AgNet DEMO

Category: Florida

  • Florida Blueberry Farmer: I’m a Fan of Having Our Own Domestic Supply of Food

    By Clint Thompson

    Blueberry prices have not improved much, and Mexican imports may be a reason why, says Florida farmer Ryan Atwood.

    Pictured are highbush blueberries.

    “I don’t think (prices have) move the needle much. Part of it is this Mexico deal. Mexico brought another 5 million pounds in last week. Mexico just keeps putting more and more fruit on our window, even Georgia’s window now,” Atwood said. “Normally, they would fall off by this time of year, but they’re going strong still for some reason.”

    Atwood believes being dependent on other countries for food is a dangerous precedent, especially since farmers like himself are more than capable of producing crops.

    “I’m a fan of having our own domestic supply of food. I think it’s a security issue for our country. We’ve got to grow our own food. You saw what happened 10 or 12 years ago when we used to import all that oil and then we got own domestic supply going again. Other countries are going to be able to control you if they control your food supply,” Atwood said. “I just don’t see where it’s in our best interest to allow these foreign competitors into our market when we have a domestic supply of fruit.”

    Industry Leader

    Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida, is one of the state’s blueberry leaders. He farms 56 acres of blueberries, manages another 350 acres and is part-owner of the largest packing house in the Southeast United States.

    Unfortunately, Atwood’s blueberry crop this year was harvested at an inopportune time. He started picking high volumes of blueberries around March 18 when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the country. The market dropped almost overnight.

    “I think it went from about $5.50 a pound, which is a really great price to you couldn’t hardly move the fruit; you would be lucky to sell it at all, like within two days,” Atwood said.

    Atwood believes prices can improve but various components will have to factor in growers’ favor.

    “I could see Georgia coming off their peak and North Carolina have some early damage, and I think two weeks from now could get interesting. That’s me just guessing,” Atwood said. “If Mexico actually does stop putting fruit over here, at some point they will fall off. If North Carolina’s early crop is not there and Georgia is over its peak, I could see the market tightening up a little bit.

    “I won’t have any fruit in here, but I could see it being good for somebody.”

  • Recent Rains Helping Alleviate Parts of Florida’s Drought

    By Clint Thompson

    This week’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor is expected to show improvement to Florida’s current drought conditions. That’s the belief of David Zierden, a state climatologist at Florida State University’s Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies.

    “I anticipate the drought monitor will show improvement, especially in north Florida. Right now, it seems the driest part of the state is down in southwest Florida, around the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Naples area. That’s looking to be the driest part of the state right now, after these recent rains,” Zierden said. “Now that we’ve been in this cycle of one storm after another and bringing frontal and low-pressure systems that bring rains to the state, we’re at least holding our own if not easing the drought situation.”

    Record Heat In March

    According to last week’s U.S. Drought Monitor, the central and southern parts of Florida were either in moderate drought or severe drought. It’s a continuation from March when there was little rainfall and extreme temperatures.

    “Especially the month of March was record-setting warm here in the state of Florida, like 7.1 degrees warmer than normal for March. For a state-wide average, it was definitely a record. On top of that, much of the peninsula, basically from Gainesville south, only received a few hundredths or a few tenths of an inch of rain during March. That’s what really accelerated the onset of drought quickly and pretty dramatically,” Zierden said.

    Water Shortage in SW Florida

    The drought has been so bad in the southwest part of the state that, according to a press release, the Southwest Florida Water Management District issued a Phase I Water Shortage for the District’s central and southern regions on Tuesday. This includes Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.

    The primary purpose for a Phase I water shortage is to alert the public that watering restrictions could be forthcoming.

    A Phase I water shortage order does not change allowable watering schedules, however it does prohibit “wasteful and unnecessary” water use.

     Zierden said the recent rains should ease the state into the summer thunderstorm rainy season.

    “These rains in April have really been important and help make this transition into the summer rainy season much easier than it would have been if we would have had a dry April,” Zierden said.

  • Coronavirus Pandemic affects UF/IFAS Research Programs

    By Clint Thompson

    The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on agricultural research programs at the University of Florida/IFAS. Some research has been halted since quarantine and social distancing rules were put in place in early March.

