By Camila Rodrigues The number of news stories on produce recalls from retail stores and outbreaks related to contaminated food have increased in recent years. These include recent cases of hepatitis A linked to fresh strawberries and several cases of E. coli outbreaks linked to romaine lettuce. The terms “recall” and “outbreak” can be very confusing since they are commonly …
Clemson Extension Agents Provide Weekly Crop Updates
Clemson Extension agents provide crop updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Coastal Region Rob Last reports, “Pests and diseases are beginning to increase in the area. Powdery mildew is apparent in cucurbit crops. The most efficacious treatments are Vivando and Gatten. Rotation is critical to protect these …
UF Research Produces Information on Which Compact Tomatoes Grow Well Indoors
A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientist is researching which fruits and vegetables can flourish indoors. Celina Gómez, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of environmental horticulture, led a recently published study in which she found that several compact tomato varieties grow well indoors. “Most of the compact plants we’ve grown are short and narrow, making them …
Controlled Environment Agriculture: Future Growth Expected in Industry
By Eric Butterman for CAES News Next time you partake of a crisp, green salad, think about where your leafy greens come from. Many producers of high-value crops are shifting from field production to controlled environment agriculture. That is where the University of Georgia’s Marc van Iersel comes in. Van Iersel, the Vincent J. Dooley professor of horticultural physiology in …
Weather Impact: Crops Flooded by Fred Cannot Be Used for Human Food
RALEIGH, N.C. – Farmers whose crops were flooded by Tropical Storm Fred face not only the prospect of lower yields and loss of quality, but also the reality that those crops cannot be used for human food. “Floodwater may contain sewage, harmful organisms, pesticides, chemical wastes or other substances,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Also, wet foods may grow mold, …
Shenandoah Growers, Inc. Establishing High-Tech Indoor Farm in S.C.
COLUMBIA – Shenandoah Growers, Inc., a national leader in commercially advanced indoor agriculture, broke ground on its next indoor ‘Biofarm,’ located in Anderson County. The project will create 50 local, well-paying jobs. With leading unit economics, capital efficiency, market reach and product offerings, Shenandoah Growers, Inc. is poised to break a long-standing market compromise by delivering 100% USDA certified organic …
Combine Natural Enemies With Pest Exclusion Systems
By Ayanava Majumdar, Chip East and Eric Schavey Organic farming in the South is challenged with year-round pest pressure from established or invasive insects. A flash drought can rapidly increase pest numbers and devastate crops. Two ways to reduce insect pests on vegetable crops, pest exclusion systems and conservation of natural enemies, have been discussed in recent VCSNews articles. This …
Treading the Produce Safety Rule Agricultural Water Requirements
By Taylor Langford, Matt Krug and Michelle Danyluk The Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule (PSR) highlights the need to reduce risks associated with agricultural water (e.g., irrigation, fertigation, foliar sprays, frost protection, etc.) that will contact fresh produce. The PSR requires some growers to monitor the quality of their agricultural water by analyzing generic E. coli populations through …
Stanley Culpepper: A leading voice for growers
By Clint Thompson When University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension weed agronomist Stanley Culpepper speaks, Tift County grower Bill Brim listens. After more than two decades of Culpepper providing expertise regarding more than 20 different vegetable crops, there’s no reason for Brim not to pay attention. “He’s a great young man. He’s a hard worker and tries to get things …
Popular UF/IFAS Vegetable Gardening Guide Available in Spanish and as an App
November 10, 2020 By: Brad Buck, 813-757-2224, bradbuck@ufl.edu With COVID-19 lingering, it might be a good time to use your green thumb to grow some vegetables in your garden. While you’re at it, you can get help from the UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide — now also in Spanish — and as a downloadable web app. Because we’re nearing the …