Italy’s Valagro Breaks-Ground on its First U.S. Manufacturing Facility

Web AdminFlorida, Soil

Valagro USA, an Italy-based company, held a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginnings of their first manufacturing facility in the United States. The facility will reside in Orangeburg, South Carolina. The ground-breaking ceremony was well-attended by members of the local community, state representatives and members of the federal government. According to a release following the event, the new U.S. facility, …

Updated Draft for Florida Hemp Rules

Web AdminFarm Bill, Florida, Hemp, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) updated a draft on hemp rules for the state. FDACS is working with the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to authorize hemp production in Florida as quickly as possible. Fred Harris, a Greenberg Traurig attorney representing the Hemp Industries Association …

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The Basics of Breeding Horticultural Crops

Web AdminProduce, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Doug Phillips and Patricio Munoz Plant breeding has been described as the art and science of the genetic improvement of plants. It essentially involves using the heritable genetic variability in plants to develop varieties with certain targeted, desirable traits, such as high yield, disease resistance and superior fruit quality. Breeding of horticultural crops, such as tomatoes and strawberries, may …

Inside the University of Florida Blueberry Breeding Program

Web AdminBerries, Florida, Research, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Patricio Munoz and Doug Phillips The University of Florida (UF) blueberry breeding program has a long history of pioneering the development of southern highbush blueberries (SHB) that can thrive in Florida’s hot, humid climate. The breeding program focuses on developing varieties with high yield, good fruit quality and early ripening within a shrinking market window. The success of Florida’s …

South Carolina Industrial Hemp Updates

Web AdminFarm Bill, Hemp, South Carolina, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda People in South Carolina looking forward to growing industrial hemp will be able to get research updates from Clemson University. While hemp pesticides have been approved in South Carolina, growers are still awaiting more regulations to be established by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA). David Dewitt, state coordinator for the Clemson Extension Hemp Program, talked …

Steaming for Weed Management

Web AdminPests, Research, Top Posts

By Ramdas Kanissery and Yiannis Ampatzidis Weeds are a significant problem in horticultural production and must be controlled to maintain good crop yield. Concerns related to non-judicious use of herbicides, which include ground and surface water contamination and pesticide residues in food, has sparked public awareness and restrictions on herbicide use. For these reasons, alternative and integrated systems for weed …

Florida Association Works With Future Hemp Community

Web AdminBusiness, Farm Bill, Hemp, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda This month, those preparing to enter the hemp industry in Florida received legislative updates and attended meetings that were part of a statewide hemp road tour led by the Hemp Industries Association of Florida (HIAF). HIAF Chairman David Hasenauer hosted the meetings, which included several speakers that provided information on how to get started with growing hemp. …

Advanced Technologies Speed Up Strawberry Breeding

Web AdminFlorida, Strawberry, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Seonghee Lee Strawberry is a genetically complex fruit crop. The use of conventional breeding approaches to combine many important characteristics in a single variety is difficult and takes a long time. These characteristics can include disease resistance, fruit quality attributes such as sugar content or aroma, or any other trait that naturally occurs in cultivated strawberry. Traditionally, University of …

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Sneak Peek: October VSCNews Magazine

Web AdminSneak peek, Top Posts

The October issue of VSCNews magazine touches on a variety of topics, including post-harvest protection, dormancy induction in blueberries and a strawberry spotlight. The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) was created in order to promote free and fair trade of U.S. agricultural commodities. Travis Hubbs, chief of the Investigative Enforcement Branch in the PACA Division of the U.S. Department of …