The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has appointed internationally acclaimed entomologist and ecologist Matthew Thomas as director of the new Invasion Science Research Initiative (ISRI). Thomas will establish the framework for ISRI, which will bring together more than 120 UF/IFAS scientists from more than 20 departments currently dedicated to the detection, diversion, tracking and control of nonnative …
Expo Specialty Crop Sessions Educate Growers
By Clint Thompson A highlight of the annual Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo is the seminar program that focuses on the vegetable and specialty crop industry in Florida. This year’s sessions covered a range of topics, including pest management, alternative crops that growers can take advantage of, and various other research updates from University of Florida Institute of Food and …
AI-Enhanced System Detects Bruised Strawberries
Bruises in fruit can be caused by multiple factors: compression, impact or vibration during harvesting, transportation and packaging operations, said Xue Zhou, a doctoral student at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Zhou works with Yiannis Ampatzidis, a UF/IFAS associate professor, and Won Suk “Daniel” Lee, a professor, both …
Drought Turns into Rainy Season Across SE
By Clint Thompson Dry weather conditions that were prevalent across the Southeast (SE) this summer have dissipated. Only areas in Northwest Alabama and Southeast Florida are abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Pam Knox, University of Georgia Extension Agricultural Climatologist, discusses the change in weather patterns that specialty crop producers have observed in recent weeks. “Every summer after …
Alabama Extension Part of Upcoming Food Safety Webinar
By Clint Thompson Alabama Extension will be part of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) webinar on Thursday highlighting food safety. Kristin Woods, Alabama Regional Extension agent, who specializes in commercial horticulture and food safety, will join Michelle Danyluk, from the University of Florida, and Dawanna James-Holly from USDA National Agricultural Library (NAL), to discuss the implementation of the Food Safety …
UF/IFAS Seeking the Next Breakthrough Crop
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Danny Johns is growing the same crop on the same land as his great grandfather did when he started farming in Hastings a century ago. PURPLE SWEET POTATOESBut Johns was immediately interested when University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension agent Wendy Mussoline invited him to look at purple sweet …
2022 Hurricane Season off to Slow Start, but Keep Your Guard Up
By Frank Giles The main hurricane prognosticators both predicted the 2022 season would be above normal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted 20 named storms. Colorado State University also predicted an above normal season with 19 named storms. But, so far, this hurricane season has been slow. In fact, for the first time since 1997, the month of August …
Roe Honored during Citrus Packinghouse Day
Over 60 citrus industry representatives gathered Aug. 25 for the 61st annual Packinghouse Day at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. They heard updates on H-2A visa options for packinghouse workforce needs, an overview of citrus fruit export requirements and an update on food safety auditing. Faculty from UF/IFAS presented …
Census of Agriculture Surveys Coming Soon
Farmers and ranchers across the country will soon have the opportunity to be represented in the only comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state, county and territory. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will mail the 2022 Census of Agriculture to millions of producers across the 50 states and Puerto Rico this fall. It will be mailed in phases, starting with an …
Weed Control: Know What’s Problematic in Your Field
By Clint Thompson Weed control is vital to a specialty crop producers’ success. They contend with crops for water, nutrients and sunshine. So, wouldn’t it make sense for growers to know what specific weeds are causing problems in their fields from year to year? That’s the argument that Ramdas Kanissery, weed scientist and assistant professor at the University of Florida …