Georgia Vegetable Growers Should Prepare Now for Harvesting

Web AdminGeorgia, Top Posts, Vegetables

By Andre Luiz Biscaia Ribeiro da Silva for UGA CAES News As we approach the harvest season for watermelon, bell pepper, tomato, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, sweet corn and other crops, Georgia vegetable growers can move ahead and prepare seasonal workers to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 during harvest time. According to the National Watermelon Association, there was an increase …

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Palm Beach County Vegetable Grower Named Florida Farmer of the Year

Web AdminFlorida, Top Posts

Florida Farm Bureau Federation Gainesville, Fla. – Florida Farm Bureau Federation has named Rick Roth of Palm Beach County as the 2020 Florida Farmer of the Year. A vegetable, herb, rice, sugarcane and sod producer, Roth is also a member of the Florida House of Representatives. This prestigious honor is awarded to a recipient by a panel of judges based …

COVID-19 Guidelines for Agricultural Operations

Web AdminAlabama, Florida, Food Safety, Georgia, Top Posts

By Laurel L Dunn for UGA CAES Newswire Farmers and food processors take routine steps to reduce the likelihood of foodborne pathogens, like Salmonella and E. coli, contacting our food and causing illness. The procedures that our food industry takes on a daily basis are also effective in reducing the chances that the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 will come in …

Food Safety a Top Priority in Alabama Produce Industry

Web AdminAlabama, Food Safety, Fruit, Top Posts, Vegetables

By Katie Nichols, Communications Specialist/Alabama Cooperative Extension System AUBURN University, Ala. – With Alabama’s growing season in full swing, produce growers are working to ensure continuing food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC, USDA and FDA agree that there is no indication the virus can infect consumers through food or food packaging. Good Agricultural Practices Alabama Extension food safety …

The Day South Florida Agriculture Changed

Web AdminCorn, Cucurbits, Florida, Fruit, General, Grains, Grapes, Industry News Release, Leafy Vegetables, Mangos, Mushrooms, Onion, Organic, Peaches, Pecan, Pomegranates, potato, Produce, Stone Fruit, Strawberry, Sugar, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Top Posts, Tropical Fruit, Vegetables, Watermelon, Wheat

Submitted by Gene McAvoy, Regional Vegetable Extension Agent IV Emeritus with UF/IFAS “Up to the end of Feb our growers were having a banner year and it looked like this season would be one of those homeruns that come around every 5-6 years.” Here is a report that I prepared on the state of S Florida ag and shared with …

Heroes in our Food System COVID-19 Pandemic

Web AdminAlabama, Food Safety, Top Posts

By Kristin Woods, Alabama Extension With Alabama’s production season getting into full swing, it is important to know that our growers and industry leaders are making sure that safety is not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, there is no indication that it is infectious through food or food packaging. The highly trained food system …

Pepper Weevil Prevention

Web AdminTop Posts, VSCNews magazine

By David Riley and Alton Sparks The pepper weevil (Figure 1) is one of the most serious pests of peppers in the Americas. This weevil was introduced into the United States from Mexico as early as 1904(Elmore et al., 1934). The weevil can effectively shut down pepper production if not controlled early enough in the growing season. Even with the …

Turn Field Losses into Profits

Web AdminBusiness, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Lisa Johnson and Rebecca Dunning Nobody likes to be wasteful, but if it’s costlier to save something than to throw it away, a business owner is going to head for the garbage can. For fruit and vegetable growers, chemical destruction and tilling under are oft-used options near the tail end of a harvest. These practices occur even when product …

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Food Safety Advice

Web AdminFood Safety, Leafy Vegetables, Top Posts

Although food safety is always on the minds of growers, 2018 was a notable year for this issue due to widespread E. coli outbreaks. Trevor Suslow, vice president of food safety with the Produce Marketing Association, recently gave some food safety advice to the produce industry. Suslow says that producers need to have a sound produce safety management plan. If …