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If Florida’s iconic strawberry industry is going to survive climate change brought on by carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, those involved must be willing to embrace major changes in how nearly everything is done – and quickly. That’s according to University of Florida agricultural researchers working with the Environmental Defense Fund, who have issued a new report detailing the grave threat global warming is posing to the state’s $400 million strawberry industry
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There is a significant agricultural industry here in Southwest Florida. Growers in our region produce crops like citrus, tomatoes, watermelons, and other fruits and vegetables. This region also has a thriving livestock industry, with cattle and dairy farms contributing to the economy. But, times are changing for all of us and this definitely includes those working to grow food.
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For more than a decade the Coalition of Immokalee Workers have been trying to entice giant retailers to join the Fair Food Program. Wendy's, Publix and Kroger have been hold-outs
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Strawberry harvest season runs here in Florida from December through April, and these days Florida farmers grow strawberries on about 12,000 acres and generate more than $300 in crops each year. We learn more about the science behind breeding strawberries, and get some insight into this long-running agriculture industry in the Sunshine State, with Dr. Vance Whitaker. He leads the Strawberry Breeding and Genetics program at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.
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A soon-to-be-released report will estimate Florida’s agriculture industry sustained about $1.07 billion in damages from Hurricane Ian, with growers of citrus, vegetable and horticultural crops taking the biggest hits from the wind, rains and flooding. But citrus growers think the estimate doesn’t show the full damage from the storm.
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Grass turned brown by the weight of hurricane debris may not have to be re-sod. Give it some time to see if the green, green grass of your home returns.
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Hurricane Ian blew over about 4 million acres of farmland in Florida, according to the best estimates of those in agriculture. The storm uprooted citrus trees and tore away vegetable plants on its path from the Southwest Florida coast northward over the peninsula. One former extension agent said agricultural losses could approach or top Irma's roughly $2 billion.
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Experts say the number of bee colonies in the path of the Category 4 hurricane account for about 1 in 7 of the nation’s total. They represent a crucial pollination force.
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A new branding project SWFL Fresh: Choose Local, Choose Fresh" hopes to expand public knowledge and buy-in about locally grown foods to better connect Southwest Florida producers with consumers.
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University of Florida scientists are breeding better-tasting, Florida-grown blueberries with the help of consumers through taste-testing in the University’s Sensory Lab.