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 [...]
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. […]
In the last eight years or so, a strange phenomenon has been occurring: bees have been dying at an alarming rate. Every winter, almost a third of all bee colonies die, and it is happening in Canada and Europe as well. […]
Good news for commercial carriers on Florida highways! Drivewyze PreClear bypass service has recently reached an agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) to allow qualified carriers to bypass 22 agricultural inspection stations in Florida. There are already 440 weigh stations and inspection sites using [...]
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) started 2015 with a laundry list of topics for discussion. The meeting started with a summation of 2014 which included several FFVA-supported bills that had passed addressing citrus funding and the UF/IFAS budget. Agricultural proponents are still hoping to pass a bill that exempts certain farm related products [...]
We are all thankful for the role our military plays in securing freedom for our great country. Sometimes it seems we can’t do enough for our veterans, especially our wounded veterans. However, there is an organization in Florida known as Operation Outdoor Freedom that helps to honor our wounded veterans. […]
