Preparing for the Florida Ag Expo

Web AdminFlorida, Florida Ag Expo, Top Posts

Planning for the 2019 Florida Ag Expo (FAE) is well underway. This week, the FAE seminar planning committee met to brainstorm ideas for the educational program. Attendees will have the opportunity to earn continuing education units and receive updates on the latest cutting-edge research from the University of Florida (UF). The AgNet Media team that manages FAE met with UF …

Nematode Density Impacts Damage

Web AdminPests, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine, Watermelon

Root-knot nematodes are many crops’ worst enemy, including watermelon. Abolfazl Hajihassani, vegetable nematologist with the University of Georgia, recently completed a study analyzing how the population density of nematodes impacts watermelon damage. He presented the results of this trial at the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia, in January. STUDY SUMMARY Hajihassani began the trial by inoculating …

Potato Late Blight Detected in Tri-County Area

Web Adminpotato, Top Posts

By Alison DeLoach Potato late blight genotype US 23 was recently identified in Saint Johns County, Florida. This strain of potato late blight is susceptible to fungicides with the active ingredient mefenoxam, found in the commonly used product Ridomil Gold SL. Nicholas Dufault, associate professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida, presented a disease update on potato blight …

Diamondback Moth Update

Web AdminPests, Research, Top Posts

Diamondback moth (DBM) has been a menace for brassica growers around the globe for decades. After a major outbreak in 2016, the issue became much more prevalent in Florida and Georgia. So, researchers from the University of Florida (UF) and the University of Georgia (UGA) have recently been studying how resistant these pests have become to commonly used insecticides. Hugh …

hemp

The Impact of Nematodes on Hemp

Web AdminFlorida, Hemp, Research, Top Posts

By Alison DeLoach Interest is currently high in growing hemp as an alternative crop; however, nematodes may be an issue for growers. Johan Desaeger, assistant professor at the University of Florida (UF), is planning to conduct research on how susceptible hemp will be to nematodes in Florida. Hemp is being studied under a new pilot project at UF, like the …

Living with Fusarium Wilt

Web AdminCucurbits, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine, Watermelon

With multiple races that are increasingly aggressive, fusarium wilt has been a challenging disease for watermelon growers and a tough nut to crack for southeastern researchers. Nicholas Dufault, assistant professor and Extension specialist in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Florida, says all races of fusarium wilt occur in Florida, but each is a little different. Fusarium wilt …

Methods for Measuring Fruit Firmness

Web AdminFruit, Top Posts

By Alison DeLoach Measuring fruit firmness can tell a grower a lot about the maturity of a fruit. Patrick Abeli, a master’s student at Michigan State University in the Department of Horticulture, discussed the importance of measuring blueberry fruit firmness.   When a fruit becomes too firm, it is unpalatable, and when a fruit is too soft, it spoils. According to …

south florida

Key Facts and Direct Ag Input Missing at South Florida Water Board Workshop

Web AdminFlorida, Water

by Gary Cooper It was a packed house Wednesday as the new crop of South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Governing Board members met in West Palm Beach for their first workshop. Input from the audience was tightly controlled. Even though there was an expert on the guest panel who is involved in working with agriculture in the region, agriculture …

Georgia Grower Discusses Ag Labor in D.C.

Web AdminLabor, Legislative, Top Posts

By Alison DeLoach Bill Brim begins his testimony at 48:20. Growers in the United States are facing many challenges when it comes to the current H-2A agricultural visa program. On April 9, Bill Brim, owner of Lewis Taylor Farms in Georgia and board member of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, testified on his struggles with agricultural labor to …

Tomato Suspension Agreement Battle May Not Be Over Yet

Web AdminIndustry News Release, Legislative, Top Posts

The termination of the Tomato Suspension Agreement may be stopped in its tracks after associations representing the Mexican tomato industry have proposed changes to the agreement. The agreement was set to be terminated on May 7. The associations recently presented their proposal to the U.S. Department of Commerce. According to a report from Abasto (https://abasto.com/en/mexican-growers-tomato-imports/), the changes proposed by the …