Category: Florida Agriculture

Strawberry farmers worldwide may get help from new University of Florida research that shows a way to battle one of the fruit’s fiercest foes. The key: combine genomic data with phenomics. The genome amounts to all the DNA in an organism. Phenomics is the study…

Several years ago, farmers asked University of Florida scientists to help them produce blackberries as part of an effort to test whether so-called “alternative” crops could grow in the Sunshine State. For alternative crops, think hops, blackberries, pomegranates, and others. Researchers aim to supplement producers…

Nominations are now open for American Farm Bureau’s Farm Dog of the Year Contest. The contest honors farm dogs for their loyalty and support to farmers and ranchers working to produce our nation’s food supply. The  2023 Farm Bureau Farm Dog of the Year contest…

When handed lemons, the old saying goes, make lemonade. When it comes to Florida’s beleaguered citrus industry, when nature hands you a bad crop, make cereal. Wednesday is National Orange Juice Day, and just in time for the celebration, Bradenton-based Tropicana introduced Tropicana Crunch, billed…

As Mother’s Day quickly approaches, you can make mom feel special in any number of ways: Some of your options include fixing her breakfast, taking her out for dinner, and/or buying her flowers or a plant. Mother’s Day is May 8, and flora make for…

Florida blueberry season is in full swing from the beginning of March through early May. With approximately 20 million pounds of blueberries being produced this year, farmers are kept busy with production, harvesting, and shipping. Over the past 20 years, the state’s blueberry industry has…

Through a first-of-its-kind survey, UF/IFAS has shown that tropical fish farmers bring over $172 million in sales to Florida’s economy. The $172 million reflects the sales of fish by members of the Florida Tropical Fish Farmers Association (FTFFA) in 2021. That includes direct sales to…

Florida’s struggling citrus industry continues to see a decline in the crop for the current growing season, with the harvest on track for the lowest yield since before World War II. With the latest sign of trouble for the industry attributed to a recent cold…

A woman in Florida pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a federal racketeering conspiracy that victimized Mexican agricultural workers admitted into the United States under the H-2A temporary visa program. According to the plea agreement, Christina Gamez, 43, from March 2016 through August 2017, while working…