 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
By Alison DeLoach Growing hemp and medical marijuana continues to be a hot topic for growers in Florida. Jim Spratt, owner of Magnolia Strategies LLC, discussed the challenges of growing medical marijuana at the Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference in February. Spratt said while the Florida Legislature ventured into medical marijuana, he had the opportunity to be involved in some …
Is the number of small- to medium-size farms dwindling? Don Goodwin, president of Golden Sun Marketing, believes it is. “I think the business is becoming much more complex,” he says. As the farming industry continues to evolve, Goodwin says more people are wanting to buy in and are entering the farming space for reasons, like technology sales and development, other …
This is the latest update on inflows into Lake Okeechobee for the calendar year to date. There has been no back-pumping into Lake Okeechobee from the Everglades Agricultural Area this year. This data is provided by SFWMD’s DBHYDRO database. Facts of the Flow: Lake Okeechobee, 1st Quarter 2019 (.pdf)
By Alison DeLoach High-price specialized agricultural equipment is not affordable for many family farms. Glen Rains, professor at the University of Georgia in the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, is working to create a solution to this problem. Rains participated in a panel discussion on the future of agricultural technology at the 2019 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. …
By Sen. Ben Albritton I have enormous respect for Congressman Francis Rooney and his life of public service. However, I have grave concerns about the congressman’s recent misinformed, inaccurate and hostile comments about agriculture in Florida. Describing any sector of Florida agriculture as a “menace” clearly shows a lack of understanding of how agriculture has been a highly successful partner …
In the world of small business there is a constant balancing act between what needs to be done versus what can be properly achieved with the resources available. For a grower, this means some farm improvements may be put off while addressing the main priorities of producing and harvesting a marketable crop. In the sector of niche journalism, under which …
Pointing to potential opportunities for farmers, state House members Tuesday continued moving forward with a plan that would help set the stage for an industrial-hemp industry in Florida. The state is trying to move quickly to take advantage of a 2018 federal law that legalized industrial hemp as an agricultural product. The House and Senate are working on bills that …
Although blueberry growers spend much of their time and money keeping insects away, there are certain insects that are critical for their crop’s survival. Those insects are pollinators, bees in particular. If there are low populations of pollinators in the field, growers will eventually start to notice the repercussions. Rachel Mallinger, assistant professor in the University of Florida Entomology and …
FDEP Secretary Noah Valenstein discusses growing water concerns, continued promotions for more urban growth, and views about agriculture south of Lake Okeechobee. By Gary Cooper Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) Secretary Noah Valenstein packed the room for his comments at the eleventh annual Lay of the Land Conference near Orlando late last week. The Lay of the Land Conference, hosted …
Last year, AgNet Media incorporated vegetable and specialty crop seminars into the 28-year-old citrus event, Citrus Expo. The change was met with positive feedback from both growers and industry members. Therefore, AgNet Media decided to expand that side of the program and debut the Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo, which will be held in conjunction with Citrus Expo. The two …
