 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Agricultural students in post-secondary education are eligible to compete for up to $15,000 in total scholarship awards through the Accelerating a Generation Syngenta Scholarship Program. Eligible university students may apply for six regional scholarships of $2,500 each, now offered in partnership with the National FFA Organization. Students can apply through Jan. 14, 2021, by visiting the FFA Scholarship Portal here. …
A new study finds that children who drink 100 percent orange juice (OJ) as part of a healthy diet have better overall diet quality and consume more nutrients than those who do not. The research also adds to a growing body of evidence showing consumption of 100 percent OJ has no impact on weight in children. Authors of the study …
The European Union (EU) recently imposed approximately $4 billion in tariffs on U.S. grapefruit and other agricultural products. The tariffs, authorized by the World Trade Organization, are punishment for U.S. subsidies for the Boeing Company. “Once again U.S. agriculture is caught in the crossfire of a dispute that is not of our making and we are used as leverage …
Representatives of two Florida citrus-growing operations recently shared ways their companies have utilized drones, electronic sensors and advanced spray technology to enhance their operations. Joby Sherrod, director of grove operations for Duda & Sons, and Timothee Sallin, co-CEO of IMG Enterprises, were participants in a virtual Florida-Israel Agriculture Innovation Summit. Duda and IMG have approximately 11,000 acres and 10,000 acres …
Global demand for the citrus alcohol market is set to hover at approximately a 5 percent growth rate, as increasing preference for craft beer and rising alcohol consumption create fertile ground, according to a recent study. The study looked at citrus alcohol growth in more than 20 countries. “Citrus, owing to its flavor and strong acidity, has become an integral …
Nov. 18-25 is National Farm-City Week, a time to recognize and honor the contributions of the country’s agriculturalists and to strengthen the bond between urban and rural citizens. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) took the opportunity to recognize the agriculturists in its area. Some of its statements …
Free online resources from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension put safety in the hands of Spanish-speaking agricultural workers and pesticide handlers. The Extension Farm Labor Education programs are part of UF/IFAS Extension Online Learning. For the first time, the Worker Protection Standard Train the Trainer (WPS TTT) certification course is available online in …
Two citrus growers are among 22 farmers and ranchers recently honored by the Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) in recognition of their superior natural resource conservation efforts. They are Travis Miller of DeSoto Grove in DeSoto County and Marlon Pendergrass of The Groves of Peace River in Hardee County. Each received the Farm Bureau’s County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship …
Korea is the United States’ top export market for oranges and the third largest market for lemons and grapefruit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently reported. Oranges, lemons and grapefruit account for 99 percent of the country’s total citrus imports. More information from USDA/FAS about the Korean market follows: Citrus imports by Korea dropped in 2019 …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension recently provided the following information about identification of citrus black spot (CBS): Fruit symptoms can be observed around this time of year with the onset of color break and fruit maturity. Growers and agricultural workers should learn to identify the symptoms of CBS even if they are not located …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) announced it is authorizing the importation of cold-treated fresh citrus from South Africa into all U.S. ports of entry. Previously, APHIS restricted the entry of cold-treated citrus fruit from South Africa to four U.S. ports that have cold-treatment facilities. APHIS scientists determined that citrus fruit from South Africa, …
Larry Duncan provides updates on the damage done by sting nematodes and research into controlling them with nematicides and perennial peanut as a cover crop. Duncan is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) nematologist at the Citrus Research and Education Center. Sting nematodes have become a “real issue” for Florida growers in the past five …
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has reappointed Indian River Citrus League (IRCL) Executive Vice President Doug Bournique to a fourth, four-year term on the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) Governing Board. Bournique was first appointed to the SJRWMD board in 2008 by then-Gov. Charlie Crist. He was re-appointed by Gov. Rick Scott. Throughout his service on the board, Bournique …
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently announced updates to COVID-19 testing sites in Hendry, Miami-Dade, Collier and St. Lucie counties for farmworkers. The effort to provide access to no-cost testing for farmworkers is part of a partnership with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and county governments. Testing services will continue as …
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) commended the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for extending the 2020 Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for the H-2A program through 2022. The vast majority of Florida citrus is harvested by temporary foreign workers in the H-2A program. “We applaud the agency for recognizing that the …
Four researchers from around the country summarized their work on culturing the causal agent of HLB and agreed to consider a large, joint culturing project. The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) hosted the panel discussion on Nov. 5 about culturing Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). CRDF organized the presentation after receiving a request for funding of a CLas culturing project …
Citrus growers should consider controlling HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) only when a prescribed ACP population, or threshold, is reached. Entomologist Lukasz Stelinski suggested this approach in a virtual Citrus Expo presentation. Stelinski is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. A summary slide Stelinski showed …
Michael Rogers discusses the importance of the recent sequencing of the trifoliate orange genome by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers and others. He also tells how growers can learn more about UF/IFAS research funded by the Florida Legislature. Rogers is director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred and …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA/AMS) is revising the U.S. Standards for Grades of Grapefruit and the U.S. Standards for Grades of Oranges. The revision, effective Nov. 30, applies only to Texas and states other than Florida, California and Arizona. The revision will convert the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) tables from showing the acceptable number of allowable …
The global citrus water market is projected to reflect strong growth in 2020 in spite of the widespread coronavirus outbreak. While lockdown restrictions have limited demand from the food-service sector, lucrative opportunities have arisen for the short-term owing to the demand for functional beverages during the crisis period. A recent report by Future Market Insights indicates that demand for the …
