The November issue of VSCNews magazine is all about water management issues. Andrea Albertin and Mark Lusk, both with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), discuss plans in the works to improve Florida’s water quality. The authors look at Florida’s current water issues, how septic tanks may be a part of the problem and ways …
New UGA Entomologist Studies Food Safety, Farming Systems
By Karla Arboleda At the University of Georgia (UGA), research on birds and bacteria may contribute to food safety and farming systems. That’s what Bill Snyder, a professor of agro-ecology at UGA, hopes to accomplish in his latest position. After spending 20 years in the Northwest, where he worked on natural approaches to pest control, Snyder will continue to pursue …
USDA Grants $3.2 Million Toward Whitefly Research
By Karla Arboleda After years of growers experiencing problems with whiteflies in vegetable crops, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will fund $3.2 million toward whitefly research. The grant will fund research at the University of Georgia (UGA), Fort Valley State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service in South Carolina. Bhabesh Dutta, a vegetable Extension pathologist at UGA-Tifton, shared …
Can a Lower Rate of Hydrogen Cyanamide Be Used in Peaches?
By Tripti Vashisth and Bikash Adhikari The Florida peach industry has an advantage of producing fruit in the early-market window before Georgia and South Carolina fruit hits the market. CHILL HOUR ACCUMULATIONMild winters and fluctuating temperatures in fall continue to be some of the biggest challenges for peach production in Florida. Peach trees are deciduous; therefore, they need a certain …
Industry Responds to EPA WOTUS Announcement
(Washington, D.C. (USDA-September 12, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue praised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for taking another step to fulfill President Trump’s pledge to repeal and replace the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. “Repealing the WOTUS rule is a major win for American agriculture. The extreme overreach from the past Administration had government taking …
‘It’s More Than Just Work’
University of Florida Extension Agent Gene McAvoy retires. If you ask any Florida grower if they know who Gene McAvoy is, they’ll probably reply with a smile and say “yes.” That is the kind of impact McAvoy has had in his 22-year run as an Extension agent in Hendry County, Florida. On July 31, McAvoy officially retired from the University …
Webinars to Focus on Food-Safety Crisis Communications
By Karla Arboleda The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) and the United Fresh Produce Association have teamed up to host a webinar series on how producers can prepare to handle a food-safety crisis. The Crisis Communications Webinar Series hosted and led by several crisis management experts from Washington, D.C., will cover what aspects to consider when encountering events …
USDA to Survey Fruit Growers about Chemical Use
Athens, GA (USDA/NASS) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey fruit growers in 11 states, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, for its biennial Fruit Chemical Use Survey. The survey will collect information on bearing acreage, pest management practices, pesticide application, acres treated and rates applied for more than 12 fruit crops. “Pesticide data …
Keeping an Eye on Dorian
Update Sept. 3, 2019: After being stalled over the Bahamas for the majority of the holiday weekend, Hurricane Dorian is expected to start moving north today, still staying off the east coast of Florida. Gary England from the University of Florida released another update this morning about how the storm may impact northeast Florida as it slowly starts heading north: …
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. …