Tailgating Theme to Highlight This Year’s Florida Ag Expo Event

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Florida Ag Expo

By Clint Thompson Registration remains open for this year’s Florida Ag Expo event, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 7 at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, Florida. The Expo is a premier event for specialty crop producers in the Southeast and will once again feature a tailgating aspect to …

Reminder: Hurricane’s Impact on Blueberries

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson Florida’s blueberry industry sustained minimal damage from Hurricane Helene. But the storm’s devastating path of destruction reminds growers about the dangers a hurricane can pose this time of year. Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator, discusses the impacts a hurricane can have on blueberry bushes in early fall. …

Southern Scientists Use AI to Reduce Costs, Labor on Farms

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Scientists throughout the South are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help growers save labor costs and time, spray with precision, detect diseases, control food quality, maintain animal health and help grow wheat. Among the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientists helping growers save time and money is Yiannis Ampatzidis, an associate professor of agricultural and …

Florida Ag Expo Scheduled for Nov. 7

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Florida Ag Expo

Registration is ongoing for this year’s Florida Ag Expo event, scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) in Wimauma, Florida. The Florida Ag Expo has served as the premier event for small fruit and vegetable growers in Florida and the Southeast for more than …

Citizen Scientists Help UF/IFAS Researchers Find Best Tasting Tomatoes

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Tomatoes

People with a green thumb for growing tomatoes are giving University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers data to help them find tastier tomatoes. Through a citizen science program, Denise Tieman, a UF/IFAS research associate professor of horticultural sciences, and her lab are retrieving viable data from residential gardeners about which tomato varieties grow and taste …

Florida Blueberry Producers Bracing for Peak Tropical Season

Clint ThompsonBlueberries, Florida

By Clint Thompson An active tropical season this fall is concerning for Florida’s blueberry growers. According to Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator, this time of year is when blueberry bushes are most vulnerable. Unfortunately, this is also the time of year when Florida experiences a bulk of hurricane activity. “In …

Florida Blueberries ‘Dodged a Bullet’ with Hurricane Debby

Clint ThompsonBlueberries, Florida

By Clint Thompson Florida’s blueberry crop emerged unscathed following Hurricane Debby’s trek through the region on Aug. 5, according to Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator. “Things are looking good. I talked to guys in each of the three regions; north, central and south. Very few plants were blown over, a …

UF/IFAS Scientists Use AI to Improve Strawberry Disease Detection

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Strawberry

Florida’s strawberry season doesn’t return until December. But University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers work year-round to support an industry with a $500 million-a-year farm-gate value in Florida. Among their research endeavors, UF/IFAS scientists search for ways to help growers control diseases that threaten strawberries. Most of Florida’s 13,500 acres of strawberries are grown in …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Hop Production Progressing in Florida

Clint ThompsonHops, Specialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Frank Giles One of the missions of land grant universities is helping farmers to learn better ways to produce their crops. But another is seeking alternative crops, which might help growers to diversify their business operations. Some alternative crops work; others don’t. Research efforts might pay off when a crop catches on. A recent of example of this is …

Tomato Season: UF/IFAS Breeder Highlights Planting Season

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Tomatoes

By Clint Thompson Florida tomato plants will soon be in the ground for the 2024-25 season. For some producers, like University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) tomato breeder Jessica Chitwood-Brown, that means plants go in the ground this week. Commercial growers in central and southern Florida will start planting towards the end of the month. Chitwood-Brown …