Topics of interest to Florida’s fresh citrus industry will be addressed at Citrus Packinghouse Day on Aug. 24 in Lake Alfred. The event will be held at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center. The free event in Ben Hill Griffin Hall will include an educational program, exhibitors and networking opportunities. …
Roe Honored during Citrus Packinghouse Day
Over 60 citrus industry representatives gathered Aug. 25 for the 61st annual Packinghouse Day at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. They heard updates on H-2A visa options for packinghouse workforce needs, an overview of citrus fruit export requirements and an update on food safety auditing. Faculty from UF/IFAS presented …
Packinghouse Day: Annual Citrus Event Returns In-Person This Year
The annual UF/IFAS Citrus Packinghouse Day will return as an in-person event on Aug. 26 at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. The free event will feature workshops and seminars for industry professionals. Interstate and export regulations, food safety regulations, training opportunities and postharvest fruit processing improvements highlight some of the topics of this year’s …
Here’s Some Tips on Handling COVID-19 on Produce Farms and in Packinghouses
By Laurel Dunn (UGA CAES News) While there is no evidence that the COVID-19 virus is a food safety concern, it is a worker health concern as it spreads via close person-to-person contact or by contact with contaminated surfaces. Food does not appear to be a likely cause of COVID-19 transmission, but many of the same practices used to prevent …
Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Next Generation of Ag Leaders Speak Out on Issues
By Frank Giles The Florida Ag Expo held at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center has become a much-anticipated event every November. The Expo draws specialty crop growers from across Florida and beyond. The latest Expo featured a panel discussion of alumni from the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association’s Emerging Leader Development Program (ELDP). The program provides a year-long …
Sustainability Starts with People
By Frank Giles Paul Allen developed an appreciation for hard work and farming at an early age. After school, he’d head to the South Bay Growers packing facility in South Bay, Florida, to work for a few hours cleaning celery boxes. There he observed the lifeblood of the Everglades Agriculture Area in action. Farming drives the economy of the region …
A Preview of Florida Citrus Breeding Projects
By Peter Chaires The New Varieties Development & Management Corp. (NVDMC) board of directors has completed its 2023-24 budgeting process. Like other citrus industry organizations and private companies, the NVDMC board sought to address the need for immediate and short-term benefits, without abandoning a necessary focus on the future. Most of the funding will be directed to near-term benefit, with …
CAES Researchers Find Solution to Keep Produce Fresh
By Emily Cabrera Despite technological advances, food loss continues to be a problem throughout the U.S., says Angelos Deltsidis, assistant professor of horticulture in the University of Georgia’s (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). “It’s not only environmentally unsustainable, but economically as well. Farmers pay to grow and harvest their produce, and they are also the ones who …
Lipman Family Farms Celebrates 75 Years
By Clint Thompson A company that has remained sustainable and profitable for 75 years in the current economic climate is a modern-day success story. PRIORITIZING PEOPLEThe secret to Lipman Family Farms’ success is it prioritizes people. This includes its large workforce as well as the desires of consumers who purchase its various specialty crops every day. This prioritization allows Lipman …
Out of Business: Gloomy Future for Florida Blueberry Farmers
By Clint Thompson Florida’s recent lack of success in profiting from its blueberry crop has prompted some farmers to leave the business altogether. “I already know of three farms for sale. I think you’re going to see a couple of people go out of business,” said Ryan Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida and farms 56 acres of blueberries, …