By Ryan Atwood To be a farmer is to be an optimist. Farmers work long hours, deal with weather events, labor issues, trade issues and global pandemics that are beyond their control. The 2020 Florida blueberry harvest season was a tough one due to increased imports and the coronavirus pandemic. The government did provide some assistance to farmers through the …
Export Markets Remain Key for Southeast Pecan Producers
With the 2020 pecan season in the books, growers in the Southeast are looking to write a new chapter in 2021, one they hope will have a better ending. The story of this past season’s crop centered on devastatingly low prices and low morale among farmers still trying to recover from Hurricane Michael in 2018. The biggest question remains, what …
Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot Survives in Florida Strawberry Fields
Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot has impacted Florida strawberry production the last three seasons. The disease has taken a discouraging development for Florida producers this year, however, says Natalia Peres, Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. “What we’ve seen this season is different than what we’ve seen the past two seasons. We can’t …
Challenge Builds To Protect Florida Citrus Interests From Unfair Trade
Florida Citrus Mutual’s Mike Sparks says addressing Mexican OJ is now at the top of agenda for industry stakeholders.
Blueberry Imports Devastating to Florida Industry
Florida’s agricultural and political leaders had their say Tuesday in describing the negative impact blueberry imports have had on the state’s farmers. “Agriculture is essential to Florida’s economy. Our No. 1 economy is tourism, obviously, but our No. 2, and it’s very close behind tourism is in fact agriculture. It means so much to Florida that it’s a $131 billion …
Georgia Blueberry Producer: In the World I Live in, It’s a Problem
Foreign imports of blueberries do not complement the U.S. domestic crop. Farmers and industry leaders in the Southeast sounded insulted about the notion that imports do not actually compete with their crop. They were asked about it during Tuesday’s virtual hearing with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). “I find the comment that imports don’t affect us, it’s confusing to …
Auburn Extension Specialist Encouraged by Chill Hours Accumulation
Cooler temperatures so far in 2021 should be an encouraging sign for Alabama fruit producers who need chilling hours to make a crop this year. “I’m a little more encouraged,” said Edgar Vinson, assistant research professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University. “We did accumulate more and more than we originally thought by the end …
What Next in ITC Blueberry Investigation?
The long-awaited hearing with the International Trade Commission (ITC) for blueberry farmers has come and gone. The case against blueberry imports from foreign competitors has been made. Now what happens? Bob Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington, D.C., outlines the potential outcomes that will occur following Tuesday’s hearing. It …
Blueberry Producers Have Their Say
Blueberry growers and industry leaders in the Southeast had their say on Tuesday about unfair trade practices regarding imports from foreign countries, including Mexico. They testified during a virtual hearing with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) regarding a global safeguard investigation into fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries. Jerome Crosby, Georgia blueberry grower and chairman of the American Blueberry Growers …
U.S. Blueberry Farmers Testify to ITC of Import Harm
Blueberry farmers from across the United States are asking the ITC for temporary relief from a surge in imports that are harming the domestic industry WASHINGTON, January 12, 2021 – Members of the American Blueberry Growers Alliance (ABGA), a group representing U.S. domestic blueberry farmers, today provided information to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) during a hearing on the …