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. […]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Migrant farmworkers are at the forefront of many discussions on agriculture and immigration. In ag-heavy states like Florida, the presence of farmworkers is common, as they are there nearly year-round to pick such crops as citrus and strawberries. However, NPR contributor, Dan Charles, realized that while many who are in agriculture understand that a large [...]
Florida’s citrus growers got some help in the fight against citrus greening (HLB) in March of 2016 when the EPA approved the emergency use exemption for bactericides. Through the Section 18 exemption, growers were given access to three different brand name products, Mycoshield, FireLine 17WP and FireWall 50WP, to use against citrus greening. Bactericides are [...]
There are many different innovations and treatments that are being tested by the Florida citrus industry for dealing with HLB, or citrus greening. One interesting concept is about to be put to real-life testing in two different Central Florida locations: Citrus Undercover Production Systems, or CUPS. A Florida Grower article details the efforts of two [...]
