South

Tomato webinar teaches about Septoria leaf spot management

Septoria leaf spot is one of the more common foliar diseases of tomatoes, particularly in the East.

To help growers and consultants learn more about this destructive disease, Focus on Tomato has launched a free educational webinar.

Pepper yields may be made in the shade

Georgia peppers growers are finding out yields are made in the shade, thanks to research from the University of Georgia.

Horticulturist Juan Carlos Diaz-Perez has been studying pepper production on black plastic mulch under black shade cloth since 2007, according to a news release.

Herb grower receives $1 million fine for illegal labor

A Duvall, Wash.-based organic herb operation, which ships to nearly 2,700 retailers nationwide, was fined $1 million for firing illegal immigrants, then secretly hiring them back on a night shift to avoid detection.

Study: Healthy convenience will drive value-added veggie sales

As the country emerges from the recession, touting the health benefits of value-added vegetables alone may not be a strong enough reason for consumers to increase purchases and consumption.

Onion industry awaits safety ruling

Growers and shippers of onions and other commodities say they once could highlight their food safety programs in their marketing initiatives, but that’s no longer the case.

FDA missed deadlines may continue

The Food and Drug Administration badly missed statutory deadlines in January for issuing food safety regulations this year, and significant hurdles remain before any produce safety rule will take effect.

Teenagers still require safety training to work on farms

Family farms may have dodged a bullet recently when the federal government withdrew its proposed ban on children working on power-driven farm equipment.

But previous legislation still requires they receive training.

Spud webinar focuses on internal heat necrosis

The potato malady goes by several names—internal brown spot, physiological internal necrosis, internal browning, internal brown fleck and chocolate spot.

Regardless of the moniker, internal heat necrosis is an economically significant problem, particularly in the mid-Atlantic and South.

Garlic compound helps fight foodborne pathogens

A naturally occurring compound in garlic appears 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting Campylobacter bacterium, a common cause of food poisoning.

But don't rush out and begin eating massive amounts of garlic in hopes of preventing foodborne illness, say researchers at Washington State University in Pullman.

Foundation ranks land-grant universities' organic activities

The number of states with certified organic research acres has nearly doubled to 37 in 2011 from only 18 in 2003 while the number of organic academic programs has increased to eight from zero during the same period.