The Last Word: Connecting the Realities of American Farming

Clint ThompsonSpecialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Chris Butts “I know of no pursuit in which more zeal and important service can be rendered to any country than by improving its agriculture.” — George Washington, July 1794 Our nation’s founding fathers understood the importance of agriculture to our fledgling republic. The ability to feed ourselves is critical to national security and prevents us from becoming reliant …

Sustainability Starts with People

Clint ThompsonSpecialty Crop Industry Magazine

By Frank Giles Paul Allen developed an appreciation for hard work and farming at an early age. After school, he’d head to the South Bay Growers packing facility in South Bay, Florida, to work for a few hours cleaning celery boxes. There he observed the lifeblood of the Everglades Agriculture Area in action. Farming drives the economy of the region …

GFVGA Executive Vice President: Have a Written Plan to Address Heat Safety

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Specialty crop producers and farming operations should be prepared for strict heat regulations that loom on the horizon, according to Chris Butts, executive vice president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. Butts stresses the importance of producers having plans in place for how to prevent heat illness and how to treat it. They would be …

Believe it or Not: Specialty Crop Producers Would Like to Avoid H-2A Program

Clint ThompsonLabor

By Clint Thompson Specialty crop producers would like nothing more than to hire domestic labor and scrap the expensive and cumbersome H-2A program altogether. But growers are not afforded that option. American workers are dodging work in agriculture, leaving fruit and vegetable work to a seasonal workforce that largely only exists overseas. Certain factions of the nation’s leadership are oblivious …

Georgia Farm Bureau Members to ‘Dig In’ to Agriculture at Annual Convention

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

MACON, Ga. – Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) members will gather on Jekyll Island Dec. 3-5 for the organization’s 86th annual convention. Attendees will be ‘Diggin’ In’ to agriculture issues and advocacy as they participate in event activities. This year marks the 59th year GFB has held its convention on Jekyll Island. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and motivational speaker Matt …

Under the Spotlight: GFVGA Two-Day Forum Addresses Labor Concerns

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Ask a specialty crop grower what their top concern is, and the likely responses are labor and trade; maybe not in that order but definitely at the top of the list. The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) helped alleviate some of the labor concerns by hosting its annual Georgia Agricultural Labor Relations Forum in Tifton, …

Ag Workforce Solutions Remain Elusive

Web AdminAgri-business, Labor

By Frank Giles Southeastern specialty crop growers have been seeking reform in farm labor policy for many years. Because of its nexus with immigration policy, meaningful solutions have been hard to come by. Proposals have been put forth, but partisan politics see those efforts stall. That has forced many growers to utilize the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) H-2A visa …

Improving Yields and Traits in U.S. Hemp Crops  

Web AdminHemp, Research

Two research grants will help improve domestic hemp production in the future. The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research’s (FFAR) Hemp Research Consortium provided two grants totaling $1.17 million to Cornell University to support a breeding program aimed at cultivating hemp for grain, fiber and CBD production in U.S. growing regions. Consortium partners contributed matching funds for a total investment …

Vanilla Could Be the Next Big Crop for Small Farmers in Southern Florida 

Web AdminAgribusiness, Vanilla

Florida is on the verge of a new agricultural crop that could give small farmers in the southern region of the state a high-value alternative to vegetable and fruit production.   University of Florida researchers at the Tropical Research and Education Center have embarked on a comprehensive evaluation of vanilla – from developing fertilizer recommendations to developing the highest-yielding and disease-resistant …

FFVA Convention Tackles Agricultural Labor Issues 

Web AdminAgribusiness, Labor

By Frank Giles The latest buzz word in agriculture is resilience. That sentiment was evident at the 2023 Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) convention in September. More than 500 attendees gathered in Naples to take care of association business, learn about key issues and enjoy time with industry peers. Despite plenty of challenges, growers were in good spirits during …