It is set to be a busy legislative session for agricultural interests in Florida. One of the bills making its way through the process is SB 1002, the Citrus Recovery Act. Sen. Danny Burgess (R-District 20) introduced the bill to amend the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC). The FCC is the governing body of the Florida Department of Citrus. The Citrus Recovery Act …
Driverless Technology Rapidly Rolling Toward Reality
What would have been seen as science fiction a decade ago is quickly becoming reality. In December, autonomous trucking startup TuSimple completed a truck run on the open road without a human in the vehicle. The 80-mile trip on surface roads and highways in Arizona between a rail yard in Tucson and a distribution center in Phoenix was completed successfully. According to …
Consumers Prefer Florida OJ
Consumers are more likely to buy orange juice (OJ) if they think the fruit comes from Florida, new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows. In fact, top reasons consumers purchase OJ include taste, health benefits and origin of the fruit. According to the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), while 80% of OJ consumers who responded to …
Fertilizer Price Spike Highest Since Great Recession
During January’s Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia, Daniel Tregeagle, an Extension economist with North Carolina State University, gave a presentation on economic and regulatory trends impacting citrus and specialty crop growers. MODEST MARKET GROWTH The biggest blip on the proverbial economic radar has been COVID-19 and its continuing effects. Tregeagle noted these impacts mostly will be transient, and the …
Why She Grows Citrus in Georgia
When Lindy Savelle ended her career in federal law enforcement, including stints overseas, she and her husband decided to move back to land they owned in South Georgia. They researched different crops they might grow and settled on citrus. She tells her story in a recent Grower Talks Podcast produced by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. “Citrus is that one commodity …
Fertility Recommendations for Citrus Discussed at Conference
The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference was held this past weekend in in Savannah, Georgia. Various topics were discussed including fertility recommendations for citrus. Dr. Kelly Morgan, with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), told AgNet Media that he talked about the research projects they’ve conducted over the past few years. And Morgan told us he has taken on some …
Smart Technology Cuts Spray Costs
As they battle HLB, growers must control costs wherever possible, including by applying pesticides and fertilizer more efficiently. With that in mind, Yiannis Ampatzidis is engaging artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a low-cost, smart tree-crop sprayer that can automatically detect citrus trees, calculate their height and leaf density, and count fruit. That way, growers target their spray more efficiently, so it lands on trees …
Resolved to Give Growers What They Need
January marks the season for resolutions: exercising more, eating well and being more organized. But in the research world, resolutions may not be that simple. I don’t think that University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers could be any more “resolved” in finding ways to fight citrus diseases and ways to improve how citrus is grown in Florida. …
Pest Management: A New Approach to an Age-Old Challenge
By Brad Turner From a family with deep Florida roots, I have over 40 years of experience in commercial citrus production. I learned the industry from the ground up by working in the family groves while studying citrus production at Florida Southern College. I have owned a citrus nursery, my own groves and a citrus caretaking business. I have also …
USDA Conducting Voluntary Yet Vital Study
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is conducting the 2021 Farm Producer Study to gain knowledge and understanding of agricultural producers and help USDA improve services to them. A brief questionnaire was mailed to approximately 75,000 U.S. agricultural producers across the country. The questionnaire, which takes no more than 10 minutes to complete, asks participants …