By Frank Giles Water quality and quantity are issues that cross all political and economic boundaries in Florida. When blue-green algae and red tides occur, they make front-page news and keep these challenges top-of-mind for all Floridians. Agriculture and the water-quality debate have been closely intertwined over the years. As a large user of water for irrigation and the need …
WOTUS Rule Amended to Conform with Supreme Court Decision
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army (the agencies) announced a final rule amending the 2023 definition of waters of the United States (WOTUS) to conform with the recent Supreme Court decision in Sackett v. EPA. The agencies are committed to following the law and implementing the Clean Water Act to deliver …
Ecosystem Services Move Forward in Florida
By Frank Giles Farming has never been an easy profession, but the past few years have placed even bigger burdens on the job. The pandemic, supply-chain disruptions, inflation and extreme weather events have all placed additional challenges on profitability. Even before the pandemic, a group of growers in Florida began recognizing challenges to their sustainability was a larger discussion than …
Florida Gulf Coast University Introduces Agricultural and Water Education
By Frank Giles While the land-grant universities come to mind first when it comes to agriculture, other schools are serving the farm sector as well. Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers is one of those schools and is focused on the business side of agriculture. FGCU has its agricultural credentials based on a farming enterprise with deep roots …
New Certificate in Fertilizer Science and Technology Offered by UF/IFAS
By Clint Thompson The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is offering a new academic program that will enhance students’ knowledge of fertilizer applications and enable them to apply fertilizers more efficiently to their specialty crops. The program is called the UF/IFAS Fertilizer Science and Technology Graduate Certificate. The formal certificate will be available starting in …
International Trade Commission Clears Way for Fertilizers
By Frank Giles The International Trade Commission (ITC) recently ruled against imposing tariffs on nitrogen fertilizers imported from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago. The panel’s ruling found that imports from those countries did not hurt American producers of fertilizer. The ITC ruling removed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties of up to 132% on urea nitrate fertilizers from Russia. Duties of 113% …
Register for Upcoming Florida Brassica Production Workshop
Attention Florida specialty crop producers: Save the date and register for an upcoming virtual Florida brassica production workshop. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will host the workshop on Tuesday, Aug. 23, from 9 a.m. to noon. The workshop will provide up-to-date information on Florida brassica production. Highlighted topics include weed management, nematode management, nutrient …
Water Farms Provide Multiple Benefits in Florida
By Frank Giles More than a decade ago, Doug Bournique, executive director of the Indian River Citrus League, had a thought. What if citrus growers who had groves that had become non-productive could take that land and use it for water storage to help reduce discharges into sensitive waterways like the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee rivers? It was a novel …
Tri-County Growers Gather for Hastings Field Day
By Frank Giles Faculty and staff of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Hastings Agricultural Extension Center were excited to host growers for their 2022 spring field day in April. The event had been on hiatus the past two years due to COVID-19. Much of the tour focused on potato production, which is a significant …
Pecan Nutrient Management: Cut Costs, Not Corners
By Clint Thompson Nutrient management is a way pecan producers can decrease their input costs heading into the 2022 harvest season, says Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist. It starts with soil samples, which can be done any time of the year. But Wells stresses that growers do it at the same time every year. “If you take …