The Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) annual Fresh Summit took place Oct. 17-19 in Orlando, Florida. Every year, this huge summit brings members of the global produce and floral industries together to make connections and mingle with fellow industry professionals. Every year, southeastern agriculture has a huge presence at the summit, most notably in the Fresh from Florida and Georgia Grown …
Gibberllic Acid Tested on Southern Highbush Blueberries
By Breanna Kendrick Gibberellic acid (GA) is a plant growth regulator that is used to increase fruit size and quality. Researchers know that it works on rabbiteye blueberries recovering from freeze damage when flower parts were injured and weren’t able to be pollinated. Juanita Popenoe is a multi-county fruit production agent for the University of Florida for Marion, Orange and …
Florida and Georgia Renew ‘Water Wars’
Florida and Georgia have renewed their fight over the impact of Georgia’s water consumption on the Apalachicola River system. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in late June that Florida be given another chance to prove its case that Georgia’s overconsumption of water is damaging the Apalachicola region, the states filed a joint legal pleading this week before a federal …
Support for House Trade Bill to Protect Florida Growers
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association wholeheartedly supports the Agriculture Trade Improvement Act of 2018 introduced by U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo (District 26) and Al Lawson Jr. (District 8) on Tuesday. The Agricultural Trade Improvement Act of 2018 would amend the Tariff Act of 1930 and allow American specialty crop growers to request the imposition of antidumping or countervailing duties. …
Perdue on Lack of Protection for Southeastern Specialty Crop Growers in USMCA
It was announced on Sept. 30 that the United States, Mexico and Canada reached a new deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The deal will be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). NAFTA was a trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico that was made in 1994 under the Clinton administration. The idea for …
Commissioner Putnam Announces 2019 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Honorees
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation announced the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame inductees for 2019. The induction ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on Feb. 12, 2019. More information is available FloridaAgHallofFame.org. “Agriculture is Florida’s oldest industry, and it continues to support …
Higher Prices Save Florida Watermelon Season
By Breanna Kendrick The 2018 Florida watermelon season posed challenges for most growers that resulted in lower yields and higher fruit prices. Bob Hochmuth, regional specialized Extension agent for vegetable crops at the University of Florida (UF) Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences North Florida Research and Education Center in Suwannee Valley discussed Florida’s 2018 watermelon season. He addressed the …
Certified Crop Advisors Experience the Diversity of Florida Ag
Certified Crop Advisors (CCA) from around the United States and Canada gathered in Bonita Springs, Florida, this week for their annual board meeting. The meetings began on Sept. 18, but several attendees arrived a day early to embark on a tour of South Florida agriculture. Armando Campos, chairmen of the North American CCA board, says he wanted to showcase the …
The State of Organic Vegetable Production in Southern Georgia
By Timothy Coolong Southern Georgia is a powerhouse for wholesale fresh-market vegetable production. The vegetable industry in Georgia was valued at over $1 billion in 2015, with more than 170,000 acres in production, according to the University of Georgia’s 2015 Georgia Farm Gate Value Report. SIZE AND SCOPE The vegetable industry in southern Georgia is also extremely diversified, with more …
Putnam Banks on ‘Florida First’ in Governor’s Race
Source: News Service of Florida Clad in jeans and a blue-checkered shirt with rolled-up sleeves, Adam Putnam easily blended into the rural North Florida residents attending the annual Wausau Possum Festival in early August. “I’m a farmer, a business owner,” the boyish-looking, 44-year-old Republican candidate for governor told the crowd in a brief speech. “The foundation of my campaign is …