    Shinsuke Agehara
    Florida Ag Expo 2019 held at the at Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC)    .

    “It is definitely having an impact on our research. We are slowing down many of the projects because there’s not a safe way to continue in them. We are reviewing case by case, options request for being able to continue research. This is a university-wide directive, so we are following university policy,” said Jeanna Mastrodicasa, University of Florida associate vice president for agriculture and natural resources. “We’re just really trying to make sure we’re maintaining things as best as they can be maintained.”

    Financial Implications

    She said that several hundred research projects have been affected this year. The financial impact is staggering.

    “Based on the financial implications, I think the initial projection of the University of Florida is $33 million in losses. This is just based off all the revenues and refunds and things already. That was from a few weeks ago at a trustee’s meeting,” Mastrodicasa said. “We’re just trying to keep track of all the different financial implications, but it’s going to be big.

    “We are doing our best to work with sponsors of our research to make sure they know the status. Everybody’s in this weird holding pattern right now. We’re just not sure how long it’ll be. Probably the biggest impact for IFAS that’s unique is a lot of our work is on an annual basis because it’s a planting cycle. So, we’re going to be 12 months instead of just two or three months behind in some cases.”

    According to the UF/IFAS website, IFAS provides research and development for Florida’s agricultural, natural resources and related food industries. It made value-added contributions of $123.2 billion to the gross domestic product of the state economy in 2013.

  • Statement by Commissioner Nikki Fried on USDA’s Country of Origin Labeling Enforcement

    Tallahassee, Fla. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) recently announced it would temporarily suspend enforcement of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for fresh fruit and vegetables in response to COVID-19, allowing products sold to foodservice businesses to be redistributed to grocery stores, markets, and other retail businesses.

    commissioner
    Nikki Fried
    Florida Agriculture Commissioner

    COOL food package labeling clearly identifies in what country a covered food product originated, such as the “Product of USA” label. Suspending enforcement of this labeling could seriously disadvantage American agriculture producers, especially Florida’s seasonal produce growers harmed for decades by the dumping of produce by Mexico.

    Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried raised industry concerns about unintended consequences of COOL enforcement suspension with USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue and USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky. The USDA AMS has now clarified that this COOL suspension only applies to fruit and vegetable products imported and in inventory before April 20, 2020 and previously packaged and shipped for foodservice industries. The suspension does not apply to food products imported since April 20, 2020, which will be enforced as normal.

    In response to this clarification, Commissioner Fried offered the following statement:

    “I thank the USDA for clarifying their decision on produce Country of Origin Labeling. American agriculture is already facing tremendous challenges, with a devastating influx of foreign competition and plummeting demand from foodservice businesses during COVID-19. Florida’s seasonal produce growers supply 150 million Americans with fresh fruit and vegetables, yet are facing over $522 million in projected losses from COVID-19. Anything that opens the door to more potential foreign competition is a threat to the domestic growers who feed our families. I thank USDA Deputy Secretary Censky for a positive, productive conversation on Country of Origin Labeling and helping Florida’s farmers.”

    To learn more about Country of Origin Labeling requirements, visit the USDA AMS COOL COVID-19 enforcement page.

    Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

  • FDACS Launches Hemp Permit Application Portal

    Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) launched the state’s online Hemp Cultivation Licensing Portal, allowing interested growers to apply for licenses. The portal’s user-friendly interface provides applicants with a checklist of recommended steps to allow for a quick and easy application process.

    state hemp plan

    “As we continue building our state hemp program into a national leader, our new online application portal will help growers quickly and easily apply for hemp cultivation licenses, as well as manage, renew, and view any current hemp applications,” shared Commissioner Nikki Fried. “We’re working to ensure that applying for a license is streamlined and simple, so Floridians interested in growing hemp can quickly get started.”

    The online Hemp Cultivation Licensing Portal can be accessed at Hemp.FDACS.gov, or on the FDACS hemp webpage. The page also contains a link to an application checklist, so interested growers have the necessary information for a quick, easy application process.

