By Breanna Kendrick Most people don’t know that some of the best mangos in the world come from Florida. Jeremy Smollar with Florida’s Finest Farm in Miami is trying to get the word out on what Florida mangos are all about. “I call it the soccer of fruit. Most people don’t know it’s the most loved fruit around the world, …
Hops Research Sparks International Partnership
By Abbey Taylor and Breanna Kendrick The University of Florida’s (UF) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) has become well known throughout the state, partly due to its work with hops. Jack Rechcigl, GCREC director, says the research began about three years ago. “We started working on hops as an alternative crop for our growers. It actually started when …
Cole Crop Field Day Includes Some New Options
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
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 …
Alternative Crops Gaining Traction Nationwide
Growers throughout the United States are taking a crack at different alternative crops. Rod Bain discusses this with Dr. Rob Myers, a regional director for the Sustainable Agriculture and Research Education program. Listen below to learn about the potential benefits of delving into alternative crops. Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New GroundNovember 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024SECURE …
Two UF/IFAS Researchers Earn Prestigious Honor
Among their many accomplishments, one may be best known for trying to grow plants in space; the other, for helping growers battle bacterial spot disease of tomato. The two University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professors have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Robert Ferl, a UF/IFAS professor of horticultural …
Developing Tea as a Cash Crop for the Southeast
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 …
Expanding Conference Aims to Engage Seed Industry
Seed industry members should mark their calendars for the American Seed Trade Association’s (ASTA) Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference. This event will take place Feb. 1–5, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida. Andy LaVigne, president and CEO of ASTA, says the Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference has rapidly grown over the years. “It’s becoming quite the …
Winter Defoliation for Florida Peaches
By Breanna Kendrick According to Ali Sarkhosh, assistant professor of tree fruit at the University of Florida, peach growers in Florida should consider the leaves on their peach trees during two times of the year. The first time is after harvesting the fruit in June, July and August. He says it’s important to keep the leaves on trees during this …
Secretary Perdue Comments on Signing of USMCA
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement regarding the signing of the new trade pact, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), replacing the outdated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): “I have often said that we live in the best neighborhood on Earth – North America – and the signing of a new trade agreement with Mexico and …