drought

Rootstocks Show Drought Tolerance in Brazil

Daniel CooperBrazil, Research, Rootstocks

The drop in Brazil’s 2024 citrus harvest is due, among other factors, to the long period of drought observed in the Citrus Belt, according to Fundecitrus. Mitigating problems related to periods of drought is the objective of several studies being conducted by Fundecitrus, Embrapa Cassava and Fruits, Coopercitrus Credicitrus Foundation and the Agronomic Institute (IAC). One of these studies takes …

pesticides

Pesticides and the Environment

Daniel CooperCEU, Pesticides

By Mongi Zekri Editor’s note: This article grants one continuing education unit (CEU) in the Core category toward the renewal of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services restricted-use pesticide license when the accompanying test is submitted and approved. The fate processes for pesticides fall into three major types: adsorption, transfer and degradation. PESTICIDE ADSORPTION The adsorption process binds …

Table

PIECES OF THE PAST: Table Talk

Daniel CooperPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Florida Citrus Mutual was organized in 1948 to help stabilize citrus prices. The organization eventually expanded its focus to address the need for a strong unified voice for the Florida citrus industry on issues debated at the local, state and federal level. However, to get that unified voice from the board members was often a challenge, …

Emerging Leader

FFVA Announces Emerging Leader Class 14

Daniel CooperEducation

The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) announced the selection of 12 up-and-coming agriculture industry leaders for Class 14 of its Emerging Leader Development Program (ELDP). Class 14 members are: Over the coming year, participants will visit FFVA’s headquarters to learn about all facets of the association and tour farming and packing operations in Florida. They will meet in Tallahassee …

top pruning

Top Pruning Evaluated as HLB Strategy

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management, Pruning

A Brazilian study evaluated the effects of top pruning on orange trees located on the edges of an orchard as part of an HLB management strategy. The pruning was an attempt to attract the HLB-spreading psyllid from external areas to the orchard edges and control it, reducing its dispersion into the orchard. Fundecitrus and Embrapa Cassava and Fruits conducted the …

H-2A rule

Ag Groups Challenge Recent H-2A Rule

Daniel CooperLabor, Legal

The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) and nine co-plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit contesting the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) recently finalized H-2A rule. The challengers allege unconstitutional regulatory overreach and limitations on the freedom of speech of farmers who employ temporary workers. The co-plaintiffs are American Farm Bureau Federation, AmericanHort, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, …

Produce Safety Rule

How Produce Safety Rule Changes Will Impact Your Operation

Daniel CooperRegulation, Tip of the Week

By Taylor O’Bannon, Clara Diekman and Michelle Danyluk In July 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized changes to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule Subpart E, which covers preharvest agricultural water. Since then, the clock has been ticking on farms’ implementation of the rule changes. Large farms have nine months after the effective date to …

bmp

New BMP Cost-Share Application Launched

Daniel CooperBMPs

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Office of Agricultural Water Policy (FDACS OAWP) recently announced updates to the Best Management Practices (BMP) Cost Share Program. A new application portal is now open. Applications can be submitted directly via smartphone or computer. Learn more about the BMP Program, including how to request project funding, here. There are now clearer …

Indian River

Brazilians Visit Indian River to Learn About HLB Management

Daniel CooperBrazil, HLB Management, Indian River

Several citrus growers, consultants and others from São Paulo, Brazil, recently toured Florida’s Indian River citrus region to examine the management of HLB. Flavia Zambon, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor of horticultural production at the Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC), hosted the group. “In the traditional production region known as the …

director

CRAFT’s New Director Discusses Program Progress

Daniel CooperCRAFT

Recently, Steven Hall joined the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation as its new executive director. The CRAFT Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) direct support organization of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry. It was incorporated in June 2019 to act as mechanism to direct and manage a broad-scale field-trial program to determine …

disease

Post-Hurricane Disease Concerns

Daniel CooperDiseases, hurricane

Phytophthora, citrus black spot and HLB are among diseases that could be spread in Florida groves as a direct or indirect result of Hurricane Milton, researcher Megan Dewdney cautioned. Dewdney, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor of plant pathology, offered suggestions for dealing with those diseases during a recent hurricane recovery webinar. PHYTOPHTHORA Phytophthora …

A Simpler, Safer and More Effective Way to Fight HLB

Morgan ColeSponsored Content

Many Florida citrus growers view new trunk-injection therapies as a lifeline to help them stay viable in the ongoing battle against HLB. After two seasons of trunk-injection applications of oxytetracycline (OTC), growers are evaluating the impacts on tree health, production and quality. Heading into next season’s treatment cycle, now is the time to consider product options. Factoring into this decision …

managing

Immediate Response Required When Managing HLB

Daniel CooperCold Hardy, HLB Management

The first chore for growers in the cold-hardy citrus region when managing citrus greening is scouting for the disease and its vector, the Asian citrus psyllid. The next step is prompt removal of any trees infected with the disease, says Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist. “At this point, we think greening is still …

quarantine areas

Mexfly Quarantine Areas Expanded and Consolidated in Texas

Daniel CooperPests, Regulation, Texas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) have expanded the Harlingen and Sebastian Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine areas in Texas and consolidated them into a single quarantine area, now termed the Harlingen-Sebastian quarantine. The quarantine area spans portions of Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties. DETECTIONS AND EXPANSIONS …

eqip

EQIP Funds to Provide Hurricane Assistance

Daniel Cooperhurricane

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA/NRCS) in Florida is accepting applications for disaster assistance from agricultural landowners and producers recovering from damages caused by Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. The funding will provide technical and financial assistance through the Emergency Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).  Approximately $26 million will be made available for applicants to address …

Herbicide Strategy

Understanding EPA’s Herbicide Strategy

Daniel CooperRegulation, Tip of the Week

By Lauren Diepenbrock and Brett Bultemeier There have been a lot of changes within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), so much so that it seems there is an update nearly every day! This is because the EPA had to settle a mega lawsuit dealing with endangered species. In the past, the EPA did not directly address endangered species during registration. The …

new tree planting

CRAFT Extends New Tree Planting Application Deadline

Daniel CooperCRAFT

The application deadline for Cycle Six of the traditional Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) New Tree Planting Program has been extended until 5 p.m. on Nov. 15. The extension will give growers impacted by recent storms the opportunity to evaluate their new tree planting plans and consider submitting applications for the CRAFT program. The application deadline for Round Three …

losses

Milton Ag Losses May Be as High as $2.5 Billion

Daniel Cooperfinancial, hurricane

Preliminary crop and infrastructure losses from Hurricane Milton are estimated between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) reported the preliminary estimate a week after Milton made landfall on Oct. 9 near Siesta Key in Sarasota County as a Category 3 hurricane. The information in the FDACS document, Preliminary Estimates of Damage to …

Hurricane Milton

Alico on Hurricane Milton Damage

Daniel Cooperhurricane

Initial assessments indicate that Alico, Inc. sustained minimal tree damage and some fruit drop from Hurricane Milton. The company stated that its approximately 48,000 acres of citrus groves in Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands and Polk counties, Florida, sustained hurricane or tropical storm force winds for varying durations of time. Initial observations include measurable drop of fruit from trees …

private

EPA Insecticide Strategy Will Impact Specialty Crop Growers

Daniel CooperPesticides, Regulation

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) draft insecticide strategy to reduce the impact of conventional agricultural insecticides on endangered and threatened species could significantly impact specialty crop growers, according to the Minor Crop Farmer Alliance (MCFA). Those adverse impacts could be the result of imposing additional restrictions, potentially leading to economic consequences and challenges in pest management, the alliance wrote in …