    As part of the hemp cultivation permitting process, applicants are required to complete a background check which includes fingerprint submission along with the ORI number (Originating Agency Identifier) that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has assigned to FDACS: FL925080Z. The ORI number is currently active and may be used at locations that complete the fingerprinting and submission process (Livescan service providers).

    For a list of Livescan service providers, click here. To locate a Livescan service provider in your area, click here. Some Livescan service provers’ operations may be impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We recommend applicants contact Livescan service provers prior to visiting a location.

    Today’s Hemp Cultivation Licensing Portal launch follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s formal approval of Florida’s state hemp program on April 16, 2020. Commissioner Fried and FDACS have been hard at work building the framework for Florida’s state hemp program, announcing new food safety and animal feed rules in January, forming a Hemp Advisory Committee to help guide rulemaking and industry development, and ensuring public input was heard during workshops held around the state to provide information on the draft rules.

    For updates and more information on the state hemp program, visit the FDACS hemp webpage or sign up for the FDACS hemp mailing list.

    Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

  • Long Drought Leads to Water Restrictions in One Florida County

    By Clint Thompson

    A water restriction has been placed on one Florida county because of the long drought. Gene McAvoy would not be surprised if more restrictions will follow.

    On Friday, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Lee County announced mandatory irrigation restrictions. According to the press release, the restrictions were to address low aquifer levels. They went into place on Saturday.

     “On the coast, they rely a lot more on wells, well fields. Water levels in the aquifer has dropped to extreme levels. That’s why they started with Lee County,” said McAvoy, UF/IFAS Extension agent emeritus. “I haven’t seen anything like this (drought) since 2008.”

    Long Period of Dry Weather

    The most recent map of the U.S. Drought Monitor shows Florida either in abnormally dry, moderately dry or severely dry conditions. Lee County, whose county seat is Fort Myers, is experiencing a moderate drought and severe drought in different parts of its county.

    “We did have a little bit of rain in Southwest Florida (Sunday) night, but it was really (just) enough to settle the dust in most places,” McAvoy said.

    According to the press release, Florida’s southwest coast received only 14.72 inches of rain from September 2019 to March 2020. That’s a deficit of minus-7.64 inches. In March, the southwest coast recorded only 0.27 inches of rain, only 12% of average.

    Due to the extended drought and record heat, Florida agriculture has been negatively impacted.

    “I’m actually in a (citrus) grove right now. Because of drought stress and the record heat we’ve been enduring the past few months, the trees are shedding fruit,” McAvoy said. “Farmers are not able to harvest them quite as fast as the fruit is falling off the tree. (We) probably got two boxes per tree on the ground right now in the grove I’m in right now.”

    The current rainfall deficit, extreme heat and decreasing surface and groundwater levels are expected to continue throughout the remainder of the dry season. It typically ends around the end of May.

    In a previous VSCNews story, climatologists fear that the drought will get worse before it gets better.

  • Florida Department of Agriculture Awarded $850,000 in USDA Research Funding

    Tallahassee, Fla. – On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $9.5 million in funding to 11 collaborative, multi-state projects that seek to boost the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) was awarded $850,816 to support research related to improvements in lettuce resistance to Bacterial Leaf Spot (BLS), funded through the Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP).

    commissioner
    Nikki Fried
    Florida Agriculture Commissioner

    “As the nation’s second-largest producer of specialty crops with a year-round growing season, Florida is an ideal environment for agricultural research and innovation,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “This funding is particularly important with Florida-grown lettuce facing losses up to 75 percent due to COVID-19. We look forward to working with state and federal partners to eradicate pathogens and diseases that threaten our valued agriculture commodities.”

    The full list of grant recipients and projects may be viewed here.

    U.S. lettuce production is estimated at nearly $1.9 billion, making lettuce one of the leading vegetable crops in the nation. The funding awarded to FDACS is in partnership with the University of Florida, the Pennsylvania State University, and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. The research will study disease resistance and diversity to improve lettuce cultivars against BLS through breeding, genetics, and study of the BLS-lettuce interaction.

    The USDA Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP) offers grants to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by funding collaborative, multi-state projects that address the following regional or national level specialty crop issues: food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion.

