The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) decided on Tuesday to declare April as 2023 Invasive Pest & Disease Awareness Month. Each year an estimated $40 billion in damage is caused by invasive plants and insects, including damage to major crops. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says, “This spring, familiarize yourself with the invasive pest quarantines in your area and do your part to avoid inadvertently moving invasive insects...
Apiaceous crops such as celery, carrots and dill are grown in Florida during the fall and spring each year to compensate for the environmental conditions in California so the national markets are supplied. Insect injuries were found on these plants in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) where most of these plants are grown during that time of the year. After much research and specialists examining the specimens, the weevil was found to be...
A new study published by HortScience was conducted by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers. The information found in this study will help growers select better-performing rootstocks with the ongoing HLB conditions. Out of the six rootstocks that were experimented on, it was found that A+Volk x Orange 19-11-8 had the highest nutrient uptake.
The United Egg Association and United Egg Producers funded studies that show the transition to cage-free increases costs and reduces profits on egg farms. This transition can be costly for the producer and the consumer, and approximately 55% of consumers are price driven when it comes to eggs and they do not discriminate between cage and cage-free eggs. Also, cage-free eggs have higher costs and more labor requirements.
The 4 R's of fertilizer application are the RIGHT fertilizer source, the RIGHT rate, the RIGHT time and the RIGHT place for the crop. Using these practices is key to maintaining Best Management Practices (BMP's) so we can achieve environmental, social and economic sustainability of commercial crop production. While each of the 4 R's has its own considerations, they must be used together for best results.
Florida's agriculture industry is already struggling to compete against foreign imports and invasive pests, and there are 1,000 people moving to Florida each day, which is taking up viable land that could be used for agriculture. Farmers in Florida are not only asked to be the grower, but also the harvester, manufacturer and retailer, and bamboo could benefit the farmer by allowing them to do what they do best.
TSWV stands for tomato spotted wilt virus, which is a serious disease that can spread to 35 different plant families. This year, the virus has spread into the peanut crop and has made some serious economic impacts. Scott Montfort, University of Georgia (UGA Cooperative Extension peanut agronomist, said, "We have gotten somewhat complacent about what we do. We are planting in April and planting a third of the crop in April. That pushes that risk...
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is telling agricultural landowners to protect their land with conservation easements. By putting land into conservation easements, the landowner is protecting their eligible grazing land and restoring wetlands on eligible land. The deadline to apply in Florida ends today!
Cocoa and chocolate come from the cacao tree and its beans, but these products are harvested in 2 different ways, and they contain different components. Cocoa contains fewer calories, so it is listed as the healthier product, while chocolate is high in fat and sugar. The market for these products has grown with the market value jumping from $46.4 billion in 2021 to $69.1 billion in 2022.
Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension weed specialist, warns growers to exercise caution when managing wild radish as it has become resistant to some fungicides. Culpepper says, "Wild radish has certainly been a challenge for us in some cropping systems for my 23 years. If you’re looking at burn-down for cotton, it’s huge, it’s a challenge, it’s difficult to manage. If you’re growing broccoli, cabbage or...
