The 2023 Florida Grower Citrus Show is April 13! Exhibitors are preparing their tasty dishes for the tailgate party. Make sure to swing by the following exhibits and fill up in between seminar sessions. Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New GroundNovember 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024SECURE FUNDING NOW | USDA-Sponsored Farming Project Underway in the Southern PiedmontFebruary …
New Weevil Pest of Celery and Related Crops
By Julien Beuzelin and Anna Mészáros Florida produces apiaceous crops, which include celery, parsley, cilantro, dill and carrots, from the fall to the spring. The production of these vegetables and herbs complements the production from the West Coast to supply national markets, playing a key role during the winter, particularly when unfavorable environmental conditions decrease production in California. The major …
The Seasonal Satsuma Bottleneck
The short timeframe for satsuma mandarins to be harvested and sold in the fall created a bottleneck of supply around the Thanksgiving holiday in 2022. An excess supply led to a challenge for growers attempting to sell their fruit when demand diminished, according to Kim Jones, who grows and packs citrus in Florida and Georgia. “The week of Thanksgiving when …
Sens. Ossoff, Tillis Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reverse Adverse Effect Wage Rate Increase
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is working to reverse this year’s Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) increase. Sens. Ossoff and Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the bipartisan Farm Operations Support Act, which would revert the AEWR to the December 2022 rate for the remainder of 2023. The AEWR in Georgia rose 14% from $11.99/hour to $13.67/hour in January …
Quarantine Established in Lee County Due to Giant African Land Snail
(FDACS/TALLAHASSEE, FL/March 16, 2023) — The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and its Division of Plant Industry (DPI) announced that a quarantine has been established in specific areas of Lee County in response to previously detected Giant African Land Snails (GALS). Under the quarantine, it is unlawful to move a giant African land snail or a regulated article, including, but not limited to, plants, plant parts, plants in …
AFBF’s Boatright: H-2A Becoming More Difficult to Utilize Over Time
By Clint Thompson The future of the H-2A program rests with legislative reform. Specialty crop interest groups have lobbied for changes to the program for years. The fight continues. Groups like the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) continue to educate legislative leaders about the importance of reform to the sustainability of farming operations across the country. John Walt Boatright, director …
Nutsedge Requires Year-Round Management
By Clint Thompson Nutsedge is one of the most devastating and frustrating pests that Southeast vegetable producers encounter every year, but it can be managed more effectively. Growers must be dedicated to implementing a year-round management system and not just one that’s effective during a specific production season. Nutsedge is a destructive weed that can overwhelm a cropping system and …
Satsumas Look ‘Pretty Darn Good’ Post-freeze
Satsumas in the Sweet Valley Citrus region appear to have aced their first test of multiple days of subfreezing temperatures. It is still a wait-and-see approach with other varieties, however. One grower was extremely optimistic about satsumas, the cold-hardy mandarins that look to have survived December temperatures in the teens. “Satsumas are pretty darn good. We lost some leaves, got a little …
Positive Satsumas Update After Hard Freeze
Satsumas in the Sweet Valley Citrus region appear to have aced their first test of multiple days of subfreezing temperatures. It is still a wait-and-see approach with other varieties, however. One grower was extremely optimistic about satsumas, the cold-hardy mandarins that look to have survived December temperatures in the teens. “Satsumas are pretty darn good. We lost some leaves, got a little …
Labor Leads List of Grower Concerns
By Zhengfei Guan and Kuan-Ming Huang In a packed conference room at an industry event, a Florida grower sitting in a discussion panel was asked: “You wake up at 2:00 in the morning. What worries you the most?” “Labor,” answered the grower without a second of doubt. Labor has been an issue that bothers not only Florida farmers but those …