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Welcome to This Month in Citrus + Vegetable

On this page you can access all of the columns and feature articles in this month’s issue of Citrus + Vegetable magazine.

 

 

Smartphone apps help manage irrigation systems
Growers soon may carry around more decision-making tools in their pockets—all loaded onto their smartphones. An app designed to manage irrigation systems will go into beta testing this spring with citrus growers and later this year with strawberry growers.

Local foods carry weight, but more efforts needed to promote them
Two recent studies conducted by the University of Florida show vastly different consumer attitudes toward locally grown produce. Regardless of the outcomes, authors of both reports say demand for locally grown produce can only grow, and educating everybody from producers to consumers will be key to expanding those markets.

WEB EXTRA: Program helps identify Florida-grown produce
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services wants to help consumers determine whether a produce item was grown instate with its Florida Agricultural Promotional Campaign. The program also may provide growers, shippers, marketers and retailers a marketing opportunity by clearly identifying items grown in Florida.

Cost-share program helps growers buy weather stations
The Soil and Water Science Program at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, in collaboration with the Florida Automated Weather Network, or FAWN, and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, have developed a weather station cost-share program for agricultural producers in Florida.

FFVA members drive home their points to Tallahassee lawmakers
Members of FFVA's board of directors and the Emerging Leader Development Program met with legislators and state officials during a two-day "drive-in" to Tallahassee in April.

News of the citrus industry’s death is greatly exaggerated
Not too long ago, I attended an event at a California citrus packinghouse, and some of the conversation focused on citrus greening and Florida. The consensus among the growers, at least at this gathering, was the Florida citrus industry wasn’t going to be around in 10 years.