Florida Hop Production Appears Promising

Web AdminHops, Research, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

Findings from the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center hop trials are helping make strides in this new frontier. By Zhanao Deng, Shinsuke Agehara, Gary Vallad, Hugh Smith and Johan Desaeger Hops are an essential ingredient of beer. Breweries use different varieties and amounts of hops during the brewing process to attain the desirable levels of bitterness and flavors associated …

FBGA President Reflects on 2018

Web AdminBerries, Top Posts

For the Florida Blueberry Growers Association (FBGA), 2018 was a big year legislatively. Brittany Lee, FBGA president, says the association worked hard this year to give a voice to the Florida blueberry industry. One of the association’s main focuses this year dealt with the Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program. Lee says she and her colleagues worked closely with their local …

Watermelon Marketing Trends

Web AdminAgri-business, Top Posts, Watermelon

By Breanna Kendrick Melon 1 — a grower, packer and shipper of watermelons — has been shipping Florida watermelons all along the east coast to its customers for over 25 years. Rachel Syngo, director of new business development for Melon1, recently attended the New York Produce Show in New York City. “We came to the show because … this is …

PMA Aims to ‘Grow A Healthier World’

Web AdminProduce, Top Posts

The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has a busy year ahead. Cathy Burns, PMA CEO, says, “In short, we’re going to grow a healthier world.” Food safety will be a big focus for PMA in 2019 and beyond. “A real barrier to growing a healthier world is if people are getting sick eating our product,” she says. During the PMA Fresh …

agriculture

Farm Bill Helps Pave Way for Hemp Production

Web AdminFarm Bill, Hemp, Legislative, Top Posts

The farm bill has passed through the House and the Senate and received President Trump’s signature on Dec. 20. While some agricultural industries were let down, other industries may have an opportunity to thrive. According to Jerry Fankhauser, assistant director of the University of Florida’s Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, the farm bill includes language that will take industrial hemp off …

Sneak Peek: January VSCNews Magazine

Web AdminSneak peek, Top Posts

Biotechnology may change the agricultural world as we know it today. In fact, it has already changed the industry in many ways. The January issue of VSCNews magazine will explore biotechnology and the opportunities it holds. Kevin Folta, University of Florida (UF) professor, discusses what gene editing really means and the need for public support. He gives an overview of …

farm bill

The 2018 Farm Bill Is Officially Here

Web AdminFarm Bill, Legislative

The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, known as the 2018 farm bill, has now been made official after being signed by President Donald Trump today.  It was a long and strenuous process drafting a version that both congressional houses could agree to.  The farm bill will ultimately cost $867 billion over the next 10 years through a series of programs intended …

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Winning Fight Against Destructive, Disease-Carrying Snail

Web AdminIndustry News Release, Pests, Top Posts

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced that more than 168,000 Giant African Land Snails (GALS) have been eliminated in Florida since the invasive snail was discovered in Miami-Dade County in 2011. In addition, due to the success of the program, the department has decommissioned two additional core areas, two of the largest is the …

Payne Reflects on Achievements from 2018; Looks Forward to 2019

Web AdminIndustry News Release, innovation, Top Posts

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As 2018 gives way to 2019, the senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources at the University of Florida (UF) looks back with pride at the progress made by the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) and predicts continued momentum for the coming year. “We have labs, fields and greenhouses in every corner of …

More Produce Recalled from E. coli Outbreak

Web AdminLeafy Vegetables, Top Posts, Vegetables

By Taylor Hillman More produce is coming off the shelf after the farm linked to the romaine E. coli outbreak was identified last week. The Federal Drug Administration pinpointed a Santa Maria, California, farming operation, Adam Bros. Farming, as one of the sources of romaine lettuce that contained a strain of E. coli bacteria that sickened people in October. The company is now …