By Kevin Folta Someone walking from Key West to the Carolinas 200 years ago would not likely find any of the crops found in modern produce sections. While there are a few distant cousins of blueberries, onions and tomatoes growing in the wild, the dominant commercial crops grown in the Southeast were brought here from somewhere else. Tomatoes, strawberries, citrus …
H-2A Study: Farmers Reliant on Program Now More Than Ever
By Clint Thompson With the domestic workforce almost non-existent, Southeast vegetable and specialty crop producers rely on the H-2A program now more than ever. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service outlines the growth the program has made over the past decade. Certified H-2A positions increased substantially from 2010 to 2019. The number more than tripled from …
Chlopyrifos Ban to Impact Onion, Sweet Potato Farmers
By Clint Thompson The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent decision to ban the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos on all food means onion and sweet potato producers will need to find alternatives in six months. While those options exist, they are not nearly as effective. “There’s a reason all the growers use chlorpyrifos,” said Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia Cooperative …
Secret Weapon? Newest Citrus Disease Tool Could be Found in Citrus Micobiome
LAKE ALFRED, FLA — The tiny microbes that reside in citrus trees could be the key to growers’ success against citrus diseases, like citrus canker. University of Florida researchers hope to discover how microbes may benefit citrus trees, and the end result may be an environmentally friendly and sustainable way to control plant pathogens. Nian Wang, professor of microbiology …
Making Sense of Biologicals: Prolonging Resistance
By Clint Thompson Conventional chemistries are required to produce a profitable and sustainable crop in the Southeast. However, the lifespan of such chemistries is not always known. At some point, they will not be effective. At the rate vegetable and specialty crop growers use available fungicides and insecticides, resistance is a concern. A Sustainable Option A way that growers can …
Carbon Markets: Farmers Need to Know What the Process Entails
By Clint Thompson Carbon markets may provide a profitable future for farmers. But before producers think about selling carbon credits, they need to understand an extra burden of beginning the process in the first place. Shelby Myers, economist with American Farm Bureau Federation, implores growers to consider the cost of doing business, which includes sharing a lot of data with …
Sneak Peek: September 2021 VSCNews Magazine
By Clint Thompson The September issue of VSCNews Magazine highlights issues discussed at this year’s Citrus, Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo on Aug. 18-19 in Fort Myers, Florida. Imports, H-2A improvements, carbon markets, COVID-19 impacts and an update on the current Tomato Suspension Agreement were a few of the topics discussed during the Ag issues session. Issues like whitefly management, …
NCDA&CS Offers Organic Certification Cost-Share Assistance
RALEIGH – Organic growers in North Carolina can apply for partial reimbursement of the cost of becoming certified or for recertification through a program offered by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Growers who are certified or re-certified between Oct. 1, 2020, and Sept. 30, 2021, can apply for assistance through the program. “Applicants can be reimbursed up …
Labor Crisis: Farmers Continue to Struggle to Find Workforce
By Clint Thompson The top two issues that vegetable and specialty crop workers encounter are trade and labor. The impact of imports on domestic farmers doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Neither do concerns over having an adequate number of workers on the farm every year, according to Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) President Mike Joyner. “During …
FFVA Statement on New FDACS Report
Aug. 30, 2021 On Monday, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) released its latest report on the impacts of Mexican imports on Florida’s seasonal producers. The report “demonstrates that Florida producers continue to suffer a disproportionate economic injury.” The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association issued the following statement on the report: “Today’s economic impact report from FDACS …