Olives Archives - Specialty Crop Industry

Establishing an Olive Industry in Florida

Ashley Robinson — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 12:30:00 +0000

By Michael O’Hara Garcia With weather and soils similar to the Mediterranean Basin, olives grow in Florida and throughout much of the southeastern United States. Currently, Florida has approximately 800 acres of olives under active cultivation by 60 to 80 individual farmers in 20 counties. The groves range from backyard hobby plots with several trees to high-density commercial operations of ...

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FDACS Agricultural and Seafood Availability Notice

Dan Cooper — Tue, 07 Apr 2020 17:28:36 +0000

(HCCGA) — FDACS has created the attached form for producers to fill out with their product availability. Once submitted, FDACS will utilize to forward to their Fresh From Florida contacts, as well as the Florida Department of Corrections, food banks and make connections with other State Departments of Agriculture in hopes of providing market opportunities to move product during the Coronavirus ...

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USDA Invests $11M In Research That Will Support Specialty Crop Farmers

Dan Cooper — Thu, 03 Oct 2019 15:29:56 +0000

WASHINGTON (USDA-Oct. 3, 2019) — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Under Secretary Scott Hutchins announced that the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has invested $11 million in research that will support specialty crop farmers. “This collaborative public-private research effort will focus on applying innovative solutions to pest management problems that often are otherwise not available to specialty ...

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Research Progress on Growing Olives in Florida

Breanna Kendrick — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 10:23:16 +0000

By Breanna Kendrick When olives began to be investigated as a potential crop for Florida, it made sense for Mack Thetford to be involved with the research. He has traditionally worked in plant propagation, dune restoration and evaluation of plants for drier landscapes, which is where olive trees are typically grown. Thetford is an associate professor of environmental horticulture with ...

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Olive Industry Growth in Georgia

Jaci Schreckengost — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 17:43:05 +0000

The Georgia Olive Growers Association is working to help improve the industry and give growers the tools they need to be successful. Vicky Hughes, executive director of the Georgia Olive Growers Association, has seen substantial growth in the industry. She said that approximately five years ago, when she began her current position, there were only about 130 acres of olives ...

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Researchers and Growers Working with Olives

Jaci Schreckengost — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 09:00:10 +0000

The possibility of a commercial olive industry in the Southeast has caused many growers and researchers to begin looking at what could be attainable. Peter Andersen, professor of horticulture at the University of Florida (UF), said north Florida and south Georgia are two areas of the Southeast looking at the possibility of olives as a commercial crop. More research is ...

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Pest Research for Florida Olives

Jaci Schreckengost — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 10:00:20 +0000

While the possibility of olives becoming a commercial crop in Florida grows, research to determine what pests and diseases may affect the plants has increased. Ornamental olive trees have been grown around Florida for over 100 years. However, olives as a commercial crop is relatively new. Eleanor Phillips, an entomology and nematology graduate student at the University of ...

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Florida Olive Pest Potential

Jaci Schreckengost — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 12:00:22 +0000

Researchers at the University of Florida (UF) are studying the pest possibilities in Florida olive plants. Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman, associate Extension scientist at UF, says in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service her team is looking for signs of pests in Florida olive crops. Her team is currently examining four different olive crop plots once per month ...

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Florida Growers Invited to Olive Field Day

Kelsey Fry — Thu, 30 Mar 2017 09:31:27 +0000

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension in Lake County will be hosting the Florida Olive Field Day on April 7. The event will be held at Florida Olive Farms & Mill in Live Oak. Karen Stauderman, UF/IFAS commercial horticulture agent, says the event is open to commercial, new and potential growers. “We’re putting on this ...

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Olives in Florida?

Abbey Taylor — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 20:05:09 +0000

Could olives be the next big thing for citrus producers? The Hardee County Industrial Development Authority (HCIDA) has started a new venture to facilitate diversity in agriculture production in light of citrus greening. HCIDA has a 264-acre tract of land, with a majority of acreage set aside for industrial development, called Commerce Park. It houses manufacturing companies, including many agricultural ...

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