Florida Hop Production Appears Promising

Web AdminHops, Research, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

Findings from the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center hop trials are helping make strides in this new frontier. By Zhanao Deng, Shinsuke Agehara, Gary Vallad, Hugh Smith and Johan Desaeger Hops are an essential ingredient of beer. Breweries use different varieties and amounts of hops during the brewing process to attain the desirable levels of bitterness and flavors associated …

Watermelon Marketing Trends

Web AdminAgri-business, Top Posts, Watermelon

By Breanna Kendrick Melon 1 — a grower, packer and shipper of watermelons — has been shipping Florida watermelons all along the east coast to its customers for over 25 years. Rachel Syngo, director of new business development for Melon1, recently attended the New York Produce Show in New York City. “We came to the show because … this is …

Payne Reflects on Achievements from 2018; Looks Forward to 2019

Web AdminIndustry News Release, innovation, Top Posts

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As 2018 gives way to 2019, the senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources at the University of Florida (UF) looks back with pride at the progress made by the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) and predicts continued momentum for the coming year. “We have labs, fields and greenhouses in every corner of …

Cole Crop Field Day Includes Some New Options

Web AdminCole Crop, Top Posts, Vegetables

Every year the University of Florida (UF) Hastings Agricultural Extension Center holds its cole crop field day due to the high number of cabbage acreage in the tri-county area, which includes Putnam, St. Johns and Flagler counties. However, growers in the tri-county area have been expressing an interest in various alternative crops. So, Gary England, director of the center, made …

UPDATED: E. coli Source Released

Web AdminFood Safety, Leafy Vegetables, Top Posts, Vegetables

Update on E. coli outbreak (Dec. 14): According to a release from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the E. coli outbreak has been traced back to a single farm’s irrigation reservoir. The farm is located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the FDA release, the farm has not shipped lettuce since Nov. 20 and is being cooperative with …

desantis

Desantis Transition Panel Weighs Water Issues

Web AdminEnvironment, Industry News Release, Water

Money set aside annually for the restoration of the Everglades and other waterways should also help end the use of septic tanks, a former House speaker suggested Monday as a panel considered potential environmental policies for Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis. Former Speaker Steve Crisafulli said the incoming governor should tap the “Legacy Florida” funding to aid conversions from septic tanks to …

Developing Tea as a Cash Crop for the Southeast

Web AdminResearch, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Donglin Zhang Tea (Camellia sinensis) is a native plant to China with more than 3,000 years of cultivation. Like its cousins, sasanqua and Japanese camellias, tea has been grown in the continental United States for more than 150 years. But due to the costs of processing, cultivation and labor, it has never become a large-scale cash crop. With growing …

Dining In vs. Dining Out

Web AdminResearch, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick A new trend researchers at the University of Florida are noticing is that people are spending more money eating out rather than cooking at home. The average household spends well over $3,000 per year dining out. According to Nan Jensen, an Extension agent with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Pinellas County, …

Specialty Crops of the Andes May Have Potential for the Southeast

Web AdminProduce, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Kevin M. Folta The Andes Mountains are home to great botanical diversity and are the origin of many vegetable species consumed in North America. Worldwide mainstays such as peppers, cassava, potato and tomato all have evolutionary connections to this area, from which over 200 plant species have been domesticated. The vast diversity arises from variation in geographical features, as …

water quality

A Florida Perspective on Agricultural Water Issues

Web AdminTop Posts, VSCNews magazine, Water

By Rich Budell Vegetable and specialty crop producers in the Southeast face many challenges, including labor, disease, trade and weather. An additional — often underappreciated and complicated — issue involves management and protection of fresh water resources. Access to adequate quantities of fresh water during the growing season is critical to production success. Protecting downstream receiving waters from potential adverse …