah Strauss seeks to help untangle the web of intrigue surrounding soil microbes to improve agricultural production in Florida and globally. “There are microbial activities going on that we don’t exactly understand. It’s known as the ‘black …

New Watermelon Rootstock Proves Pest, Disease Resistant

Web AdminPests, Top Posts, Watermelon

By Karla Arboleda Southeastern watermelon growers have struggled with fusarium wilt and nematodes for decades. A new rootstock may be the light at the end of the tunnel. Carolina Strongback, a new watermelon rootstock, is resistant toward fusarium wilt and nematodes. Researchers developed the watermelon line at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Clemson University. They …