Crops that grow well in hanging baskets. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Hanging baskets are a great solution when growing gardens vertically. Not only are they are a space saver, but you could practically grow everything you’d want in a salad. Or, just some of your favorite flowers. While any tomato plant can work in a hanging …
ERS: Interest in Antibiotic-free Chicken Increasing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service last week released a report titled “The Market for Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics, 2012–17.” The report studies consumer attitudes for chicken raised without antibiotics and their purchases of the products. The analysis grouped chicken products into three distinct market segments: classic, processed, and sausage. Between 2012 and 2017, household expenditure shares for …
Technologies for Improved Nutrient Analysis
Nutrient management is important for citrus production. Regular nutrient assessments should be conducted to optimize nutrient balance and prevent deficiencies or over-fertilization. Optimizing nutrition is important for tree health and can improve tolerance to stresses and diseases. Good nutrient management requires regular field monitoring to identify problems and examine crop responses. Leaves need to be collected and sent to a …
Protect Against the COVID-19 Delta Variant
If you would have asked us last September if there would still be a need to write a tip about COVID-19 a year later, our answer would have been, “We sure hope not.” So, what’s changed? The simplest explanation is the emergence of the Delta variant. When you hear us talk about food safety, we don’t often talk about variants. …
September Chores for Getting the Garden Winter-Ready
Some September chores for getting your garden winter-ready. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The beginning of September is a good time to divide irises and day lilies, fertilize fescue lawns, and start cool-season vegetable seedlings. It’s also a good time to plant cover crops, such as peas, oats, crimson clover, and annual rye grass on the fallow winter …
RMA Updates Whole-Farm Revenue Protection
Organic and aquaculture producers will soon be able to benefit from updates that USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is making to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Plan. RMA is revising the plan of insurance to make it more flexible and accessible to producers beginning in crop year 2022. RMA Acting Administrator Richard Flournoy explains what plan does. Changes to the program include increasing expansion …
Crop Dumping by Mexico Targeted by Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried
Concerns about crop dumping have been a refrain in the state since shortly after the North American Free Trade Agreement was approved more than a quarter century ago. (TALLAHASSEE/August 30, 2021) — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Monday urged people to purchase Florida-grown blueberries, strawberries and other produce to help counter what she described as “unfair foreign trade practices” by …
Safety Tips for Flying Drones Offered by UF/IFAS Researchers
Some people view drones as toys, but they can be dangerous. In fact, about 1,000 people per year are injured from using drones incorrectly. To address the potential peril, two University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are offering ways to keep people from getting hurt while using drones. For legal advice on personal injury related to …
Shipments of Plant-Based Proteins to Pizza Restaurants up 56 Percent
Pizza has repeatedly ranked in the top foods ordered at U.S. restaurants. According to The NPD Group, in the quarter ending June 2021, there were 1.2 billion servings of pizza ordered, up four percent from the same quarter last year. But, units of plant-based protein and ingredients shipped from foodservice distributors to pizza operators increased by 56 percent in the …
USDA Accepting Applications to Help Cover Costs for Organic Certification
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that organic producers and handlers can now apply for funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification. Applications for the? Organic Certification Cost Share Program?(OCCSP) will be accepted until Nov. 1, 2021. OCCSP provides cost-share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products for the costs of obtaining or …