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According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 90% of Florida’s agricultural operations are small farms with gross sales under $250,000. In South Florida, small farmers benefit from an ideal subtropical climate but need more options for high-value fruit and vegetable crops to grow profitably and meet demands. “Farmland acreage has decreased due to increased urbanization in South Florida,” said Xiaoying …

With Florida in peak passion fruit season, researchers are eyeing the sweet tropical fruit as a cash crop. At $3 per fruit at some supermarkets, farmers are able to receive $5 per pound for their harvest, according to Ali Sarkhosh, associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticultural sciences department. This price shows …

Specialty crop producers are always looking for ways to increase their yields and boost the ability of their crops to resist pests, diseases and heat spurred by climate change. That’s particularly the case when you grow crops in a high-intensity production system, which farmers use to produce tomatoes in Florida. Such systems require a lot of water, nutrients and chemicals …

The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have partnered to create an online toolkit to help protect agricultural workers from the summer heat. Last year’s sweltering summer temperatures convinced SCCAHS leadership that additional promotion about heat-related illness education could save lives. Even before the summer …

Many craft brewers prefer to make their product using hops pellets because of several advantages they provide over whole cone hops. To address a request by Tampa Bay-area craft brewers, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are converting the crop they grow into pellets. “Brewers use several forms of hops to make beer, including pellets, …

When consumers go to the grocery store, they want their produce, including broccoli, to look, feel and taste fresh. This desire compels University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher Tie Liu to study ways to keep vegetables fresh. Liu and his colleagues studied in newly published research the physiological and molecular mechanisms of two treatments: 1-Methylcyclopropene …