The Alliance for Food and Farming is making headway in the Safe Fruits and Veggies Initiative, which advocates on the behalf of U.S. fresh fruit and vegetable producers. The Alliance was started in 1989 by a group of agriculture associations in response to a 60 Minutes story about a pesticide used on apples. […]
The numbers prove it: the organic industry is growing at a remarkable pace, both in the U.S. and across the world. On April 15th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that data from the Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP) show that the number of USDA-certified operations grew by 5 percent in the [...]
We hear about extreme cold and other climate changes everyday: scorching temperatures in the South, the coldest winter on record in the Northeast and severe drought in the West. While some believe such extremes are a byproduct of man-made global climate change and others believe them to be the natural changes in weather patterns, there [...]
Last week, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam H. Putnam, reminded Floridians to be wary of outdoor fires and other actions that can inadvertently start wildfires capable of devastating both human and natural environments. This Wildfire Awareness Week—April 5th to the 11th—brings the Florida Department of Agriculture together with the Florida Forest Service to raise awareness [...]
For a quarter of a century, Agri-Fest has introduced Central Florida’s 4th graders to the main sectors of Polk County’s leading agriculture—citrus, beef cattle, phosphate, small farms, blueberries, aquaculture, horticulture, forestry, and water conservation. This year’s event, held April 6-10 and April 13-17 in Bartow, will still show approximately 6,000 4th graders the ropes when it [...]
Thanks to Bryan Jones, some farmers in northern Florida are trying a new watering system. Jones recommended in an effort to use water more efficiently, have a larger and healthier crop yield, and become more environmentally conscious. […]
Are you considering a job in the agricultural industry? It looks like this could be a great time to enter that field. A recent report made public at the World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue indicates the time is right for young professionals to get into the agricultural industry. […]
Mike Martin is a lawyer who keeps his boots handy. As a specialist in agricultural law, he spends a fair amount of time tramping through fields, eyeing damaged crops, and looking farmers in the eye to determine whether he trusts them enough to take on their case. "You get your feet dirty," said Martin, whose solo practice is based central Florida, a land of orange groves and grapefruit stands.
