by Ernie Neff “Florida farmers will eventually overtake the rest of the country” in hemp production, predicts Holly Bell, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) director of cannabis. In an interview with Citrus Industry Editor Tacy Callies, Bell summarizes her talk at the general session of Citrus Expo. Bell says “Florida farmers are going to be the best …
Perdue on New Draft Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico
Washington, D.C. (USDA) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement after U.S. Department of Commerce announced a new Draft Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico: “I want to thank my colleagues at the U.S. Department of Commerce for working diligently to reach a mutually beneficial agreement for tomato growers in both the U.S. and Mexico. …
U.S. Tomato Growers Applaud the New Suspension Agreement
Commerce Department Commits to Strong Enforcement of U.S. Unfair Trade Law Washington, D.C. (FTE) – After 23 years of suspension agreements that never worked to protect American tomato growers from injurious dumping of Mexican tomatoes, the Mexican tomato industry agreed to a strong new suspension agreement, which U.S. growers support. The agreement establishes unprecedented measures and enforcement provisions that will …
SmartIrrigation Apps Improve Water-Use Efficiency
By Vasileios Liakos and George Vellidis Ample water is a critical input needed to grow high-yielding, high-quality crops. Today, irrigated agriculture represents 20 percent of the total cultivated land, but contributes 40 percent of the total food produced worldwide. Due to overuse, droughts and growing demand by urban and industrial users, competition for available fresh water supplies is rapidly increasing. …
VSC Expo Sees Success
The 2019 Vegetable & Specialty Crop (VSC) Expo, held in conjunction with the 28-year-old Citrus Expo, saw great success with the largest crowd in Expo history on Aug. 14–15 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, Florida. With more than 200 exhibitors and a stellar educational program, themed “Growing Stronger,” growers were able to meet with suppliers, mingle …
What’s Keeping Growers From Adopting Technology?
By Karla Arboleda Precision agriculture technologies are not as widely used as they are available, and researchers want to figure out why this is the case for Florida growers. Tara Wade, assistant professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in the Food and Resource Economics Department, is studying this issue. She says global positioning …
UF/IFAS Vegetable Production Handbook Debuts at Citrus Expo
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (UF/IFAS) — Last year, the Citrus Expo event broke new ground by adding a day-long program devoted to vegetables and specialty crops, curated by experts with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. This year, when the program returns to Citrus Expo Aug. 14-15 at the Lee County Civic Center in North Fort Myers, organizers …
Florida Tomato Exchange: ‘Mexican Tomato Growers Resort to Blackmail’
Mexican tomato growers and the Mexican government are trying to blackmail the U.S. government into backing down on President Trump’s commitment to strong and aggressive enforcement of U.S unfair trade law. They claim the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) isn’t negotiating fairly in talks for a new Tomato Suspension Agreement, and that they are being forced into an unreasonable agreement. …
Closing the Information Gap on the Produce Safety Rule
By Karla Arboleda A study conducted by researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service showed that growers across the United States expressed uncertainty over new food safety requirements for their operations due to an information gap. Researchers compared illness outbreaks associated with tomatoes, strawberries, cantaloupes and apples between 1998 and 2016. In order to have the first …
Vegetable and Specialty Crop Seminars Cover Crucial Issues
By Ashley Robinson Last year, AgNet Media incorporated vegetable and specialty crop (VSC) seminars into the 28-year-old Citrus Expo. The change was met with positive feedback from both growers and industry members. Therefore, AgNet Media decided to expand that side of the program and debut the Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo (VSC Expo) this year, being held in conjunction with …