Tallahassee, Fla. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced updates to a pandemic assistance program for agriculture producers. The updates to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP2) include expanded eligibility and increased flexibility. USDA has set a deadline of Oct. 12, 2021 for eligible producers to apply or modify CFAP2 applications. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and …
Downy Mildew Alert: Alabama Pumpkin Growers Be Wary of Disease
By Clint Thompson Increased rainfall this summer has one Alabama plant pathologist concerned about downy mildew disease on the state’s pumpkin crop. Ed Sikora, professor and Extension plant pathologist in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University, says growers need to be wary of the disease since the weather is conducive to its development. “I would say …
Numbers Don’t Lie: Imports Impacting Florida Blueberry Production
The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in February that imports of fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries were not a serious injury to the domestic industry. But looking at the recent research report from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, it’s difficult to see the commission’s rationale. Mexico’s market share in the U.S. increased dramatically from 2016 to 2020. …
H-2A Study: Farmers Reliant on Program Now More Than Ever
By Clint Thompson With the domestic workforce almost non-existent, Southeast vegetable and specialty crop producers rely on the H-2A program now more than ever. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service outlines the growth the program has made over the past decade. Certified H-2A positions increased substantially from 2010 to 2019. The number more than tripled from …
Fried Pleas for Help from Fellow Floridians
By Clint Thompson Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried is hoping to enlist Florida residents in the ongoing fight against rising imports. Fried called on Florida residents this week to buy locally grown produce after revealing devastating data that outlines the negative impact Mexican imports are having on her state’s vegetable and specialty crop farmers. She highlighted eye-popping statistics from a …
Chlopyrifos Ban to Impact Onion, Sweet Potato Farmers
By Clint Thompson The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent decision to ban the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on all food means onion and sweet potato producers will need to find alternatives in six months. While those options exist, they are not nearly as effective. “There’s a reason all the growers use chlorpyrifos,” said Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia Cooperative …
Increased Interest: Crop Insurance Grows for Specialty, Organic Crops
WASHINGTON – The number of specialty and organic agricultural producers who purchase insurance for their crops continues to climb. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) attributes the recent surge to its work with producers and agricultural groups to create new crop insurance options, expand and improve current options and to support local food efforts. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) recently released …
Secret Weapon? Newest Citrus Disease Tool Could be Found in Citrus Micobiome
LAKE ALFRED, FLA — The tiny microbes that reside in citrus trees could be the key to growers’ success against citrus diseases, like citrus canker. University of Florida researchers hope to discover how microbes may benefit citrus trees, and the end result may be an environmentally friendly and sustainable way to control plant pathogens. Nian Wang, professor of microbiology …
NCDA&CS Offers Organic Certification Cost-Share Assistance
RALEIGH – Organic growers in North Carolina can apply for partial reimbursement of the cost of becoming certified or for recertification through a program offered by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Growers who are certified or re-certified between Oct. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, can apply for assistance through the program. “Applicants can be reimbursed up …
Alabama Trying to Contain Citrus Canker
By Clint Thompson How citrus canker arrived in Alabama is still in question. What is certain is it is an issue the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries is determined to contain before it becomes a major problem, says Kassie Conner, director of the Auburn University Plant Diagnostic Lab during a recent webinar on the Alabama Extension Commercial Horticulture Facebook …