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By Clint Thompson One Florida strawberry producer rolled the dice and did not apply water during the Christmas freeze event. Dustin Grooms should soon have an idea soon whether that gamble paid off. “We sat there and watched the thermometer, and the wind was blowing. We’re feeling leaves, looking at blooms, doing all of this stuff all night long, waiting …
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is prohibiting the importation of fresh bell peppers for consumption from Spain into the U.S. effective Dec. 29, 2022. The decision was made to prevent the introduction of the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata, Medfly). APHIS is also prohibiting overland in-bond transit movements of these materials south of 39° latitude and west …
By Clint Thompson Karla Thompson is a lawyer by training and farmer by marriage. That combination makes her one of the Southeast’s leading advocates for growers. “I think with advocacy work it really helps because I understand the misperceptions and ideas that people have about the ag industry because I had them myself,” Thompson says. “Before I got involved in …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will hold a workshop on citrus insect, mite and nematode management Jan. 19 at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. The workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Presentations will be made by UF/IFAS faculty members. UF/IFAS pointed out that pest management in citrus …
JANUARY 4, 2023 Wilton Simpson was sworn in as Florida’s 13th Commissioner of Agriculture this week. He issued the following statement: “I am deeply appreciative of the privilege and responsibility of serving as Florida’s 13th Commissioner of Agriculture and leading the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “Florida’s agriculture and related industries are the quiet, and often overlooked, giant of …
Wilton Simpson was sworn in as Florida’s 13th Commissioner of Agriculture this week. He issued the following statement: “I am deeply appreciative of the privilege and responsibility of serving as Florida’s 13th Commissioner of Agriculture and leading the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. “Florida’s agriculture and related industries are the quiet, and often overlooked, giant of our economy …
By Clint Thompson Foreign investments in U.S. agricultural land continues to be a trendy topic in agricultural and political circles. But one industry leader wants people to know that not all foreign purchases have evil intentions. In fact, the most don’t, says Mykel Taylor, ALFA (Alabama Farmers Federation) Eminent Scholar with Auburn University. “I think we will be wise to …
By Clint Thompson A week removed from one of the worst freeze events in recent memory in the Southeast, vegetable growers are resigned to the reality their crops were devastated by consecutive days of sub-freezing temperatures. Tim Coolong, associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, talks about the devastation, most notably in green production. …
By Clint Thompson Neopestalotiopsis has been confirmed in Florida strawberries this season. Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist, cautions growers to be on the lookout for the disease. “It mimics just about every disease that we’ve ever known in strawberries. People are looking at some of these things and wondering, ‘Is this it?’ I tell them …
By Clint Thompson Alabama’s hemp producers and industry leaders should make plans to attend one of the scheduled hemp meetings in January. Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University assistant professor and Extension specialist, believes these meetings – which are scheduled throughout the state – are beneficial to the long-term sustainability of the crop. “It allows us to get a lot of growers …
