By Tripti Vashisth and Bikash Adhikari The Florida peach industry has an advantage of producing fruit in the early-market window before Georgia and South Carolina fruit hits the market. CHILL HOUR ACCUMULATIONMild winters and fluctuating temperatures in fall continue to be some of the biggest challenges for peach production in Florida. Peach trees are deciduous; therefore, they need a certain …
What the Citrus Sector Should Do to Increase Juice Demand
2019 Citrus Achievement Award winner Bob Behr says the industry needs to get more aggressive in telling its story to the masses.
Wildflowers Help Watermelon Pollinators
By Karla Arboleda To attract more watermelon pollinators, growers can use different types of wildflowers around their crops. That’s what Miriam Jenkins, a graduate of Clemson University’s Wildlife and Fisheries Biology program, determined from her recent study. For pollinator-dependent crops like watermelon, adding certain wildflowers to the surrounding landscape helps create a better area for pollinators to feed. Jenkins said …
Industry Responds to EPA WOTUS Announcement
(Washington, D.C. (USDA-September 12, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for taking another step to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to repeal and replace the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “Repealing the WOTUS rule is a major win for American agriculture. The extreme overreach from the past Administration had government taking …
Cloud-Based Software Helps Farmers on the Ground
A University of Florida agricultural engineer has developed software that can help farmers find the best places to plant crops and to identify fruit and vegetable varieties that perform better against diseases. Now, Yiannis Ampatzidis is leading an effort to refine the software so it can help growers even more. To help farmers protect and even increase their harvests, Ampatzidis, …
Rising Temperatures Bad for Butterbeans in South Carolina
By Karla Arboleda In South Carolina, Clemson University researchers are working toward heat-tolerant butterbeans to preserve this staple crop. Tony Melton, an Extension agent at the Clemson Pee Dee Research and Extension Center, said rising temperatures have contributed to why butterbean production has been falling short in South Carolina. “When it’s hot, and as summers are getting hotter, (butterbean plants) …
Invasion Risk of Hemp Under Research
By Karla Arboleda While the road to hemp production is still under way, University of Florida (UF) researchers are analyzing the risk it poses for invasion. Researchers began digging deeper into what future hemp growers and consumers can look forward to through the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Industrial Hemp Pilot Program. Susan Canavan, a post-doctoral agronomy researcher …
Congressman Yoho Introduces Ag Guest Worker Bill
As labor continues to be a top-priority issue for producers nationwide, Congressman Ted Yoho is aiming to lessen worries of a labor shortage by introducing a new ag guest worker bill. He discussed this new bill in a recent exclusive interview with AgNet Media’s Abbey Taylor. According to Yoho, the bill shies away from immigration and focuses solely on ensuring …
‘It’s More Than Just Work’
University of Florida Extension Agent Gene McAvoy retires. If you ask any Florida grower if they know who Gene McAvoy is, they’ll probably reply with a smile and say “yes.” That is the kind of impact McAvoy has had in his 22-year run as an Extension agent in Hendry County, Florida. On July 31, McAvoy officially retired from the University …
Heartland Seat on SFWMD Board Draws 13 Applicants
Publisher/Editor Katrina Elsken, of Lake Okeechobee News, gives us a rundown of each of the 13 applicants for the vacant seat for the at-large member for an area that includes Glades, Highlands, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties. The Heartland seat has been vacant since March on the South Florida Water Management District board. TALLAHASSEE — Thirteen people have submitted …