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The termination of the Tomato Suspension Agreement may be stopped in its tracks after associations representing the Mexican tomato industry have proposed changes to the agreement. The agreement was set to be terminated on May 7. The associations recently presented their proposal to the U.S. Department of Commerce. According to a report from Abasto (https://abasto.com/en/mexican-growers-tomato-imports/), the changes proposed by the …
By Alison DeLoach Integrated pest management is an economic way for growers to control pests. Jim Walgenbach an Extension entomologist at North Carolina State University, studies integrated pest management on tree fruits and vegetable crops. At the 2019 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, he discussed research on biological controls for certain pests. When it comes to managing spider mites …
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), and Al Lawson (D-FL) led a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives in a letter raising concerns to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer regarding the lack of progress in the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) with respect to improved mechanisms to initiate and sustain legitimate anti-dumping and countervailing …
For organic growers, the tools to control pests are scarce. However, using insects to fend off pests may be a good option. Ayanava Majumdar, Alabama Cooperative Extension entomologist with Auburn University, has been studying the impacts of beneficials for years and is constantly getting questions from growers about how best to use these pest management tools. Majumdar says beneficials, or …
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried urges Florida farmers to make their voices heard now during this tough year for agriculture program funding. She says state lawmakers are debating key budget items between House and Senate versions that could leave some department programs woefully underfunded. One area of big concern right now is the popular Fresh From Florida marketing program. In …
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried continued Friday to push for state and federal hurricane relief for the Panhandle as she led a bipartisan group of lawmakers and staff members through rural communities still struggling from deadly Hurricane Michael. Saying farmers are “suffering,” Fried said the trip to see Calhoun County timber land, where decades-old slash pines reaching maturity were wiped …
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. …
