Tag: harvest

Blueberries: A healthy, tasty snack from Florida farmers

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

As we head into the heart of Florida blueberry harvest season – March through May -- growers are shipping the fruit to market to meet statewide and national consumer demand. You can find Florida-grown berries in stores, farmer’s markets ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Health & Nutrition
Tags: Anthocyanin, Blueberry Breeding Program, Blueberry Season, Consumers, Doug Phillips, Grocery Stores, Growers, Harvest, Horticultural Sciences, Joshua Payne, Nutrition, Patricio Munoz, Registered Dietitian, Snack, Statewide Blueberry Extension Coordinator, U-pick, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County

AI could help strawberry growers find, remove ‘runners,’ reducing labor and saving time

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), farmers may soon find it easier to remove strawberry runners, which could save time and labor, new University of Florida research shows. Growers need all the help they can get to reduce production ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Artficial Intelligence, Detection, Drones, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Harvest, Images, Kevin Wang, Labor, Phenomics Lab, Prec-ag, Smart Agriculture Lab, Strawberries, Strawberry Runners

UF experts: Florida watermelon growers sold a bumper crop this year – and still lead the nation in production

by Brad Buck
March 18, 2026

While many of you enjoy sweet, cool watermelon as a treat or snack this summer, remember where it comes from – the sweat of farmers, and some Florida growers say they had their best season ever. The bountiful season, which ends in most ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Bob Hochmuth, Consumers, Crop, Food And Resource Economics, Growers, Harvest, Leader, North Florida Research And Education Center-Suwannee Valley, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Tara Wade, Watermelons

As peach harvest begins, UF scientists find rootstocks that survive flooding

by Brad Buck
April 14, 2026

As you bite into a peach, remember farmers are harvesting the fruit this month and next in Florida. Those growers and University of Florida scientists are always concerned about flooding because it can damage peach trees permanently and cause ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture
Tags: 'Flordaguard', 'MP-29', Ali Sarkhosh, College Of Agricultural And Life Sciences, Damage, Flooding, Fruit, Harvest, Horticultural Sciences, Hurricane, Peaches, Resistance, Rootstocks, Scions

Setting the table: UF/IFAS ‘Food is Medicine’ farm shows how culturally relevant crops can strengthen agriculture

by Lourdes Mederos
May 5, 2026

In South Florida, a new University of Florida initiative is bringing the concept of “Food is Medicine” to life by helping farmers grow nutrient-dense, culturally relevant crops that reflect the region’s diverse consumer preference. That ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Alternate Crops, Asian, Caribbean, Community Engagement, Consumer Demand, Cover Crops, Crops, Culturally Relevant Crops, Food Is Medicine, Growers, Harvest, Homestead, Latin American, Nutrient Dense, Producers, Production Systems, South Florida, Sustainable Farming, Sustainable Farming Practices, Tropical Research And Education Center, U-pick, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, Vegetable Garden

Setting the table: UF/IFAS ‘Food is Medicine’ farm shows how culturally relevant crops can strengthen agriculture

by Lourdes Mederos
April 28, 2026

UF study: Place bags on peaches to help keep pests, diseases away

by Brad Buck
April 10, 2026

Peaches are popular, with annual national production of about 806,000 tons. To help keep pests and diseases from damaging the fruit, growers can place bags around individual peaches, University of Florida researchers say. David Campbell, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Bags, Covers, Danielle Treadwell, David Campbell, Disease, Harvest, Horticultural Sciences, Market, Organic, Pathogens, Peaches, Pests, Plant Science Research And Education Unit

From U-pick to the grocery store, Florida’s blueberries make for a tasty treat

by Brad Buck
March 30, 2026

As we enter the heart of Florida’s blueberry harvesting season, you can now enjoy the yummy fresh fruit during its finest hours, say University of Florida experts. For about 80 years, many Florida-grown blueberries have been developed ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Blueberries, Blueberry Season, Doug Phillips, Genetics, Grocery Store, Harvest, Horticultural Sciences, Patricio Munoz, Taste Panels, U-pick, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding

On the edge of a breakthrough: UF/IFAS breeding disease-resistant lettuce for U.S. farms, kitchens

by Lourdes Mederos
March 24, 2026

University of Florida scientists are closer to a breakthrough that could safeguard the nation’s lettuce supply. Backed by a $500,000 federal grant, the team is working to develop disease-resistant lettuce varieties built to withstand ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Arizona, Bacterial Leaf Spot, Breeding, California, Cercospora Leaf Spot, Climates, Consumers, Crop, Cultivars, Economic Engine, Economy, Everglades Research And Education Center, Florida, Florida Economy, Freshness, German Sandoya, Harvest, Iceberg, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Leaf Lettuce, Lettuce, Lettuce Breeding, Lettuce Breeding Program, Market Demands, National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, News, Postharvest, Production, Public, Resistence, Romaine, Sandy Soils, Storage, Texture, Transportation, U.S. Department Of Agriculture, U.S. Department Of Agriculture National Institute Of Food And Agriculture, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Plant Breeding, USDA-NIFA, Varieties

UF scientists meeting craft brewer demand by converting hops to pellets

by Brad Buck
March 11, 2026

Many craft brewers prefer to make their product using hops pellets because of several advantages they provide over whole cone hops. To address a request by Tampa Bay-area craft brewers, University of Florida scientists are converting the crop ... READ MORE

Category: SFYL Hot Topic
Tags: Archive, Breeding, Brewers Association, Brewery, Cones, Craft Beer, Field Trials, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Harvest, Hops, LED Lighting, Pelletizer, Pellets, Shinsuke Agehara, Spring Hops Field Day, Zhanao Deng

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