Growing Artichokes Successfully in Florida

Web AdminResearch, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick Shinsuke Agehara, assistant professor at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm, Florida, is conducting artichoke research. Over the past year, he has been studying how artichokes possibly could be grown profitably in Florida. “This is the first season testing the artichoke,” said Agehara. “Researchers are seeing more and more potential of growing artichokes in …

Kelly Morgan Named New Director of UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center

Web AdminIndustry News Release, Research, Top Posts

By: Beverly James, 352-273-3566, beverlymjames@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. – As Best Management Practices Coordinator for the state, Kelly Morgan has spent years helping growers find optimum ways to irrigate and fertilize their crops to maximize results. Now, he will get the chance to coordinate even more groundbreaking research. The University of Florida has named Morgan the new director of the UF/IFAS …

UF/IFAS Hopes to Grow Vanilla, Meet Consumer Demand

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For dessert, how about a scoop of ice cream flavored with vanilla from Florida’s farmers? Because so many consumers enjoy vanilla, University of Florida (UF) scientists hope to help Florida farmers grow the bean. Consumers have an appetite for vanilla. The United States leads the world in imported vanilla beans, said Alan Chambers, an assistant professor of horticultural sciences at …

Fusarium Wilt Attacks EAA Lettuce

Web AdminLeafy Vegetables, Research, Top Posts, Vegetables

Lettuce is an extremely important crop in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), and now it is facing a new disease. Richard Raid, associate center director and professor of plant pathology at the Everglades Research and Education Center (EREC), says he has been working in the EAA for 30 years and this is the first instance of fusarium to appear in …

Taking Precautions for Increased Rain

Web Adminpotato, Research, Top Posts, Weather

By Breanna Kendrick With widespread rain in Florida for the past week and a half and another week of rain forecasted, growers are becoming concerned about what this might mean for their crops. For the past seven days, rainfall has ranged from 1.20 to 9.43 inches in Florida. Depending on location, the rain has either been devastating or vital for …

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UF/IFAS Researchers May Use Fungi to Control Deadly Crop Disease

Web AdminFruit, Industry News Release, Research, Strawberry, Tomatoes, Vegetables, Watermelon

A group of fungi might fight a disease that’s dangerous to tomatoes and specialty crops. University of Florida scientists hope to develop this biological strategy as they add to growers’ tools to help control Fusarium wilt. Tomatoes are the number one vegetable crop in Florida. In 2017, approximately 28,000 acres of tomatoes were commercially harvested, with a production value of …

Prepare Your Equipment for Summer Sprays

Web AdminResearch, Top Posts, Vegetables

The correct equipment can give growers more even insecticide sprays. Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, wants growers to think about equipment when thinking about insecticides. Since the summer season is beginning, Majumdar is encouraging growers to check on the condition of their spray equipment. “Oftentimes we forget to check the condition of the equipment, and …

Alternative Ways to Make Money

Web AdminAgri-business, Business, Research, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick Regional Extension agent Kevin Athearn conducts research on the economics of alternative crops at the North Florida Research and Education Center in Live Oak, Florida. The question Athearn gets asked the most is: What is the most profitable alternative crop? “That’s a difficult question to answer,” he says. “For every crop, you’ll find some people that have …

The Possibility of Tea Production as a Citrus Alternative

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By Breanna Kendrick Fourth-generation citrus grower James Orrock is a plant pathology graduate student at the University of Florida who is studying tea as a possible alternative crop to be grown on former citrus land. “The citrus industry is having to go through some changes, so one of the key aspects of Florida agriculture right now is diversification,” said Orrock. …