  • Why Some Florida Growers Aren’t Breaking Soil

    By Ashley Robinson

    When you think of Florida agriculture, hydroponic production in greenhouses or high tunnels probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. While the majority of the Sunshine State’s vegetable crops are produced outdoors, there is increasing interest in the use of protective structures for producing crops.

    Although the number of protected agriculture operations in Florida remain small in size, interest is increasing among growers who are weighing the benefits of being able to grow vegetables year-round in a variety of structures.

    Growing Hydroponically

    According to Bob Hochmuth, regional specialized Extension agent for vegetable crops at the University of Florida, his state is one of the leading states for hydroponic horticultural crops.

    Bob Hochmuth

    Hydroponic production refers to growing crops without soil. Hydroponic production can be achieved through several methods. These include growing crops in a nutrient solution, in a trough of running water or in soilless media.

    The hydroponic industry began as an industry primarily growing tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. However, growers today have the opportunity to grow all kinds of vegetable and specialty crops hydroponically.

    “We have seen a 4 or 5 times increase in acreage in the last 10 or 12 years. Many of which are tucked in near urban centers like Jacksonville, Palm Beach or Tampa,” Hochmuth says.

    Hydroponics production of lettuce

    According to Hochmuth, many of these growers are selling directly to consumers, restaurants and schools to reap the most profitability.

    Advantages of Hydroponic Production

    “The biggest advantage of growing hydroponics would be that growers can eliminate the hard-to-manage problems with our native soil here in Florida,” Hochmuth says. “In a hydroponic system we can eliminate a lot of the problems that come with growing in the soil. Those include insects, diseases, and nematodes that are commonly associated with our soil in Florida.”

    Growers may still see some pests enter the greenhouse, though it will exclude some difficult pests and diseases.

    “You still have pests that could become a problem. However, the structure does give you the ability to exclude some of the most common pests. We’re also able to reduce the amount of

    disease by moving air throughout the structure and having proper ventilation,” Hochmuth says.

    In addition to a reduction in pests and disease, hydroponics gives smaller growers the opportunity to become more cost-efficient. The cost of land has made it difficult for people to start farming operations. The acreage needed for a greenhouse has made this type of operation feasible for small growers. They avoid high start-up costs typically associated with farming.

  • This Week in VSCNews

    Multimedia Journalist Clint Thompson recaps a few stories from this past week in VSCNews.

  • UF Weather Alert Website for Farms now Mobile-Friendly, Among Other Updates

    By: Kirsten Romaguera, 352-294-3313, kromaguera@ufl.edu

    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) just relaunched its website with a new look and additional user-focused features. It is a University of Florida-operated service aiding agricultural decision-makers statewide since 1997.

    Larry Treadaway, coordinator of the Florida Automated Weather Network, adjusts equipment at a new monitoring station in Bronson, Fla. in 2017. The network includes 33 monitoring stations operated by UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, transmits real-time weather data to computers in Gainesville. Growers and others can access the data via phone or the FAWN Web site: http://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu.

    “Our main goal in revamping the site was to make it more efficient for users,” said Rick Lusher, UF/IFAS project manager for FAWN. “One of the most important changes is the now-seamless integration to mobile platforms, meaning users can access the same information straight from their phones.”

    The FAWN network includes 42 stations located from Jay to Homestead that record and report every 15 minutes. This includes information like air temperature, winds and rainfall. Some stations are even adding data from newer technologies like soil moisture sensors. Plans are being made to expand these offerings to more locations. Producers can use their nearest stations’ localized information to assist with critical decisions. These include crop and landscape irrigation, freeze protection, and chemical application.

    New Features

    Upon entering the new website, another new feature prompts users to allow location services to pinpoint the data to their nearest station. The website has always had a map feature. But Lusher explained that the site now utilizes interactive technologies that allow the user to filter for current conditions.

    Lusher consulted on ideas for the site with UF/IFAS faculty like Charles Barrett. Barrett is a regional specialized water resources agent based in Live Oak, Florida. He regularly advises growers on best practices given the information provided by the website.

    “The new look to the FAWN website makes it easier to access the data growers have come to rely on,” Barrett said. He advocated for the updates to create minimal disruption for regular users. “The changes streamline the use of the website. So it should be a better user experience. But with the same feel as the previous website.”