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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Florida”
Emma Keller became executive director of the Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association (PRVCGA) Aug. 8. Keller, who is finishing her senior year at Warner University, succeeds Kait Shaw. She is working on a degree in agricultural science with a minor in communications. Keller was born in Charlotte County, Florida. “I grew up on an orange grove in Punta Gorda,” …
Federal and state agriculture officials have expanded the citrus black spot (CBS) quarantine area in Florida. They have added four sections in Collier County and five sections in Glades County. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of …
Fresh citrus growers, packers and shippers will meet for Citrus Packinghouse Day on Aug. 25 at the Citrus Research and Education Center’s (CREC) Ben Hill Griffin Hall in Lake Alfred, Florida. They will hear the most current information about food safety, worker visa options and other topics related to fresh fruit handling and transport. The free event will include exhibitors …
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) named Madeline Mellinger the 2022 Woman of the Year in Agriculture. Mellinger founded Glades Crop Care, Inc. in 1972 and is still the company’s chief operating officer. Glades Crop Care provides integrated pest management and crop counseling services to more than 65,000 acres of plants and more than 60 varieties of fresh …
Some species of snails in Florida groves, normally seen on irrigation emitters and tree trunks, have recently “taken up residency in young citrus trees,” University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension agents Chris Oswalt and Ajia Paolillo reported. Here’s a summary of what the agents wrote in a recent UF/IFAS Central Florida citrus Extension newsletter: Once …
Florida growers and others looking to make farm improvements can apply for aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). CIGThe NRCS will invest up to $900,000 for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) for agricultural resource priorities in Florida. Fiscal Year 2022 conservation resource priorities for the NRCS in Florida are: climate resilience, grazing, soil health and urban …
Two University of Florida (UF) startup companies have formed a union to help reverse the trend of declining Florida citrus production. Agriculture Intelligence and Satlantis believe they can offer a powerful tool to help the state’s growers more closely monitor their trees and manage problems faster. The startups, housed in one of UF’s business incubators, will combine expertise in precision …
Sustainability has been a buzzword in agriculture for years, often with varying definitions of what the term means. In recent years, many industries have adopted self-assessment tools to monitor their sustainability and report their results to their customers. Much of this monitoring and reporting is being done via online platforms. During Florida Citrus Mutual’s board of directors meeting held during …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced proposed amendments to the Florida citrus marketing order. As recommended by the Florida Citrus Administrative Committee, changes would include reducing the size and quorum requirements of the committee and revising the nomination and selection processes of committee members. The requirement of allocating committee seats based on volume from each district would also be …
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has confirmed the presence of Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis, in Pinellas County. Two male flies were captured during routine trapping in a methyl eugenol-baited fruit fly detection trap in St. Petersburg on May 17. Expanded intensified delimitation trapping over the 80-square-mile surrounding area resulted in two additional males being captured …
In a recent Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) newsletter, the grower association told how the Florida state budget addresses citrus issues and reported FCM’s position on an orange juice petition. STRONG SUPPORTThe 2022–23 Florida state budget signed June 2 by Gov. Ron DeSantis totaled $109.9 billion and included more than $37 million in support for the state’s citrus industry. Citrus support …
Gas prices in Florida are at an all-time high. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded fuel in Florida on May 16 was $4.497, which is $0.014 higher than the national average. Gas prices are up $1.60 cents per gallon from one year ago, while diesel prices have rose $2.62 over …
Jerry Parrish, an economist with Florida State University, returned to speak at the annual Lay of the Land Conference last month in Lakeland, Florida. Parrish is always a popular speaker for his big-picture economic outlook and engaging style. He is not a dull economist. Parrish said the major themes to watch for in 2022 are the Federal Reserve interest rates; …
“Life as a citrus grower is a perilous journey,” says Chip Henry. Among the toughest perils the third-generation Florida grower has endured are the freezes of the 1980s, the threat of losing his land to highway construction, and the scourge of citrus greening. Henry’s story begins with the founding of O.E. McGuire Groves in Apopka by his maternal grandparents in …
It was a good time to be in the real estate business in Florida in 2021. That was a common theme coming out of the annual Lay of the Land Conference held in Lakeland, Florida, in April. The conference is hosted by SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate. Some real estate sectors have moved through the COVID-19 pandemic better …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is asking fruit growers in North Florida, Alabama and Georgia to take a survey about crop biostimulants. UF/IFAS will use the results to better help those growers with the use of biostimulants and direct future research and Extension education programs. Those participating in the anonymous survey are asked to …
Matt Joyner, Florida Citrus Mutual’s (FCM) new chief executive officer and executive vice president, recently reported that FCM helped achieve substantial citrus industry support in the recent Florida legislative session. Following are citrus-related items that Joyner highlighted in the recently passed state budget: $8 million for the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) to continue basic research into HLB ($3 …
How the government provides support to growers after disasters remains a challenge. Disaster assistance was one of the topics discussed at the recent Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference held at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka. Agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture are struggling with the best …
After being presented virtually for the past two years as a result of COVID-19, the 2022 Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute will once again be an in-person event on April 5. The event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at South Florida State College’s Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts in Avon Park. The institute is …
It often takes time for the damage associated with freeze events to manifest in citrus. That was the case for the late January freeze in Florida. While some growers escaped fairly unscathed, others suffered significant damage. The damage began to show in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s March citrus crop forecast. The agency lowered expected production of Florida oranges this …
