Administration Concerns With Farm Bill

The Bush Administration is threatening a veto of the Senate farm bill in its current form. Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner held a press conference Monday outlining their concerns. Report (1:30 mp3) Conner says Farm Bill concerns also include specialty crop provisions. Report (2:00 mp3) Conner says the Senate farm bill is about $29 billion over budget. Report (1:30 mp3) …

New Fruit and Veg Advisory Committee

USDA has announced the names of members of the new Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. USDA will schedule the committee’s first meeting for January 2008 in the Washington, D.C., area. Southeast region members of the committee include Bob Morrissey of the National Watermelon Association, Dan Richey of Riverfront Growers in Florida, Mike Stuart with the Florida Fruit and Vegetable …

FFVA Scholarship

Syngenta Crop Protection recently sponsored the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association education scholarship for the fourth year in a row. This year’s winner was Derek Orsenigo, who is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Operations Management at the University of Florida. Report (:30 mp3) Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, …

Good Guava

The importance of foods high in antioxidants has been well documented. While there are many fruits and vegetables that contain lots of those healthy components, one you might not think about is guava. Report (1:00 mp3) Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World …

Alternative Crops Field Day

A twilight field day for alternative crops on the panhandle is being held Wednesday from 3 to 5 pm at the West Florida Research and Education Center in Jay. Report (1:00 wma) Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant …

Sugar Costs Less But Candy Costs More

Halloween is coming and America’s sugar producers want consumers to know that the price of their treats this year could be lower, if the price of sugar were passed along to them. Sugarcane producer and Florida Farm Bureau vice president Rick Roth says candy prices have increased 50-percent since the 1980s – despite falling sugar prices – and industrial sugar …

Retail Produce Market Report

USDA’s Agricultural Market Service has launched a new weekly advertised retail activity and price report for fruits and vegetables. The report surveys more than 200 retail websites covering 17,000 individual stores nationwide and is available on the USDA AMS market news website. Report (1:00 mp3) Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, …

Florida Food Safety Partnership

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson last week announced that his department will be working with the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), to develop and deliver statewide food safety educational materials and training for agricultural producers and workers. Report (1:00 mp3) Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, …

Specialty Crop Research Grants

USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service has awarded more than $4.7 million in grants to 13 universities and research laboratories for tomato and potato specialty crops genetic research to help improved fruit quality, yield, stress tolerance and disease resistance. Among the grants is nearly $399,000 for the University of Florida. Report (1:00 mp3) Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly …

Farm Bill Update for Specialty Crops

American Farm Bureau legislative affairs director Mary Kay Thatcher gave an update on the 2007 Farm Bill and specialty crops at last week’s Florida Farm Bureau annual meeting. Report (1:00 mp3) Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding YearJune 30, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Awarded Researcher Discusses New World Screwworm OverviewJune 19, 2026Verdant Robotics …