Alicia Adler Joins NABC, USHBC as Vice President

Dan Fruits, Industry News Release, Specialty Crops

Resume Includes Securing Over $10 Million in Grant Funds for Specialty Crops (NABC) — Alicia Adler, an experienced grant writing and marketing executive who’s secured over $10 million in state and federal grant funds for U.S. specialty crops, has joined the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) and the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) as vice president. Adler brings a wealth …

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds for Health Benefits

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

Don’t throw those seeds out! Cathy Isom explains all of the great benefits to roasting pumpkin seeds for a healthy snack. Pumpkin seeds have a lot to offer.  They not only taste amazing, but they can be souped up with all different kinds of flavors. They’re also jam-packed with nutrition known to improve heart health. They’re full of good fats, zinc, …

Plant Pathologist to Study Blueberry Disease

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops

A plant pathologist at the University of Georgia (UGA) Tifton campus is using a grant to study a bacterial disease affecting blueberry crops. According to a story from the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES), Assistant Professor at UGA-Tifton, Jonathan Oliver, says the $7,000 grant from Georgia Farm Bureau will fund his studies of a new strain of the bacterial …

Plum Pox Virus is Still Nearby

Dan Fruits, Specialty Crops

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced there’s no more Plum Pox disease in the country. The disease impacts stone fruit like plums, almonds, and peaches. No other countries where the disease has occured have been able to eradicate it. And while it doesn’t kill infected trees outright, it does cause severe yield losses and greatly reduces the marketability of stone …

Hemp, Hops and More Crops Highlight Florida Ag Expo

Dan Field Crops, Florida, Fruits, Hemp, Industry News Release, Nursery Crops, Research, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

BALM, FL (UF/IFAS) — Farmers, nursery managers and others can get a glimpse of the latest and greatest UF/IFAS research into tomatoes, strawberries, hemp, hops and ornamental plants at the annual Florida Ag Expo at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. Informative sessions will fill the day, with events running from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 21, …

Commerce Department Announces Final Dumping Margin of 21% on Mexican Tomato Imports

Dan Exports/Imports, Fruits, Industry News Release, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

International Trade Commission will now Evaluate Injury to U.S. Growers Washington, D.C. (FTE-October 22, 2019) — The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced a final dumping margin of 21 percent in the resumed antidumping investigation of Mexican tomatoes.  This result comes as no surprise to American tomato farmers who have seen domestic production decline significantly in the face of unfairly traded …

Growers Should Manage Tomato Bacterial Spot While Seedlings are in Transplant Facilities

Dan Florida, Fruits, Industry News Release, Vegetables

BALM, FL (UF/IFAS-oct. 17, 2019) — New findings from University of Florida scientists could help tomato growers nationwide in their battle against a damaging disease. With 37,000 acres, Florida’s tomato industry is a $520 million-a-year crop, so it’s critical to find sources of diseases so growers can avoid or treat them to sustain their yields. But a bacterium called Xanthomonas …

Crop Insurance Deadlines Near in Florida

Dan Florida, Fruits, Industry News Release, Livestock, Pollinators, Specialty Crops

Avocado, Blueberry, and Pasture, Rangeland, Forage and Apiculture Producers Need to Make Insurance Decisions Soon The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (USDA RMA) are reminding Florida avocado, blueberry, pasture, rangeland, and forage (PRF) and apiculture producers that deadlines to apply for crop insurance coverage for the 2020 crop …

Producers Invited to Attend Education Meetings

Dan Aquaculture, Beef, Cattle, Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Dairy, Education, Equine, Field Crops, Fruits, Georgia, Hemp, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Organic, Pasture, Peanuts, Pecans, Pollinators, Pork, Poultry, Sheep-Goats, Soybeans, Specialty Crops, Sugar, Trade, Vegetables, Water, Wheat

The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agricultural economists and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) will jointly hold producer meetings throughout Georgia October 8-11. The meetings will address three major government support programs including disaster assistance, trade assistance and farm safety-net programs. Tyron Spearman has more details. Below are the meeting dates, times and locations: Oct. …