U.S. Congressman: Additional Funds Will be Ready if Needed for Paycheck Protection Program

Web Admin Agri-business, Alabama, Business, Florida, Georgia, Top Posts

By Clint Thompson The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), an integral part of the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, that will aid small businesses recover amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, may not have sufficient funds to support the $350 billion allocated for the program. One United States Congressman insists, though, that additional funds will be ready …

FFBF and FDACS Host Town Hall on COVID-19 & Florida Agriculture

Web Admin Business, Florida, General, Top Posts

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Florida Farm Bureau President John L. Hoblick held a town hall meeting on Thursday with the state’s agriculture community on pressing issues. Some of the topics of discussion included: Ensuring agriculture and all related industries are essential at the federal, state and local levels. Promoting the continued and efficient processing of H-2A worker visas. Inter- and intra-state weight waivers for …

Optimum ICD Holdings Acquires Generation Farms

Web Admin Business, Industry News Release

Optimum Agriculture (Optimum), a global agricultural company focused on land acquisition and management, announced that Optimum ICD Holdings LLC has acquired 5,587 acres of farmland, processing facilities and the trademark Generation Farms, as well as other assets in Tattnall and Toombs counties, Georgia, from Generation Farms, LLC and affiliates (Generation Farms). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. From now …

Florida Association Works With Future Hemp Community

Web Admin Business, Farm Bill, Hemp, Top Posts

By Karla Arboleda This month, those preparing to enter the hemp industry in Florida received legislative updates and attended meetings that were part of a statewide hemp road tour led by the Hemp Industries Association of Florida (HIAF). HIAF Chairman David Hasenauer hosted the meetings, which included several speakers that provided information on how to get started with growing hemp. …

The 2019 Georgia Watermelon Season Starts

Web Admin Business, Georgia, Industry News Release, Top Posts, Watermelon

America’s favorite summertime treat in stores now LAGRANGE, GA – Sweet, refreshing Georgia watermelon is in a store near you! The 2019 watermelon crop is expected to have the crisp, sweet flavor and high quality unique to Georgia watermelon.  Georgia growers report that after two years of unpredictable and extreme weather patterns, this growing season has been smooth. While initial …

field hearings

How to Earn More of the Food Dollar

Web Admin Business, Research, Top Posts

Staying profitable is always top-of-mind for agricultural producers. Brandon McFadden, an assistant professor at the University of Delaware, studies how producers can earn a bigger percentage of the food dollar. According to McFadden, an average of 12 percent of every dollar spent on food goes to producers. He then examined dollars spent on food at home versus food away from …

Turn Field Losses into Profits

Web Admin Business, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Lisa Johnson and Rebecca Dunning Nobody likes to be wasteful, but if it’s costlier to save something than to throw it away, a business owner is going to head for the garbage can. For fruit and vegetable growers, chemical destruction and tilling under are oft-used options near the tail end of a harvest. These practices occur even when product …

Are Smaller Farms Dwindling?

Web Admin Business, Top Posts

Is the number of small- to medium-size farms dwindling? Don Goodwin, president of Golden Sun Marketing, believes it is. “I think the business is becoming much more complex,” he says. As the farming industry continues to evolve, Goodwin says more people are wanting to buy in and are entering the farming space for reasons, like technology sales and development, other …

Dieting Trends and the Produce Industry

Web Admin Business, Produce, Top Posts

Major trends in dieting can make or break some industries. Don Goodwin, president of Golden Sun Marketing, briefly discussed how current diet trends apply to the produce industry during his presentation at the American Seed Trade Association’s Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference. The produce industry has an interesting relationship with trendy diets. “Generally, trendy diets are supportive of fruits and …

Plant City’s Fancy Farms Wins 4R Advocate Award

Web Admin Business, Environment, Top Posts

Fancy Farms, a strawberry farm in Plant City, Florida, is one of the five winners of the Fertilizer Institute’s 4R Advocate Award for 2019. The award is being presented this week during Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida. Dustin and Carl Grooms of Fancy Farms will be recognized, as well as Jerrod Parker of Chemical Dynamics as Fancy Farms’ fertilizer service …