I’VE SAID IT BEFORE, but it merits repeating: Florida agriculture is big. Make that HUGE. It’s huge in scope, in numbers, and importance — importance not only to those of us fortunate to live here but also to people across the nation and around the world.
A ROBOT THAT CAN PICK strawberries may ease the industry’s labor problem and revolutionize the way crops are harvested. “This machine itself is being designed specifically for the strawberry,” says Gary Wishnatzki, a third-generation family-owner of Plant City’s Wish Farms, who is partnering in the project. “We’re not going to stop with strawberries … There’s …
Strawberry-harvesting robots, more of the sweeter varieties, and new U-picks Read More »
Recent cases of Salmonella Enteritidis linked to backyard flocks WHETHER IT’S DUE to the high cost of living, the desire to lead a healthier lifestyle, or simply for the enjoyment of producing one’s own food and being near nature, more and more backyard chicken coops are popping up in suburbia. This “back-to-nature” trend has enabled …
CITRUS GREENING IS A SCOURGE on the Florida citrus industry, but it highlights the value of ag tech, science, and innovation in an amazing way. So many are working on the issue, and the ingenuity of those in agriculture is on full display. Below are some of the research efforts in the works right now.
WHILE GREAT CHALLENGES continue to beset the Florida citrus industry, a greater sense of optimism could be found among the growers and state officials who attended the 2016 Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Bonita Springs last month.
EASTERN EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS (EEE) has claimed its third victim of the year in Polk County, and officials are recommending that horse owners take precautions, as more cases are expected. A six-year-old Arabian, with no EEE vaccine history or recent travel, began showing clinical signs on June 19 and was subsequently euthanized the same day. It’s …
EEE update: Preventing Eastern Equine Encephalitis for your horse Read More »
Two CREC professors map out how certain varieties could hold the key to more HLB-tolerant citrus trees FOR THOSE IN THE FLORIDA citrus industry, some say it’s the 11th hour. Citrus harvests are down 70 percent and a survey revealed an 80 percent rate of tree infection throughout Florida. However, the quest to find a …
Is the quest for a remedy to citrus greening near completion? Read More »
Sifting for the silver lining amid the challenges of Florida’s blue gold FLORIDA BLUEBERRY GROWERS had a tough season, coming into the marketplace late, with about 30 percent of their usual crop. Some harvest workers moved north, which left many growers turning to offer u-pick to harvest their crop or leave berries on the bushes.
TWO FLORIDA SCHOOLS are continuing their part in fighting against (and protecting Florida’s citrus industry from) HLB, or citrus greening — the University of Central Florida and the University of Florida.
Vic Story, Jr., Bill Castle and Jack Norris make it easy to understand why we love Florida citrus WHEN YOU POUR that glass of orange juice, do you ever wonder about the grove that it came from or the farmer that grew it? In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to forget the toils of others, …
Three men inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Read More »
