By Sarah A. White Water is necessary for growing plants. This simple statement says it all but doesn’t begin to address the complexities of water decisions growers face today. Some questions are common, regardless of where your operation is located: How much water do my plants need? How does water quality affect plant growth? How much water do I need …
Irrigation Tax Credit for Alabama Farmers
(ACES) — Some Alabama farmers could see a break on their taxes thanks to a new tax credit. This credit allows farmers to count certain costs associated with irrigation — including fuel conversions, equipment and reservoirs — on their income taxes. Qualification Only qualified irrigations systems or reservoirs are eligible for the tax credit. Producers must have filled out an …
Pumpkin, Calabaza Breeding Program Set to Carve Out New Niche Market for Growers
(UF/IFAS) — Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Shultz yielded popularity to an almighty pumpkin in the 1966 animated TV Special “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.” Today, pumpkin popularity for holiday decor, healthy snacking, and scrumptious recipes during fall and winter months has given rise to innovative research led by Geoffrey Meru, assistant professor of vegetable breeding, genetics and genomics at …
How Many Hives Are Best for Florida Blueberries?
By Karla Arboleda University of Florida (UF) researchers are working to establish honeybee hive recommendations specific to Florida blueberries. Right now, Florida blueberry growers rely on honeybee hive recommendations from research based in other states. Rachel Mallinger, an assistant professor in entomology at UF and part of the research team, said the amount of honeybees available to pollinate blueberries is …
Hemp Helps Draw Record Crowd at Florida Ag Expo
By Ernie Neff and Tacy Callies A record crowd of almost 1,000 filled the seminars and trade show at Florida Ag Expo (FAE). The event took place on Nov. 21 in Wimauma at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC). The number of growers attending also set a record …
Recalled Lettuce in E. coli Outbreak From California, Not Florida
(FDACS) — On Friday, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that romaine lettuce associated with an outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 is likely from the Salinas growing region of California. Forty illnesses have been reported across 16 states since Sept. 24. Florida-grown lettuce is not implicated in this outbreak, and the FDA has indicated there are neither positive samples nor reported illnesses …
Commissioner Fried on ITC Ruling on Mexican Tomato Threat
(FDACS) — The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted 4-0 affirming that imported Mexican tomatoes unfairly threaten the American tomato industry. The ruling came after the U.S. Department of Commerce recently reopened the antidumping investigation that began in 1996, and after finding that Mexican tomatoes had been dumped into the U.S. market at prices 21 percent below fair market value, on average. In …
Packaged Romaine Recalled Before Holiday
A growing E. coli outbreak and advisory before Thanksgiving is reminding everyone of last year, but this one is less encompassing. Around 100,000 pounds of packaged salads have been recalled due to E. coli illness reports in eight states. The salads are Ready Pac products from Missa Bay out of Maryland. Seventeen illnesses with seven hospitalizations have been reported. The …
ITC Affirms That Mexican Dumping Threatens U.S. Tomato Growers
(FTE) — In a unanimous decision, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) made an affirmative determination that dumped Mexican tomato imports threaten the U.S. industry with material injury. This determination comes on the heels of an announcement last month by the U.S. Department of Commerce, which found that Mexican tomatoes had been dumped in the U.S. market at an average …
New Rules Aimed at Protecting Tomato Crops
(NSF) — New federal inspection rules are now in place for tomatoes and peppers, a month after Florida agricultural officials expressed concern that a virus had been found in tomatoes imported from Mexico. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that tomatoes and peppers from Mexico, Israel and the Netherlands must be inspected for tomato brown rugose fruit virus, …