The future of agriculture is ready to be unleashed today. Between robots, drones, machine learning and plant genetics, growers can use any combination to make crops disease-resistant and, perhaps, tastier. To find out more about innovative technology that includes artificial intelligence, precision agriculture and plant genetics, register for the “Future of Farming.” It’s a two-day virtual Ag-tech Expo that will …
The Future of Precision Weed Control
By Yiannis Ampatzidis Farmers use mainly agrochemicals for weed control and follow conventional crop protection strategies that use a vast amount of chemicals, despite some negative impacts on the environment and human health. More than 90% of the acreage of crops in the United States is sprayed with herbicides. It is estimated that around $31.5 billion was spent on herbicides …
Delay in Process: Citrus Trees Taking Longer to Get to Producers
By Clint Thompson Citrus acreage is expanding across South Georgia and North Florida. But those interested in planting future acres will have to wait, likely, years before they receive their plants, says Jake Price, University of Georgia Lowndes County Extension Coordinator. “If you’re wanting a tree now, it’s probably going to be 2023, probably. If you had ordered it six …
Green Bean Prices Could Stay High
Green bean prices are high, says one Florida vegetable farmer. They could remain that way, depending on how Georgia’s crop looks amid a wet winter and early spring. Since the crop does not prefer a lot of rainfall, it could be limited in Georgia, says Alan Jones, who produces potatoes, green beans in citrus in Manatee County, Florida. “Green beans …
Key Investment: J&J Family of Farms Acquires 1,000-Acre Farm in Vero Beach
A national grower, packer and shipper of vegetable commodities is expanding its farming operation in the Southeast. J&J Family of Farms announced the construction of a new 1,000-acre farm in Vero Beach, Florida. “The Vero Beach expansion really accomplishes a couple of things. It gives us a 1,000 acres of farmland, of which about 750 will be controlled by us …
Sneak Peek: May 2021 VSCNews Magazine
By Ashley Robinson The future of weed control is here. The May issue of VSCNews Magazine provides the inside scoop on all things weed control. First up, Yiannis Ampatzidis, an assistant professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) covers the future of precision weed control. …
Impact: UF Study Focuses on How Soil Health Impacts Citrus, Other Tree Crops
How can changes in soil health impact citrus and other sub-tropical tree crops? That’s a question UF/IFAS researchers hope to answer in a four-year, $500,000 project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Specifically, they will examine how quickly soil health can change in Florida’s sub-tropical sandy soils and how changes in the soil’s …
Rookie Success: Alabama Strawberry Producer Says First Crop ‘Looks Good’
By Clint Thompson A couple of weeks into Jim Bennett’s first season and the Alabama strawberry producer already regrets not planting more acres than he did. “We’ve talked about planting strawberries since we opened. This year it kind of worked out and decided we’d go for it,” said Bennett, owner of Bennett Farms in Heflin, Alabama. “It’s right at two …
Quality in Question: Fried Defends State’s Produce During Hearing
The quality of Southeast produce was called into question during the U.S. International Trade Commission hearing on squash and cucumbers. Industry leaders took exception to the notion that consumers prefer Mexican produce over what’s grown in the United States and that has contributed to the domestic market decline for both commodities. Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried was asked about the …
Georgia Produce Farmer: (Mexico) Doesn’t Care About Costs
What should be an advantage to Southeast producers against Mexico is anything but, believes Georgia vegetable farmer Dick Minor. Freight prices continue to spike, which has only worsened since gas prices continue to increase. But that doesn’t matter to produce originating out of Mexico, Minor added. “High freight rates are our friend or should be technically our friend from a …