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by LOURDES MEDEROS, UF/IFAS Behind every fresh head of lettuce and pepper on your plate, there’s a team of scientists working tirelessly to protect crops and farmers’ harvests from pests and plant diseases. De-Fen Mou, an assistant professor of entomology at the UF/IFAS Everglades Research and Education Center (EREC) in Belle Glade, is one of the key […]

by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS Chilli thrips plague farmers worldwide, but new research from the University of Florida has found two strawberry varieties that show less harm from these pests. The finding comes through research funded in part by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch program. That’s helpful news for growers in the

by MEGAN WINSLOW, UF/IFASphoto by CAT WOFFORD, UF/IFAS Hurricane Milton caused agricultural production losses with an estimated value between $190.4 million and $642.7 million in Florida, according to a preliminary report by the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP). The report is based on a diverse set of baseline data and surveys UF/IFAS agricultural economists distributed to producers. Milton

provided by FLORIDA CITRUS MUTUAL BARTOW, FLA. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its final revised crop estimate today of 17.96 million boxes of oranges for the 2023-2024 season, an increase of 100,000 boxes from last month’s estimate. Additionally, the USDA forecasted 1.79 million boxes of grapefruit and 450,000 boxes of tangerines and tangelos.  “As we look ahead,

by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS Growers are always looking for ways to maintain or increase their yields and boost the ability of their crops to resist pests, diseases and heat brought on by climate change. That’s particularly the case when you grow crops in a high-intensity production system, which farmers use to grow tomatoes in Florida.