Scouting and Managing Spider Mites in Vegetables

AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. (ACES) – Summertime can be a productive season for growing vegetables. However, it is also a time that can be hot and dry. These are the perfect conditions for spider mites, a pest that can cause widespread damage quickly. When present in high numbers, they can be pests for many aspects of farming There are many species …

Novel Watermelon Rootstock Knocks Out Disease and Pests

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA (USDA/ARS) — A new watermelon line, developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Clemson University scientists, gets to the root of the problem of a major disease and pest of watermelon crops in the southern United States. Carolina Strongback is a rootstock watermelon that is resistant to Fusarium wilt and the southern root-knot nematode, according to William “Pat” …

Final Hemp Rulemaking Workshop Held in North Florida

Tallahassee, Fla. (FDACS) – Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried joined key Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services officials to host the third public hemp rulemaking workshop at the R.A. Gray Building in Tallahassee. Today’s workshop was the third and final in a series of three events which took place in South, Central, and North Florida designed to ensure anyone interested in …

State Officials Prepare for Hemp Industry

With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis facing a deadline this week to act on the hemp bill, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services held a final public workshop Monday as it prepares to carry out a measure that would lead to a state hemp program. The bill (SB 1020) would require the department to create a regulatory framework to …

Second Hemp Rulemaking Workshop Held in Central Florida

Tampa, Fla. (FDACS) — Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried joined key Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services officials to host the second public hemp rulemaking workshop at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. “The goal of these workshops is to hear from the public on the coming state hemp program — to create a successful and inclusive program, it’s essential …

USDA Offers Producers Options to Re-enroll or Extend Expiring CRP Contracts

WASHINGTON (USDA/FSA) – Farmers and ranchers with expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts may now re-enroll in certain CRP continuous signup practices or, if eligible, select a one-year contract extension. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) also is accepting offers from those who want to enroll for the first time in one of the country’s largest conservation programs. FSA’s 52nd signup for …

Commissioner Fried Hosts First Hemp Rulemaking Workshop in South Florida

Pembroke Pines, Fla. (FDACS) –Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried joined key Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) officials to host the first public hemp rulemaking workshop at Broward College in Pembroke Pines. “The upcoming state hemp program marks a new industrial revolution — after eighty years of stalled progress, we can finally put hemp to work for farmers, entrepreneurs, …

USDA Moves Cover Crop Harvest Date for Prevented-Planting Fields

Farmers who planted cover crops on prevented-planting acres can hay, graze or chop those fields earlier than November this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) adjusted the 2019 final haying and grazing date from Nov. 1 to Sept. 1 to help farmers who were prevented from planting because of excess rainfall this spring. RMA says …

Vaccine Investigators Use Bacterium’s Own Protein Against It

(USDA/ARS) — A team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists is investigating a new “ingredient” for use in vaccinating cattle against Johne’s disease, a chronic wasting affliction that costs the U.S. dairy industry more than $200 million per year. The ingredient in question is a type of protein on the surface of the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), which causes Johne’s …