Georgia’s hemp production is expected to decrease in 2021. Tim Coolong, associate professor in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, believes there are various factors that will contribute to hemp acreage being down compared to last season. “I think a lot of growers are going more towards, kind of, I’ll say smokable flower. It’s more of a boutique …
’22 Crop Insurance Deadline Nears in Florida
Nursery Value Select Growers Need to Make Insurance Decisions Soon Tallahassee, Fla. — The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (USDA RMA) remind Florida Nursery Value Select growers that the final date to apply for crop insurance coverage for the 2022 crop year is May 1. Current policyholders who wish to adjust …
What’s the Impact? Florida’s Food Supply Chain Industries Asked to Respond to COVID Survey
By: Kirsten Romaguera, 352-294-3313, kromaguera@ufl.edu A survey aimed to gauge impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the food supply chain will close on April 11. A research team from various institutions, including the University of Florida aims to assess the impact of the pandemic on food and agricultural systems and to develop strategies for coping with future crises. The project …
Georgia Wine and Grape Commission to Hold First Meeting on April 16
The newly formed Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commission for Wine and Grapes will hold its first meeting on Friday, April 16 at 10:30 a.m. at the Atlanta Farmers Market in Forest Park, Georgia. The meeting will be in the Administration Building of the Georgia State Farmers Market (enter from the market side). The address for the meeting is 16 Forest Parkway, …
UF Scientist: It’s Really Outside the Box
University of Florida/IFAS research hopes to yield a new crop for Florida producers. Though it is not likely to be ready for farmers for years, coffee is a potential commodity that the state’s growers could utilize one day. “It’s really outside the box. Often times we’ll start researching a crop, but growers have already started trying to produce it. This …
Voices Heard: Georgia Farmers Discuss Issues with Senator Warnock
The two issues Southeast vegetable and specialty crop producers want and need assistance with the most are labor and imports. Georgia farmers and industry leaders made sure Senator Raphael Warnock heard their concerns on Wednesday. The U.S. Senator visited South Georgia as part of a farm tour that stopped at Minor Brothers Farm in Leslie, Georgia. Along with Congressman Sanford …
Overwhelming: Challenges Mounting for Producers to Stay Afloat
Challenges continue to mount for Southeast produce farmers. There is a fear among producers in Florida and Georgia that one day obstacles like Mexican imports and rising costs will be too much for growers to overcome. It will lead to producers going out of business and this country becoming reliant on foreign countries for food. “An older guy told me …
‘We Believe in Florida Citrus’ Is More Than Just a Rally Cry
Learn why this new initiative is about a community of people who for generations have grown fruit for a grateful public.
GFVGA Advises Growers to Schedule Vaccines for Farmworkers
The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) encourages its members to begin communications with local health providers so their farmworkers can get vaccinated. This followed the announcement from Governor Brian Kemp that beginning Thursday, March 25, all Georgians aged 16 and older were eligible for the vaccines. GFVGA continues to communicate with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) …
Sneak Peek: April 2021 VSCNews Magazine
The April issue of VSCNews magazine explores biodiversity, conservation funding, watermelons and a variety of other topics. First up, an article by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor Oscar Liburd and postdoctoral research associate Lorena Lopez, discusses how to control sweetpotato whiteflies with biological control agents like predatory mites in squash production. Conservation funding from the …