RALEIGH – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services $6.3 million to place conservation easements on farms in the Upper Neuse River Basin. This project was funded through USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). “Securing more funding for conservation easements is a critical step in preserving our …
FFVA Convention Tackles Agricultural Labor IssuesÂ
By Frank Giles The latest buzz word in agriculture is resilience. That sentiment was evident at the 2023 Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) convention in September. More than 500 attendees gathered in Naples to take care of association business, learn about key issues and enjoy time with industry peers. Despite plenty of challenges, growers were in good spirits during …
New Class for Wedgworth Leadership Institute
The Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources (WLI) recently selected 30 participants for Class XII of its two-year leadership development program. The program’s first seminar will take place in Gainesville in November. Participants have committed to 11 seminars, totaling 55 days, which further develop their leadership capacity in representing agricultural and natural resources industries. Seminars will be held from the …
What’s Happening? Clemson Extension Agents Provide Crop Updates
Weekly Field Update Clemson Extension agents provide updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Coastal Region Zack Snipes Midlands Sarah Scott Upstate Andy Rollins Sponsored ContentNew Syngenta Varieties Offer Grower SolutionsFebruary 1, 2026Attribute® II Technology Adds More Flexibility and Strength to Sweet Corn Pest ManagementJanuary 1, 2026Nuseed Carinata …
FFVA Supports Termination of 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) submitted a letter urging the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to approve the Florida Tomato Exchange’s (FTE) request to terminate the U.S.-Mexico Antidumping Tomato Suspension Agreement. The FFVA emphasized the adverse impact of unfair subsidies provided by the Mexican government to its fruit and vegetable industry. The challenges faced by the tomato industry …
POTUS, WOTUS, SCOTUS
By Frank Giles The debate over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Waters of the United States (WOTUS) has been ongoing for years. During the President of the United States (POTUS) Barack Obama administration, a new definition of WOTUS was laid out that left a lot of ambiguity on what EPA’s jurisdiction might …
FPAA Cites Study with no Basis in Reality to Distract from Mexican Dumping
The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA), which represents importers of Mexican tomatoes, used a misleading study to distract from Mexico’s record of dumping tomatoes. The study claims that tomato prices will rise by an average of 52% if antidumping duties are imposed on imports of Mexican tomatoes. This conclusion, however, is based on fantasy and not on market …
2024 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Inductees
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation announced on Tuesday that Eugene McAvoy, John Hoblick, and John Schlechter as the 2024 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Inductees. The induction ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on February 13, 2024. “Today, I am proud …
2024 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Inductees
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation announced that Eugene McAvoy, John Hoblick, and John Schlechter as the 2024 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Inductees. The induction ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on February 13, 2024. “Today, I am proud to announce three new …
UF/IFAS Facilities Rebuild from Hurricane Idalia with Help from Volunteers, Emergency Response Crews
When Hurricane Idalia barreled through the Big Bend region of Florida, Mike Allen was stuck in Gainesville, watching a beloved facility get slammed by storm surge while The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore reported from the facility’s second-story patio. Once the rain stopped and the wind subsided after the storm rushed through on Aug. 30, University of Florida Institute of Food …