By Maegan Beatty Elderberry (Sambucus spp.) is a fruit crop that is suitable for both commercial and home growing. In April, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted an orchard field day, where Dave Jarnagin of Hyldemoer and Company gave an educational presentation on the elderberry and elderflower. Elderberries are native to North America but …
Crist: A Healthy Florida Needs a Healthy Ag Sector
By Charlie Crist Editor’s Note: With the November elections fast approaching, we asked the major candidates in Florida’s governor’s race to weigh-in on why Florida farmers should support their campaigns. Here’s what Charlie Crist had to say. Also note, this article was written prior to Hurricane Ian making landfall. See Gov. Ron DeSantis article here. As Florida has transformed itself …
Blueberry Cultivation in Soilless Substrates
By Gerardo H. Nunez Blueberry production in containers filled with soilless substrates is rapidly expanding throughout the world and in the Southeast. Blueberry bushes are notorious for their strict soil requirements. They prefer well-drained, acidic soils with high organic matter. These soil characteristics are not common in many parts of the world. Thus, blueberries have traditionally been grown with soil …
Onion Sweetness: Soil Conditions, Fertilizers Affect Vidalia Flavor
Source: UGA CAES Newswire University of Georgia Agricultural and Environmental Services Laboratories (AESL) researchers are ensuring sweetness is a quality of all Vidalia onions. Vidalia onions are known for their sweetness because of the low sulfur environment of the sandy Coastal Plain soils in South Georgia where they are grown, said Daniel Jackson, manager of the Crop Quality Lab, a …
How to Keep Your Holiday Plants Healthy Year-Round
By Laura Ney for CAES News As vibrant holiday plants begin to adorn the shelves of hardware stores, grocery stores and garden centers, consumers are attracted to the pinks, reds and whites atop deep green foliage, which add festive pops of color in winter homes. The appearance of plants like poinsettias and Christmas cacti usher in the holiday season and …
Building Better Soil
By Tiffany Bailey and Ida Vandamme It was about 18 months ago when we began planning our first crop to be planted on our newly certified organic field at Honeyside Farms in Parrish, Florida. The field was previously used for pastureland. It was easy to see that we would be starting from a soil structure that is common in our …
Healthy Ponds for Healthy Environments
By Alexander J. Reisinger, Steven P. Hohman, Ashley R. Smyth and Eban Z. Bean If you live in an urban area, you have likely noticed small lakes or ponds in your community that are often paired with newer residential or commercial developments. Maybe you fish in them, canoe across them or watch wildlife attracted to the water. These ponds are …
Beneath the Earth, the ‘Black Box’ of Soil Holds a Key to Crop Growth
IMMOKALEE, Fla. (UF/IFAS) — Like much of what lies just beneath the earth’s surface, soil microbes present a mystery. University of Florida scientist Sarah Strauss seeks to help untangle the web of intrigue surrounding soil microbes to improve agricultural production in Florida and globally. “There are microbial activities going on that we don’t exactly understand. It’s known as the ‘black …
Improving Orchard Soil with Cover Crops
By Ali Sarkhosh and Danielle Treadwell Most Florida orchards display low soil fertility. The soil is highly susceptible to erosion, low in organic matter content and, therefore, low in water-holding capacity and nitrate retention. Low organic matter content in the soil is associated with sub-optimal plant development due to a reduction in annual nutrient consumption and therefore total nutrient content …
TriEst Ag Group: Partners in Profitability
There is a lot of talk about sustainability and regeneration in agriculture these days. But what do those terms really mean? If you ask five people, you might get five different definitions. But for Josh Mays, Director of Agronomy for TriEst Ag Group, it all starts with profitability. Mays says “We should all be critical of how farming practices impact …