Thrips pressure is moderate to high on multiple crops in southwest Florida, according to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline. Infestations are moderate to high on tomato, moderate on pepper and eggplant and low potato and watermelon. Populations are low in beans but increasing in certain areas. Thrips numbers had begun to increase in beans along the east coast, but …
Assessing Hurricane Ian’s Impact on Florida Vegetables
By Frank Giles Hurricane Ian will have far reaching impacts on Florida agriculture. An initial estimate released by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) puts farm losses at between $787 million and $1.56 billion. The storm brought hurricane-strength winds to nearly 1.2 million acres agricultural lands in Florida. Vegetable growers are reporting varying degrees of …
Federal Grant: UF Scientist to Investigate Strategies to Control Tomato Disease
Diseases like bacterial spot can threaten tomatoes, a $1.9 billion-a-year crop planted on 330,000 acres across 18 states. Gary Vallad, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor of plant pathology, has been awarded a $5.8 million federal grant to study how to mitigate this disease. “Bacterial spot of tomato is a major challenge to commercial …
The Florida Ag Expo Program Now Available
By Frank Giles The Florida Ag Expo is scheduled for Nov. 2 at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC). The educational program is now published. It will provide attendees with a wide range of topics from the supply chain to pest management. The morning general session will host industry leaders speaking on key issues facing the specialty crop …
Tomato Industry Expert Voices Frustration Over TSA
By Clint Thompson One tomato industry expert remains frustrated at the lack of enforcement over the Tomato Suspension Agreement (TSA). Michael Schadler, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee and executivevice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, voiced his frustrations at the Florida Tomato Conference in Labelle, Florida, over the Agreement. It is an agreement between the Department of Commerce (DOC) …
Register for Upcoming Tomato Conference
Registration is ongoing for the upcoming Florida Tomato Conference, scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 7, at the LaBelle Civic Center in LaBelle, Florida. The one-day event will feature insight from industry leaders and university specialists. They will discuss trends affecting the industry’s future, how diseases and insects are impacting production and how genetic research is impacting the crop’s future. Multiple businesses …
Surging Input Costs Impact Florida’s Specialty Crop Season
By Clint Thompson Strong market prices for some specialty crops have been tempered by input costs that have spiked to levels many growers had not experienced before the COVID-19 pandemic. No Florida specialty crop producer was immune from feeling the financial pinch this year from rising expenses associated with fertilizer, chemicals, diesel and freight. “Our input costs are so much …
Enza Zaden Field Day Features Watermelons and More
Growers and seed distributors had a field day Tuesday at the Enza Zaden seed breeding and field trials facility near Myakka City, Florida. The main attraction was the watermelon trials that include new varieties being tested and introduced into the market. Other trials added great flavor to the day’s tour and discussions, with multiple plots for bell peppers, mature green …