Due to a high level of research possibilities in the Suwannee Valley area, another location has been added to the North Florida Research and Education Center. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center will become the North Florida Research and Education Center at Suwannee Valley (NFREC-SV), said Bob Hochmuth, assistant director of …
Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference is Underway
The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference kicked off today with exhibitor set up and a few educational sessions. AgNet Media Founder and President Gary Cooper caught up with Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, to discuss this year’s event. Hear Hall’s comments below:
Whiteflies Cause Concerns for 2018
Southeastern growers continue to struggle with whiteflies and the diseases they leave behind in crops. Josh Freeman, assistant professor of horticulture at the University of Florida, said he is trying to advise growers to help them manage the pests and diseases as effectively as possible. The large amount of adult whiteflies in crops had some very strong negative effects for …
Vidalia Onion Committee Steps Up Marketing Efforts
The Vidalia Onion Committee (VOC), located in Vidalia, Georgia, is looking forward to new marketing initiatives it has put in place for the upcoming season. Bob Stafford, VOC manager, said “Only Vidalia” is the new phrase for the committee. He spoke with AgNet Media’s Josh McGill at the Produce Marketing Association’s 2017 Fresh Summit. The Fresh Summit was held October …
Supreme Court Weighs Arguments in Water War
Lawyers for Florida asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reject a special master’s report denying the state relief in its long-running dispute with Georgia over water flow into the Apalachicola River. “This court has never had a situation where it’s recognized a state as being injured. It’s recognized that the upstream state is wasting a resource and it’s …
Perdue Presents Rural Prosperity Task Force Report
After many stops across the country, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue presented findings of the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to President Trump at the 2018 American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. The task force was formed by an executive order from President Trump in April 2017 with Secretary Perdue serving as chairman. According …
Produce Safety Rule Takes Effect Jan. 26
The highly anticipated Produce Safety Rule, part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, will go into effect for the largest farms on Jan. 26. Farms that make $500,000 or more in annual revenue will be the first to face the Produce Safety Rule. American Farm Bureau Federation Economist Veronica Nigh said the first year under the new rule will be …
Supreme Court Ready to Wade into Water War
By Lloyd Dunkelberger THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE……… The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Monday in a decades-old legal fight between Florida and Georgia over water flow into the Apalachicola River. A court-appointed special master ruled in February that Florida had not proved its case that a water-usage cap should be imposed on Georgia to help the river and Apalachicola …
Integrated Pest Management for Spotted Wing Drosophila
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative allows researchers in many parts of the United States to help find organic management strategies for devastating pests in their area. Ashfaq Sial, assistant professor at the University of Georgia, said he is using this initiative to research the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), …
Vegetable Crops to Solve Malnutrition, Obesity
A Clemson University researcher has a goal of solving health issues by using vegetable and specialty crops. Dil Thavarajah, assistant professor at Clemson University, has researched how certain crops may have a hand in helping solve malnutrition and obesity. While working with this same goal in research for legume crops, Thavarajah noticed there was a substantial increase in popularity for …