Dieting Trends and the Produce Industry

Abbey Taylor Business, Produce, Top Posts

Major trends in dieting can make or break some industries. Don Goodwin, president of Golden Sun Marketing, briefly discussed how current diet trends apply to the produce industry during his presentation at the American Seed Trade Association’s Vegetable and Flower Seed Conference. The produce industry has an interesting relationship with trendy diets. “Generally, trendy diets are supportive of fruits and …

Plant City’s Fancy Farms Wins 4R Advocate Award

Abbey Taylor Business, Environment, Top Posts

Fancy Farms, a strawberry farm in Plant City, Florida, is one of the five winners of the Fertilizer Institute’s 4R Advocate Award for 2019. The award is being presented this week during Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida. Dustin and Carl Grooms of Fancy Farms will be recognized, as well as Jerrod Parker of Chemical Dynamics as Fancy Farms’ fertilizer service …

U.S. Blueberries Gain Traction in India

Abbey Taylor Berries, Business, Top Posts

U.S. blueberries have gone global, making a splash in India at a Blueberry Cocktail event. Donald Van De Werken, proprietor at JD Farms, said the event was a huge success. According to a report from Bollywood Town, Glocal Junction, Andheri, a new-age dining and bar concept incorporating global and local elements, hosted the event. Food and drinks made with U.S. …

federal

Federal Government Reopens for Now

Dan Cooper Business, Legislative

After a month-long shutdown, the federal government reopens officially for three weeks following an announcement from President Donald Trump. The 800,000 federal workers who have been on furlough will be receiving back pay for the days that offices were closed due to the shutdown. The funding will keep the government running until Feb. 15. “I am very proud to announce …

Georgia Blueberry Growers Focusing on Bush Health and Labor

Abbey Taylor Berries, Business, Produce, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

After suffering from late freezes during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Georgia blueberry growers are focusing on mending bush health. Brandon Wade, grower and president of the Georgia Blueberry Growers Association (GBGA), says growers have had a tough couple seasons due to the freezes. Disease pressure has been prevalent as well. According to Wade, the freezes opened the window for …

The Soccer of Fruits

Breanna Kendrick Business, Mangos, Top Posts

By Breanna Kendrick Most people don’t know that some of the best mangos in the world come from Florida. Jeremy Smollar with Florida’s Finest Farm in Miami is trying to get the word out on what Florida mangos are all about. “I call it the soccer of fruit. Most people don’t know it’s the most loved fruit around the world, …

Immigration Reform Impacting Agriculture

Abbey Taylor Business, Labor, Legislative, Top Posts

By Tacy Callies and Ernie Neff At the recent general session of Citrus Expo, AgSafe President and CEO Amy Wolfe discussed emerging issues in ag labor and food safety. One of the topics she covered was the federal Ag and Legal Workforce Act that was introduced in Congress on July 18. The new bill is an effort to combine the …

Mechanical Strawberry Harvester Could Solve Labor Shortage

Abbey Taylor Berries, Business, Research, Strawberry, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

Labor continues to be a pressing issue for southeastern agriculture. However, in Florida, new technology on the horizon may offer a glimmer of hope. Gary Wishnatzki, owner of Wish Farms and co-founder of Harvest CROO Robotics, is working to create a mechanical harvester that could revolutionize the strawberry industry. LOOKING AHEAD TO LABOR Wishnatzki said he started seeing changes in …