As a fourth-generation grower, citrus runs in Brad Turner’s blood. From an early age, he worked his family’s groves near Litha, FL, and continued to grow and work as a caretaker for citrus operations until 2016. For Turner, like many others, HLB took its toll on his groves, robbing valuable yields and quality from once productive trees. That set him …
Track the Journey From Citrus Seed To Growing Success
The Florida Citrus Research Foundation (FCRF) provides oversight and support for the A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm near Leesburg. The foundation and farm were initiated in 1959 as a means of supporting the Florida citrus industry through citrus field research, trial plantings, and cropping new citru ]]>
Blossoming Future for Vanilla in South Florida?
By Clint Thompson There is potentially a bright future for the vanilla industry in South Florida. Strengthened by a recent grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and renowned research from Alan Chambers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Tropical Research and Education Center, the prospects of vanilla production …
Avocado Exports to U.S. Resume
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced last Friday that avocado exports from Mexico to the United States (U.S.) have resumed.  APHIS, working closely with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico’s Regional Security Officer, Mexico’s national plant protection organization (SENASICA), and the Association of Avocado Producers and Packers Exporters of Mexico …
NIFA Grant a Vote of Confidence for UF/IFAS Vanilla Research
By Clint Thompson A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will help grow the vanilla industry in South Florida. Alan Chambers, plant geneticist at UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, said the $300,000 grant is a vote of confidence from NIFA that it values his research and the potential future success …
Not So Sweet Forecast for Florida Oranges
The February citrus crop forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service showed a bitter forecast for Florida’s orange crop. Florida’s projected 2021–22 orange crop was reduced by 1 million boxes, to 43.5 million boxes in the forecast released on Wednesday, Feb. 9. The entire orange reduction was in the to-be-harvested Valencia crop, which was reduced …
Agricultural Exports Shattered Records in 2021
WASHINGTON – American agricultural export levels reached its highest annual export levels ever recorded in 2021, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced on Tuesday. The final 2021 trade data published by the Department of Commerce showed that exports of U.S. farm and food products to the world totaled $177 billion, topping the 2020 total by 18% and eclipsing the previous …
Peach Rootstock Research at the University of Georgia
By Dario J. Chavez, Jeff Cook and Tom G. Beckman Rootstocks are important for fruit production as they provide required protection for soil pests and pathogens. The most predominant peach rootstocks in the Southeastern United States are Guardian (Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina) and Flordaguard (Florida). Guardian (BY520-9) was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA …
Alabama Extension Mobile County Fruit, Vegetable Growers Meeting Set for Jan. 27
By Clint Thompson Alabama Extension reminds specialty crop producers that the Mobile County Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association annual meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 27 at the Jon Archer Ag Center in Mobile, Alabama. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Preregistration is required by calling the Mobile County Extension Office at 251-574-8445. Jacob …
Ag Secretary: China About $16 Billion Short in Purchases in Phase One Agreement
By Clint Thompson U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack discussed the importance of exports and holding countries to specified agreements during a speech to the American Farm Bureau Federation on Monday. He was especially specific when discussing the country’s relationship with China. “I know that 30% at some point in time of what we grow and raise is ultimately exported …












