Perdue Comments on New Draft Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico

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

Washington, D.C. (USDA) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued the following statement after U.S. Department of Commerce announced a new Draft Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico: “I want to thank my colleagues at the U.S. Department of Commerce for working diligently to reach a mutually beneficial agreement for tomato growers in both the U.S. and Mexico. …

U.S. Department of Commerce Announces a New Draft Suspension Agreement on Fresh Tomatoes from Mexico

Dan Field Crops, Fruits, Industry News Release, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

WASHINGTON, D.C. (USDOC) —The U.S. Department of Commerce initialed a draft agreement with Mexican tomato growers to suspend the ongoing antidumping (AD) investigation of fresh tomatoes from Mexico, ensuring that the domestic tomato industry will be protected from unfair trade. “For many years, there have been disputes over the roughly $2 billion worth of tomatoes that are imported from Mexico …

Hemp Industry Association of Florida Begins Statewide Road Tour

Dan Florida, Hemp

Times are very busy in hemp industry circles these days, particularly in Florida where companies and investor groups are positioning themselves for what many see as a viable new agricultural crop alternative for Florida farmers. We finally caught up with a very busy David Hasenauer in recent days. Hasenauer is president of the new Hemp Industries Association of Florida (HIAF), …

UF/IFAS Researchers Close in on a Tastier Tomato

Dan Field Crops, Florida, Industry News Release, Vegetables

GAINESVILLE, FL (UF/IFAS) — In their quest for a tastier tomato, University of Florida scientists are finding traits they believe will tempt consumers with flavor that triggers their senses even more. They’re making significant progress on improving the UF-developed Tasti-Lee™ tomato – and it will feature improved flavor and aroma. “Modern tomato cultivars typically have poor flavor as compared to …

A Hemp Farmer’s Words of Caution

Dan Hemp, Specialty Crops

A Kentucky hemp farmer is cautioning other would-be hemp growers to be very careful before plunging headlong into the hemp business. Gary Crawford has the story. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Industry Supports Administration of Florida Cattle Enhancement BoardJanuary 9, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Significant Support For ResearchDecember 19, 2025Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Considers Efforts Important to Cattle Producers in FloridaDecember …

Schumer-Backed Funding to Create Hemp Seed Bank

Dan Hemp, Industry News Release, Specialty Crops

(NAFB) — Funding supported by New York Senator Chuck Schumer will help Cornell University create the first hemp seed bank in the United States. Schumer says work will soon begin at the nation’s only Industrial Hemp Germplasm Repository located at Cornell University. The program will be rebuilt with an initial $500,000 investment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research …

‘Florida Farmers Are Going to Be the Best Hemp Growers in the Country’

Dan Hemp, Specialty Crops

“Florida farmers will eventually overtake the rest of the country” in hemp production, predicts Holly Bell, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) director of cannabis. In an interview with Citrus Industry Editor Tacy Callies, Bell summarizes her talk at the general session of Citrus Expo. Bell says “Florida farmers are going to be the best hemp growers in …

Glades Sugarcane Farmers Continue Water Quality Success

Dan Environment, Industry News Release, Specialty Crops, Sugar, Water

Recently, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) announced that once again, sugarcane and vegetable farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) surpassed annual phosphorus reduction targets by reducing phosphorus 44 percent – bringing the average annual reduction to 56 percent since the program began in 1996. “Good news on water gets lost in the shuffle, but sugarcane farmers continue …

Opportunities for U.S. Agricultural Exports in Canada

Dan Aquaculture, Corn, Exports/Imports, Forestry, Industry News Release, Specialty Crops

(USDA/FAS) — Canada is the United States’ largest export market for agricultural and agricultural-related products (includes distilled spirits, ethanol, biodiesel, fish, and forest products) with exports valued at $25 billion in 2018, accounting for more than 15 percent of total U.S. agricultural exports to the world. Canada is the only market where U.S. agricultural exports have consistently exceeded $20 billion …