UF/IFAS and FDACS Working to Bring Pesticide Licensing Online

Web AdminFlorida, Industry News Release, Pests

(UF/IFAS) — University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) are working to identify ways to provide online testing for certified pesticide applicators while in-person testing is unavailable due to COVID-19. All in-person UF/IFAS Extension programs and activities, including pesticide testing, have been postponed or cancelled through …

Public Field Hearings in Florida and Georgia on Seasonal and Perishable Produce Postponed

Web AdminAgri-business, Florida, Food Safety, General, Georgia, Industry News Release, Leafy Vegetables, Organic, Produce

(USTR) — Consistent with recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the field hearings scheduled in Florida and Georgia on April 7 and April 9 by the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Commerce will be postponed and rescheduled at a later date. Interested parties are still encouraged to submit written comments and information …

Coronavirus and Consumer Food-Buying Trends

Web AdminIndustry News Release, Top Posts

(CFI) — Isolation and social distancing brought on by COVID-19, or coronavirus, are causing unprecedented changes in consumer behavior, according to The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) Consumer Trust Insights Council (CTIC), which brings together food industry thought leaders and social scientists to explore emerging trends. How the food system adapts to these changes is critical.   “Buying patterns have shifted dramatically …

Ask the Expert: A Hemp Crop Insurance Q & A

Web AdminHemp, Industry News Release

(USDA) — Ask the Expert is a new series launching on farmers.gov. In this Ask the Expert, Andrew Kowalski answers a few questions about how farmers can use the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Multi-Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) hemp pilot program to insure their hemp crop. Kowalski is a risk management specialist with the Risk Management Agency (RMA) based in …

Public Field Hearings on Foreign Trade Policies and Produce

Web AdminFlorida, Georgia, Industry News Release, Produce, Trade

(FBGA) — The Office of the United States Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Commerce will hold public hearings in Florida (April 7) and Georgia (April 9) to discuss foreign trade policies that may be harming American growers of seasonal and perishable produce.  At the hearings, officials from the federal agencies will hear …

State Hemp Plan Notice of Change for Florida

Web AdminFlorida, Hemp, Industry News Release

(FDACS) — On March 6, 2020, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) published a Notice of Change for Rule 5B-57.014, F.A.C. – State Hemp Plan (hemp cultivation rule).  The Notice of Change includes updates and modifications to the proposed rule based on public comments and brings the proposed rule in alignment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture …

FFVA Urges All Members to Attend Plant City Trade Hearing

Web AdminFlorida, Fruit, Industry News Release, Top Posts, Vegetables

Now is your chance to tell the administration: Unfair Mexican trade practices threaten our ability to grow fruits and vegetables. (FFVA) — Representatives from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce will hold a public hearing on April 7 to hear from Florida growers of fresh fruit and vegetables about the severe economic losses …

FDACS Taking Action to Protect Lychee Trees

Web AdminFlorida, Fruit, Industry News Release, Pests, Top Posts

(FDACS) — The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is announcing the treatment of lychee trees in Miami-Dade County, the first of eight Florida counties undergoing eradication for lychee erinose mite (LEM) to protect trees and crops from severe damage. To date, only one positive tree has been identified in Miami-Dade County. The mite causes erineum galls (hairy, …

House Introduces Resolution Declaring July as National Blueberry Month

Web AdminBerries, Industry News Release, Legislative

(NABC) — The U.S. House has introduced a resolution recognizing the history and accomplishments of the U.S. highbush blueberry industry and seeking to declare July as National Blueberry Month. Congressmen Fred Upton (R-MI) and Sanford Bishop (D-GA) are sponsors of the resolution, deemed Resolution 882 in the House. The resolution points out that highbush blueberries have a harvested area estimated …

UGA Extension Schedules Three Grape Growers Workshops

Web AdminGeorgia, Grapes, Industry News Release, Top Posts

(UGA/CAES) — University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension is holding a series of workshops specifically for Georgia grape growers in March. The classes, set for March 3 in Carrollton; March 5 in Dahlonega; and March 17 in Ellijay, will cover disease and insect control and other critical components of an integrated pest management program for vineyards. “Vineyard managers ask questions …