Course correction required to ensure industry engagement in early evaluation process.
Pepper Weevil Prevention
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
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 …
Food Safety Advice
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 …
The Soccer of Fruits
By Breanna Kendrick Most people don’t know that some of the best mangos in the world come from Florida. Jeremy Smollar with Florida’s Finest Farm in Miami is trying to get the word out on what Florida mangos are all about. “I call it the soccer of fruit. Most people don’t know it’s the most loved fruit around the world, …
Don’t Get Spooked by Ugly Fruit
By Breanna Kendrick Each year, up to 20 percent of the fruits and vegetables harvested in the United States go to waste because they’re not visually pleasing to consumers. Jeffrey Brecht, professor in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida, works in the area of post-harvest horticulture. He focuses on measuring the quality of fruits and vegetables in …
Advice for Growers Implementing the Produce Safety Rule
By Travis K. Chapin and Michelle D. Danyluk Good agricultural practices have been followed by fresh fruit and vegetable producers for decades on a voluntary and market-driven basis to reduce risks from produce safety hazards. Such hazards include microbial pathogens, chemicals and physical hazards like broken glass or plastic. More recently, growers have been fulfilling the Food Safety Modernization Act’s …