The Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) named Florida Senator Jay Collins and Florida Representative Kaylee Tuck as its Legislators of the year for 2023. The two were recognized at the FFVA’s 79th annual convention in Naples on Sept. 25-27. The FFVA presents the awards to elected officials who have worked to promote public policies that advance and protect Florida agriculture. …
FFVA Supports Termination of 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) submitted a letter urging the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) to approve the Florida Tomato Exchange’s (FTE) request to terminate the U.S.-Mexico Antidumping Tomato Suspension Agreement. The FFVA emphasized the adverse impact of unfair subsidies provided by the Mexican government to its fruit and vegetable industry. The challenges faced by the tomato industry …
FFVA Names Legislators of the Year
The Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) named Florida Senator Jay Collins and Florida Representative Kaylee Tuck as its Legislators of the year for 2023. The two were recognized at the FFVA’s 79th annual convention in Naples on Sept. 25-27. The FFVA presents the awards to elected officials who have worked to promote public policies that advance and protect Florida …
South Georgia Whitefly Populations Currently High
By Clint Thompson Whitefly populations are not at abnormally high levels, but they are high according to one expert. Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension vegetable entomologist, talked about the insect and what it might take to decrease the current populations. “They’re pretty high. We’re hoping as it cools off, it’s going to stretch out the life cycle and …
New Fusarium Wilt Race a Concern for Florida Tomatoes
By Clint Thompson Florida tomato growers have a new concern with plant disease management this year. “The big news that we have right now is that we’ve identified a new race of fusarium wilt on tomato that appears to overcome a lot of our sources of resistance that are currently deployed. I’m just trying to get the word out to …
Alabama Extension to Host Strawberry Meeting
Alabama strawberry producers should mark their calendars for Wednesday, Nov. 8. The Alabama Extension Commercial Horticulture Team will be hosting its annual strawberry production meeting in Chilton County. The meeting is tailored to any producer in Alabama or those that are interested in producing strawberries for the first time. It usually attracts growers from all across the state. This year’s …
POTUS, WOTUS, SCOTUS
By Frank Giles The debate over the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Waters of the United States (WOTUS) has been ongoing for years. During the President of the United States (POTUS) Barack Obama administration, a new definition of WOTUS was laid out that left a lot of ambiguity on what EPA’s jurisdiction might …
Producer Panel Discussion Part of Upcoming Florida Blueberry Conference
By Clint Thompson Labor remains a contentious issue for specialty crop producers in the Southeast. It will be highlighted during the upcoming Florida Blueberry Growers Association Conference and Trade Show. “It’s a topic with some really high interest among growers,” said Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator. It has been widely …
Georgia Pumpkin Grower: High Quality, Low Quantity
By Clint Thompson Pumpkin season is in full swing, and the quality of this year’s crop is unlike any one grower has ever had. Unfortunately, the quantity is also down this year, according to Drew Echols, owner of Jaemor Farms and president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA). “Quality is phenomenal. It’s some of the best quality …
Idalia Aftermath: Georgia Pecan Producer Reflects on Loss Month Later
By Clint Thompson A month since Hurricane Idalia ravaged South Georgia and the area’s pecan crop, one producer has a final tally on his devastation. It was way worse than he had imagined. “I just finished getting a tree loss count. It’s about 15%, farm-wise, of the trees that were lost. Initially, I was hoping it would be about 10,000 …