Latest Data from UF Citizen Scientists Show Air Potato Beetles Flourishing in Florida

Web AdminIndustry News Release, potato, Top Posts

Contact: Samantha Grenrock, 352-294-3307 (office), 949-735-1076 (cell), grenrosa@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Across Florida, thousands of small, red beetles have been battling the invasive air potato vine for the last eight years, one bite at a time. And they appear to be prospering, according to the latest data collected through the collaborative efforts of the University of Florida, the Florida Department …

fungi

UF/IFAS Researchers May Use Fungi to Control Deadly Crop Disease

Web AdminFruit, Industry News Release, Research, Strawberry, Tomatoes, Vegetables, Watermelon

A group of fungi might fight a disease that’s dangerous to tomatoes and specialty crops. University of Florida scientists hope to develop this biological strategy as they add to growers’ tools to help control Fusarium wilt. Tomatoes are the number one vegetable crop in Florida. In 2017, approximately 28,000 acres of tomatoes were commercially harvested, with a production value of …

Can Pomegranates Be Produced in Florida’s Climate?

Web AdminFruit, Pomegranates, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick Ali Sarkhosh, assistant professor and Extension specialist at the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida, is conducting research on how well pomegranates will grow in Florida’s climate. The potential for growing pomegranates profitably in Florida is currently unknown at this time. Research continues on the possibility of pomegranates becoming a new crop produced in Florida. …

georgia blueberry

Georgia Blueberry Growers Suffer Second Consecutive Year of Loss

Web AdminBerries, Industry News Release

Commissioner Gary W. Black hosted a conference call to connect Georgia blueberry growers and agricultural industry representatives with U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Bill Northey to discuss recent loss assessments for the 2018 blueberry crop. According to University of Georgia Extension, overall losses of both highbush and rabbiteye varieties could exceed 60 percent. This would mark the second consecutive …

Florida Native Plants — Tomorrow’s Fruits and Vegetables?

Web AdminProduce, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Kevin M. Folta Citrus originated in Southeast Asia, not Southeast of Orlando. Strawberries came from a chance genetic mix between a plant from the Mid-Atlantic States and a plant from Chile that crossed in France. Tomatoes originated in the Andes Mountains in South America, then made their way to Europe before coming back across the Atlantic to North America. …

Florida Farmers Advocate for Ag

Web AdminFarm Bill, Labor, Legislative, NAFTA, Top Posts

This past week, Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) held its annual Field to the Hill fly-in event, where Florida farmers had the opportunity to fly to Washington, D.C., and speak to their legislators about issues they are facing in the Florida agricultural industry. AgNet Media’s Abbey Taylor was able to tag along with the Farm Bureau members and witness firsthand …

UV Light Can Zap Plant Pathogens

Web AdminResearch, Strawberry, Top Posts

How can UV light impact crop diseases? That’s a question David Gadoury has been trying to answer since 1991 in collaboration with universities in Norway, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Lighting Research Center and the University of Florida. Gadoury, a senior research associate in Cornell’s Department of Plant Pathology, updated growers at the recent Agritech Trade Show in Plant City, Florida, …

Challenges Remain for Legal Agricultural Workforce

Web AdminLabor, Legislative, Top Posts

By Brian German The United States continues to have challenges related to establishing a secure, legal agricultural workforce. Many growers and industry groups are calling for significant change to current immigration policies and ag worker programs. For Chalmers Carr, owner of Titan Farms in Ridge Springs, South Carolina, the H-2A program has been fairly helpful to his operation. “After being …

DNA Sequencing Technology for Breeding Better Crops

Web AdminTechnology, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Tong Geon Lee Studies in crop plants now routinely use DNA information, thanks to scientists in the 1960s who invented first-generation machines that interpret DNA information. These devices are often called DNA sequencing machines since DNA is arranged in a particular order. The DNA sequencing approach utilizes computer analysis to assemble DNA sequence from short pieces of DNA sequenced …

Uncertainty Remains in NAFTA Renegotiation Talks

Web AdminLegislative, NAFTA, Top Posts, Trade

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been an ongoing issue since President Donald Trump took office. He has been clear about his distaste for NAFTA and the aspects of the agreement that allow for unfair trade practices. In 1994, NAFTA went into effect under the Clinton administration. The idea that came about in the 1980s under President Reagan …