Filtered by author: Nelson Kirkland Clear Filter

Overcoming the Challenges of the Season

Growers Seek to Protect the Industry from Mexican Competition and Innovate through Good, Old Fashioned Ingenuity


Florida blueberry growers are battling Mexican farmers for their lucrative spring marketing window.  With the Mexican blueberry crop up 70 percent, supplying more than double the estimated Florida crop of 18 to 20 million pounds in 2017, the Florida Blueberry Growers Association is supporting an update of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

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Crop Insurance 101— Back to the Basics

Make Sure the Farm is Up-to-Date on All Crop Insurance Dates and Coverage


Blueberry crop insurance has been available in Florida for over 15 years.  It started as a pilot program in Alachua and Highlands counties and is now available in 14 counties.  There have been improvements in the traditional crop insurance as well as the introduction of the newer Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP).  There are many Florida blueberry growers protecting their investments with crop insurance.  There are still many new farmers who are unfamiliar with it.  From time to time, it is always a good idea to review the basics.  Crop insurance is no exception.

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Publisher's Interlude: Innovation is A Necessity for Florida Blueberry Growers

Successful farmers are the most innovative bunch you’ll ever meet.  On the flipside of those successful farmers, however, are the people formerly known as “farmers”— the ones who didn’t innovate, change with the times, and try new things.  The failure to innovate comes down to a handful of excuses:

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President's Letter: Reflecting on the 2017 Harvesting Season

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Reach Out to Your Local USDA Farm Service Agency Office Now

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Assessing Damage from Irma

Blueberry Crop Insurance Coverage Reminders


Reports on the extent of damage in the blueberry industry from Hurricane Irma varies across the state— from plants being pulled out of the ground to leaves blown off, and really depends on the location of the farm in Irma’s path.  We will not know the full extent of the damage until the blueberry harvest concludes next spring.

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Mechanical Harvesting Update

Preview of Speakers’ Presentations at the Upcoming FBGA Fall Meeting and Trade Show


Over the past 30 years, blueberry production has grown by leaps and bounds.  However, current methods of hand-picking berries for the fresh market have resulted in bottlenecks in terms of sustainable production.  More growers are looking at the benefits of mechanical harvesting in order to increase their yields throughout the season.  Historically, one of the main problems with machine harvesting is the bruising of the fruit caused by the berries falling into the collecting trays.  Another issue has been ground loss of berries due to them not falling into the trays.  Researchers are taking these problems into consideration and devising new harvesting techniques to help reduce bruising and loss.

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Grower 411

HURRICANE IRMA AGRICULTURE RELIEF PROGRAMS


The damage from Hurricane Irma has caused significant financial loss to Florida growers in sales revenue from crops lost or delayed and clean up expense.  This article is a compilation of disaster programs and resources to assist the agriculture industry.  Most importantly, be sure to document all of your damages and expenses associated with the hurricane— save receipts, take photos and videos, and make notes for applying for assistance programs.  Scan the QR codes with your smart device for additional information.

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From Blueberry Field to Better School Lunch

Initiative Seeks to Build Mutually Beneficial Relationship Between Local Farms and Schools


Bob Wilhelm packed the blueberries in five-pound boxes.  The schools served them in fruit cups and used them to teach math.  “They [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"][the children] loved it.  They sent some great pictures of the kids eating them for snacks,” says Wilhelm, owner of the Boca Raton-based Bova Fresh.  “They seemed to make it very interactive with the kids.  It was nice to see.”

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Winter Weather Outlook and Blueberry Freeze Protection


Considering the Forecast, Field Conditions, Passive Freeze Protection, and Proper Irrigation System Operation


CLIMATE OUTLOOK


Over the past several blueberry seasons, growers have begun utilizing climatology for determining the overall weather trends they can expect during the winter and spring. A phenomenon known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has been a main indicator of the overall weather pattern growers can expect.

ENSO affects surface water temperatures in the southern Pacific Ocean and the track of upper-level wind currents (jet stream) within North America. The location of the jet stream affects the tracks of weather systems as they move across the continent.




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Around the Corner

Getting Ahead with these Spring Weed Management Reminders


Weeds compete with blueberry for water and nutrients, which inhibits bush growth and yield. Weed control options include preventative, mechanical, and chemical weed control options. A proper ID of weeds is important for selecting the correct method of control.

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Do Rootstocks Have a Place in Commercial Blueberry Production?

Ongoing research in our program is evaluating the potential use of sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum) as a rootstock for southern highbush blueberry (SHB). Blueberry plants are shallow-rooted and require soils with low pH and high organic matter content. Under current management systems in the southeastern U.S., SHB is frequently subjected to a variety of stresses including periodic drought stress, and adverse soil conditions such as insufficient soil organic matter and/ or high soil pH. Moreover, the multi-cane SHB crown is not adapted to the current mechanical harvester designs because catch plates do not seal effectively around the base of plants. The result is fruit dropping to the ground during machine harvesting (see Figure 1).

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Blueberry Fruit Drop – Pollination Issues?

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Q&A on AgriTourism

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FARMS Program

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U-Pick Update: Bringing in Customers by the Berry Bucket

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Update on Flatheaded Borers Infesting Blueberry Plantings in Central and North-Central Florida

<strong>Beetles vs Blueberries</strong>

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Spotted Wing Drosophila in Organic Berry Crops

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Sighting in on a target spot disease management plan

Post-harvest foliage management is important for blueberries produced in both deciduous and evergreen systems in Florida.  Healthy leaves maintained through flower bud differentiation in fall will ensure sufficient carbohydrate (sugar) reserves for uniform, early, berry production and leafing the following spring in deciduous production.  In evergreen systems, foliar diseases that carry over on leaves reduce the vigor of plants, but also can produce spores that infect fruit.  Anthracnose and rust pathogens infect both leaves and fruit and can lead to post harvest fruit rot (ripe rot) and fruit quality issues (rust infection of fruit).  Some varieties are more susceptible to summer foliar diseases than others.  Jewel is an older variety still widely grown that suffers from several foliar fungal diseases during the hot humid Florida summers.

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FARMS Program Great for Growers

<strong>Helping Farmers Develop Efficient Water Practices</strong>

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