Grimmway Farms Opens Facility in Georgia

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Jeff Huckaby, Grimmway Farms chief executive officer, hosted U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black at the grand opening of Grimmway’s new Southeast region packing facility and warehouse in Sparks, Georgia, on Feb. 20. Huckaby said he is “really excited” to be making the move across the country, from California to Georgia, to open the …

National Strawberry Day Brings Attention to UF/IFAS Varieties

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Vance Whitaker toils day and night to develop the tastiest, best-looking, aromatic strawberries a consumer would want. Yummy enough for a nutritious snack or to help flavor a cake or pie just in time for National Strawberry Day on Feb. 27. Whitaker, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), …

The Four Newest Members to the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame

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Four more Florida agricultural leaders were inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame on Feb. 13. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam presented the inductees with their awards, while Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black served as the master of ceremonies during the banquet. In a room filled with agricultural leaders from across the state, Alfonso and J. Pepe Fanjul, Lowell …

Plant Biostimulants Looking for Federal Definition

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By Brian German There is an ongoing effort to get a concrete definition for what plant biostimulants are officially classified as. The need for a clearly outlined definition is due to the broad range of what can be considered a biostimulant. Beaudreau “Biostimulants can mean a number of different things,” said Executive Director of the U.S. Biostimulant Coalition David Beaudreau. …

Conaway Warns of Crop Insurance Fight

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A crop insurance fight may be on the horizon as the farm bill gets crafted. Congressman and House Agriculture Committee Chair Michael Conaway spoke about the potential fight at the 2018 Crop Insurance Industry Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona. “There’s a fight ahead perhaps on crop insurance,” Conaway told AgNet Media’s Gary Cooper. “The renewal of the farm bill will give …

Important H-2A Rules to Consider

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Dan Bremer, president of AgWorks H2, LLC, recently spoke at the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia, about the H-2A program. His presentation discussed labor options outside of the H-2A program, as well as what to expect from the H-2A program. Bremer began the presentation by going over options that growers can consider when seeking labor. The …

The Top 3 Things on Florida Farm Bureau’s Legislative Plate

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The Florida Farm Bureau held its legislative days in Tallahassee, where it advocated for an “Ag Strong” legislative agenda. Adam Basford, director of legislative affairs for Florida Farm Bureau, was pleased with the turnout at this year’s events. Sporting “Ag Strong” pins, nearly 200 members of the Florida Farm Bureau made appointments with their legislators to advocate for critical agriculture …

Battling Blueberry Diseases

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Predictive systems and preventing new diseases in blueberries were topics Phil Brannen addressed at the 2018 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Ga., in January. Brannen is a professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Georgia. Predictive systems can benefit growers by letting them know when their disease risks are highest and lowest. Brannen said a …

Researchers and Growers Working with Olives

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The possibility of a commercial olive industry in the Southeast has caused many growers and researchers to begin looking at what could be attainable. Peter Andersen, professor of horticulture at the University of Florida (UF), said north Florida and south Georgia are two areas of the Southeast looking at the possibility of olives as a commercial crop. More research is …

Taste Test Shows Luffa’s Potential

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This emerging Asian vegetable is one to watch in Florida. By Yucong Xie, Guodong Liu, Bala Rathinasabapathi and Muhammad A. Shahid Luffa is a genus of tropical and subtropical plants in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae). Native to Asia, particularly in China and Vietnam, luffa is cultivated for its immature fruit, which is consumed as a cooked vegetable (Figure 1). Mature …