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
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 …
Florida Blueberry Growers Association Expects a Good Year
Brooksville, FL April 3, 2018 – The Florida Blueberry Growers Association (FBGA) is predicting a good year for blueberries, despite a recent grower survey showing significant crop damage. Last week, FBGA asked its members to respond to a survey reporting any crop loss they are seeing in their fields. With a third of the state’s acreage responding, 95 percent reported …
Florida Blueberry Growers Report Crop Loss Due to Gall Midge
Update: The FBGA sent another email on March 30 with some survey results. This is what it reported: “Approximately a third of the state’s acreage has responded to our survey, 95% of which are reporting damage at some level. Over two-thirds of the acreage are reporting more than 20% crop loss (many of which indicated they are seeing between 30-50% …
Pest Issues for Florida Berry Growers
By Jaci Schreckengost Many Florida strawberry and blueberry growers face similar challenges when managing mites and insects. Chilli thrips affect strawberries by feeding on the foliage and fruit of the crop. The pest affects blueberries by feeding on new growth in the spring and summer. Chilli thrips are relatively new to Florida growers, said Justin Renkema, assistant professor at the …
Growers Can Get Help with High Tunnels
By Jaci Schreckengost The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has an initiative to assist growers with the installation of high tunnels in their production systems. Monica Jones, a district conservationist with the NRCS in Florida, said the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) offers a High Tunnel System Initiative to help growers with installing a high tunnel. The NRCS is an …
When Can Growers Expect to Receive Relief Funds?
Florida growers can now breathe a sigh of relief since disaster funding is coming their way. On Feb. 9, a relief package was passed to help the United States following the array of natural disasters in 2017, which included approximately $2.4 billion dollars specifically for U.S. agriculture. However, the big question on everyone’s mind is, how and when will growers …
FAMU’s Programs Help Tomato and Pepper Growers in Florida
Researchers at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) are working to give growers hands-on help for pest and disease management. The Center for Biological Control in the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences at FAMU provides effective integrated pest management (IPM), said Muhammad Haseeb, assistant professor at the center. The center’s program gives solutions to help growers tackle issues they …
E-Verify Could Mean Trouble for Growers
E-Verify was once a part of U.S. Congressman Goodlatte’s Agriculture Guestworker Act (AG Act), but now E-Verify is a standalone piece of legislation. According to Amy Wolfe, president and CEO of AgSafe, this separation could mean trouble for growers. Wolfe compares E-Verify to a digital I-9 form. “It’s (e-verify) the online, instant feedback equivalent to I-9. We’ve all filled out …
Trucking Rule Gives Florida Growers an Edge
By Ernie Neff and Len Wilcox A federal rule requiring use of electronic devices to log truckers’ driving time was a boon to Florida vegetable grower, packer and shipper Chuck Obern, at least soon after implementation. Obern said the rule increased the time and cost of shipping vegetables from the West and Mexico to New York, giving Florida growers a …















