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 …
Georgia Department of Agriculture Announces 2022 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program Recipients
The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA/AMS) Specialty Crop Block Grant. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds projects that “enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.” Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture, turfgrass/sod, nursery, and greenhouse crops. “USDA …
UF Research to Help Plants Cope with Parasitic Nematodes
Parasitic nematodes are responsible for about $125 billion in annual crop loss worldwide, and they can cause farmers to lose up to 80% of their tomato yield. “The situation with nematodes is exacerbated by an emerging concern in agriculture: the effect of warming nighttime temperatures. This unprecedented trend is causing critical challenges to crops,” said University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural …
UF Research to Help Plants Cope with Parasitic Nematodes
Parasitic nematodes are responsible for about $125 billion in annual crop loss worldwide, and they can cause farmers to lose up to 80% of their tomato yield. “The situation with nematodes is exacerbated by an emerging concern in agriculture: the effect of warming nighttime temperatures. This unprecedented trend is causing critical challenges to crops,” said University of Florida Institute of Food …
Guava Root-Knot Nematode More Aggressive, Reproduces Faster
By Clint Thompson The guava root-knot nematode can reproduce faster and be more aggressive than other nematode species. Those are two factors that all specialty crop producers should be mindful of. Johan Desaeger, assistant professor of entomology and nematology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discussed his findings with …
OPINION: Florida Citrus is Disappearing; Why It Matters and How We’re Fighting Back
By Nicole “Nikki” Fried Florida is facing an ongoing crisis that threatens jobs, our economy, and possibly our state’s identity. Depending on your political affiliation, a whole range of threats may come to mind, however, this problem is not concerned with political parties and its consequences will reverberate across partisan lines. I am speaking of the decades long battle to …
UGA Pecan Specialist: Growers Need a Good Year
By Clint Thompson Pecan producers desperately need a productive season in yields and prices following years of frustration on the heels of Hurricane Michael in 2018. The growers could get their wish. Farmers could see high yields combined with favorable market prices, which should add up to the best season in years for producers. “This year it looks like we’ve …
Bill to Prohibit the Chinese Communist Party from Purchasing American Land
Washington, D.C. — Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) introduced the Securing America’s Land from Foreign Interference Act earlier this month to prohibit members of the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing any land in the United States. Text of the bill may be found here. “Chinese investments in American farmland put our food security at risk and provide opportunities for …
U.S. and Florida Farmland Values on the Rise
By Frank Giles The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service has released its 2022 Land Values Summary. The annual report shows agricultural property increased year-over-year following other trends in inflation. The United States farm real estate value, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms, averaged $3,800 per acre for 2022, up $420 …
Application Window Open for Florida EQIP
Agricultural producers and landowners in Florida are encouraged to apply to participate in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida can provide producers and landowners with financial resources and one-on-one help to plan and implement improvements that address resource concerns. “Using EQIP conservation practices can lead to cleaner water and air, healthier soil and better wildlife …