Spotted Wing Drosophila Spells Trouble for Grape Growers

Web AdminGrapes, Pests, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) are small fruit flies that resemble the flies commonly seen indoors buzzing around rotting fruit. Adult male SWD have a little spot on each of their wings, making them easy to identify. Females are more difficult to identify. At the rear of the female SWD abdomen is an egg-laying structure called an ovipositor. …

New General Session Is Tailored to Growers

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Citrus Expo is excited to introduce a general session to the seminar program this year. The presentations are tailored to citrus, vegetable and specialty crop growers. This new addition will cover crucial topics impacting these industries. HURRICANE RELIEF FUNDING Mike Sparks, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Florida Citrus Mutual, will give a presentation on the status of …

Black Rot: Ongoing Threat for Georgia Cabbage Growers

Web AdminLeafy Vegetables, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick Cabbage is inflicted with numerous insect pests and plant diseases, but black rot has been the leading threat to the Georgia cabbage industry for years. Black rot is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. Bhabesh Dutta, vegetable Extension pathologist at the University of Georgia, has been focusing his research on this disease. One reason for …

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UF Hosts Hemp Workshops for Growers, Industry in August

Web AdminIndustry News Release, Top Posts

By: Beverly James, 352-273-3566, beverlymjames@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is taking the first step to introduce industrial hemp to growers and industry across the state. The UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Project will host a series of workshops for grower and industry project partners. UF/IFAS faculty will provide an update about the …

Advice for Growers Implementing the Produce Safety Rule

Web AdminBusiness, Food Safety, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Travis K. Chapin and Michelle D. Danyluk Good agricultural practices have been followed by fresh fruit and vegetable producers for decades on a voluntary and market-driven basis to reduce risks from produce safety hazards. Such hazards include microbial pathogens, chemicals and physical hazards like broken glass or plastic. More recently, growers have been fulfilling the Food Safety Modernization Act’s …

Precautions Growers Should Take in the Rainy Season

Web AdminTomatoes, Top Posts, Watermelon

By Breanna Kendrick The abundance of rain in Florida over the past two weeks has brought concerns about bacterial disease issues for farmers. Gary Vallad, University of Florida associate professor of plant pathology and associate center director at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discusses some of the precautions growers can take to make it through this rainy season. …

georgia blueberry

Georgia Blueberry Growers Suffer Second Consecutive Year of Loss

Web AdminBerries, Industry News Release

Commissioner Gary W. Black hosted a conference call to connect Georgia blueberry growers and agricultural industry representatives with U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Bill Northey to discuss recent loss assessments for the 2018 blueberry crop. According to University of Georgia Extension, overall losses of both highbush and rabbiteye varieties could exceed 60 percent. This would mark the second consecutive …

Blueberry Growers from Florida, Georgia Support NAFTA Renegotiations

Web AdminBerries, Industry News Release, NAFTA, Top Posts, Trade

The Florida Blueberry Growers Association (FBGA) and the Georgia Blueberry Growers Association (GBGA) teamed up to write a letter about the need for modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Blueberries, among other specialty crops, from Florida and Georgia have been facing heavy competition from Mexican imports, making it difficult to keep up with their production. Renegotiation of …

Florida & Georgia Blueberry Growers Call On To Be Considered in NAFTA Negotiations

Web AdminBerries, Industry News Release, Legislative, NAFTA, Top Posts

Brooksville, FL  – Today, the Florida Blueberry Growers Association (FBGA) and Georgia Blueberry Growers Association (GBGA) sent a joint letter to their Congressmen asking that provisions to protect the blueberry industry of Florida and Georiga be included in North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations (NAFTA).  “The Florida & Georgia Blueberry industries have experienced growth and stability in the recent past, however …