By Tacy Callies In a state known for Northern transplants, fifth-generation Floridians aren’t frequently found — unless you work in agriculture. Chris and Tina Connell, owners of Pebbledale Farms, are proud to call themselves fifth-generation Floridians. Tina’s grandfather grew strawberries and peppers. Chris was raised in the phosphate mining business, and his grandfather was a citrus grower and rancher. The …
Mechanical Harvest Technologies for Strawberries
By Yiannis Ampatzidis Vegetable growers face several serious challenges with respect to farm labor. The number of domestic farmworkers has decreased substantially. In some cases, growers are unable to fully harvest their marketable fruit. A high percentage of the remaining domestic workers are not legally authorized to work in the United States. The costs to recruit temporary foreign agricultural guest …
New Florida Blueberry Varieties on Display during Field Tour
By Frank Giles The University of Florida (UF) blueberry breeding team hosted a farm tour last week to showcase commercially available and varieties in development at stops in Arcadia and Dade City. Doug Phillips, blueberry Extension coordinator for UF, said the tour evaluated two production systems. “We visited a farm down in Arcadia for the morning stop on our Blueberry …