Former state Senator Rod Smith of Alachua County, a close runner-up for the Democratic nomination for Governor the last time around, is reportedly expected to run for Attorney General if A-G Bill McCollum throws his hat in the ring for governor. McCollum’s decision to do so is all but a given at this point. Florida politics will be active in …
Telling the Farm Story – LOCALLY! Marion County FL Farm Bureau
It’s an annual event for Marion County Farm Bureau to host local legislators, city and county leaders and their staff members for a farm tour of area agriculture. Marion County is a good example of Florida’s agricultural diversity, with everything from citrus, vegetables and specialty crops, to nursery, cattle, horses and forestry just to name a few. Sponsored ContentWhat Sets …
UF/IFAS/CREC Citrus Researchers Honored
LAKE ALFRED, Florida. On May 12, 2009, the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Science held the second annual UF/IFAS Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Awards ceremony in Gainesville. More than 65 researchers were honored at the ceremony; three were from the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, FL, Drs. Frederick Gmitter Jr., James P. Syvertsen, and …
Florida’s Putnam Attends White House Food Safety Meeting
The news release that follows came in late today from Congressman Adam Putnam’s office in WASHINGTON D C – Congressman Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) today attended a meeting of President Obama’s Food Safety Working Group at the White House. This was the group’s first meeting, a “listening session” to hear a broad range of ideas for how to secure the safety …
FL Citrus Crop Forecast Update for May 2009
USDA Reports No Change in the 2008-2009 Florida Orange Crop Sponsoring this news report: CLICK HERE to go to the USDA Statistics website where all the citrus crop forecasts are stored, including the just released MAY update as soon as they get it posted. Meanwhile, here is Florida Citrus Mutual’s take on this month’s update: LAKELAND, Fla. (Citrus Mutual – …
On Line Citrus Plant Interdiction Part of CHRP Enforcement Efforts
Halting the movement of citrus plants from a growing list of quarantined areas was a primary topic of a conference call between some citrus industry folks and officials involved with the Citrus Health Response Plan in recent days. In this report, Scott Sanner, national coordinator for USDA’s Smuggling Interdiction and Trade Compliance Program, says in addition to watching the more …
FL NRCS: $1.325 Million Available for Florida Organic Producers
Applications Accepted Until May 29, 2009 – GAINESVILLE, May 8, 2009—The United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida announces over $1.3 Million in funding available for qualified applicants for a new Organics Initiative. The initiative meets the Obama Administration’s promise to encourage more organic agriculture production. Funding for the initiative is being made available as …
Follow Up Report: Fresh Citrus Shipping Rule An Industry Priority
You’ll find the original post of this same radio report a week back in these news archives. It has comments from Florida Citrus Mutual C E O Mike Sparks about Mutual’s work on the Florida fresh fruit shipping rules for next season. Due to feedback received from one listener about other reports we’ve done on this topic in recent days, …
“Citrus Research and Development Foundation” To Handle Funds
A new citrus industry organization that will administer funds for HLB (citrus greening disease) and canker research is now up and running. A board of mostly citrus growers met in Lake Alfred to organize the Florida Citrus Research and Development Foundation. In the first two reports herein, Southeast AgNet’s Ernie Neff (left) has details about this new Direct Support Organization …
FL Budget: UF Fares Better than Expected, Crop Protection Doesn’t
When Florida lawmakers finally threw in the towel on this year’s Legislative Session, there were winners and losers. UF/IFAS ended up taking cuts, but not disproportionately as it had been looking like it would. Meanwhile, food crop protection products again got hit with a doubling of registration fees, and as always, it may take some time to figure out some …