As native Floridians, we have observed thousands of acres of agricultural lands destroyed by way of development, disease, population explosion, and increased land value. But there is a way to help make agricultural lands more affordable. The Florida Greenbelt law, enacted in 1959, gives the owner of agricultural lands a property tax break for conducting [...]
After years of negotiations between the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) and the USDA’s Risk Management Agency, the brand-new Nursery Value Select (NVS) Pilot policy is ready to launch. The new policy will be offered in many Florida counties this spring. It is imperative that you contact your crop insurance agent immediately regarding [...]
The future of Florida’s agriculture industry is being secured and shaped in universities throughout the state. At Martin Law Office, we know the value of education, and we feel it’s important to give Florida’s men and women the tools they need to make a change, and to make that change count. That’s why we made [...]
Each year around April the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) awards the prestigious Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award to three agriculture operations that stand out for their demonstration of “a sustained commitment to conserving Florida’s natural resources and improving our environment.” Florida ag has long known that it holds a stewardship role for the unique environments [...]
The latest citrus forecast issued by the USDA was released October 12th, and it included a few surprises. Make no mistake, the Florida citrus industry needs help, and the initial citrus forecast showed that. However, it did offer a few rays of hope for the future of the Florida citrus industry. […]
Hurricane Matthew threatened the state of Florida with category 3 and 4 hurricane-level winds during the first week of October, adding salt to the Florida citrus industry wound that is citrus greening. The storm had the potential to cause devastation on a grand scale to the state’s citizens and infrastructure. Florida’s citrus industry feared the [...]
Thankfully Hurricane Matthew didn’t bring the level of devastation it was capable of, but it did leave many people without power. It’s a good time to review safety around the downed power lines and electrical wires that are likely all over the east coast of Florida. Following hurricane protocol, you hopefully unplugged any electrical equipment [...]
Florida’s citrus industry is in dire need of a turnaround, so the passage of the Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act is the best of news. It’s the latest in a line of news items that seem as if the Florida citrus industry may be on the brink of a welcome improvement. […]
The craft beer industry is growing quickly, and a UF/IFAS research team is exploring whether Florida growers could benefit from the growth of this niche industry through supplying this much-needed crop to large and small breweries. The research was started in the backyard of UF horticulturist Brian Pearson, who wanted to see if he could [...]
Florida citrus growers have been using two different bactericide formulas since spring of this year when the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FLDACS) obtained an emergency use declaration for the treatments. The EPA recently seconded that in August by approving the use of the bactericides. The results of a recent bactericide study seem [...]
