Latest News From Florida

With a new tomato suspension agreement now affirmed by the U.S. International Trade Commission, the industry hopes it can achieve some pricing stability for its product.

Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is signing an agreement with Colombia’s Port of Barranquilla to promote bilateral trade.

WP Rawl, Pelion, S.C., is processing value-added products with a new line at its Bunnell, Fla., plant.

Crystal Valley Foods, Miami, is finalizing the purchase of Asian, tropical and specialty fruit and vegetable importer Joco Produce, Medley, Fla.

IMG Citrus, Vero Beach, Fla., is marketing white grapefruit in the U.S. as a return to the original heirloom Florida grapefruit.

WP Produce, Miami, is reporting a strong start of the peak Dominican Republic avocado season, which it packs under the Desbry brand.

After touring vegetable fields, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced a new program to support and promote food recovery efforts, making it easier for food banks to collect leftover produce from fields.

Customs and Border Protection officers at Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., found cocaine stashed in boxes of oranges.

IMG Citrus is celebrating 40 years in business, starting as a 72-acre farm that’s transformed to a vertically integrated grower, packer and shipper that recently added 4,000 acres of Florida grapefruit.

There's a little bit of good news for producers in Florida's citrus region. The National Agricultural Statistics Service shares why.

Gene Akins of Norfolk, Va.-based Catalytic Generators received the Florida Tomato Man of the Year recognition at the annual Florida Tomato Committee Conference. 

A University of Florida Extension agent for almost four decades whose work focused on citrus is being inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame.

Blazer Wilkinson, Salinas, Calif., has a new website highlighting “The Ultimate Strawberry,” as the company ramps up production of its Foxy brand conventional and organic strawberries.

Veronique Sallin, vice president at Vero Beach, Fla.-based IMG Citrus, plans to retire after 40 years with the company.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — It is a 50-50 chance that bipartisan legislation to reform key aspects of the H-2A guest worker program will be considered by Congress this fall, says Craig Regelbrugge. 

PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association recognized lawmakers, a charitable group, a big customer and a Sunshine State researcher on the second day of its 76th annual convention.

Peace River Citrus Products and Scott Family Cos. and its partners plan to invest more than $25 million in planting a quarter million grapefruit trees in Florida.

A 1987 handbook published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s division of Agricultural Marketing Service received a 21st-century update thanks to a team led by University of Florida researchers.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services launched a new website aimed to increase awareness about the department’s responsibilities and services.

Berry grower-marketer Wish Farms, Plant City, Fla., has a new tagline: Generations of Sweetness.

IMG Citrus, Vero Beach, Fla., has added an electronic fruit grader to its packing line.

A roundtable for responsible recruitment of farmworkers and packers will feature speakers representing Walmart, Castellini Group, Lipman Family Farms and Titan Farms.

Premier Citrus Marketing, Vero Beach, Fla., has hired Kevin Swords as director of North American sales and added fruit from two more packinghouses.

An abridged version of Florida’s 44th Tomato Conference, canceled due to Hurricane Dorian’s approach in the Atlantic, has been rescheduled for Oct. 2-3 in a new location.

With Hurricane Dorian scheduled to hit Florida immediately before the annual Florida Tomato Conference, organizers have postponed the event.

The relief of reaching a new  tomato suspension agreement between Mexican tomato growers and the Department of Commerce has come with misgivings about the effect of mandatory inspections at the border.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has expanded quarantined areas for citrus greening in California, Texas and Louisiana after the disease was detected in plant tissue samples in multiple locations in the states.

Volume of Florida’s green-skin avocados is back to normal this year, following tight supplies last season spurred by Hurricane Irma.

Berry grower-shipper Always Fresh Farms, Winter Haven, Fla., has entered into a long-term partnership with Giddings Fruit S.A., a berry and cherry grower in Mexico and South America.

Volume of Florida’s green-skin avocados is back to normal this year, following tight supplies last season spurred by Hurricane Irma.

Negotiations on a new tomato suspension agreement were stuck in neutral in early August, with a danger of slipping into reverse.

Water issues, hemp and labor issues will be the center of discussion at the combined Citrus Expo and Vegetable & Specialty Crop Expo Aug. 14-15 in North Fort Myers, Fla.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement Aug. 8 regarding the ongoing antidumping investigation on fresh tomatoes from Mexico.

Georgia peach grower Robert Dickey III and Florida vegetable grower Charles Obern have been named 2019 Farmers of the Year by Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo.

The U.S. Department of Agricultures has expanded a citrus black spot quarantine in four Florida counties.

The Department of Commerce has announced a preliminary dumping margin of 25.28% on Mexican tomato imports following its investigation whether tomatoes from Mexico are being dumped into the U.S.

Tracy Smith, cofounder and CEO of St. Augustine, Fla.-based Centerline Brackets, a steel support brackets manufacturer, will speak at the American Culinary Federation’s inaugural women’s symposium.

Agricultural specialists with the Customs and Border Protection recently intercepted several “highly unusual” pests at Port Manatee, Fla.

Growers of Mexican tomatoes recently submitted data to the U.S. Commerce Department and groups representing them say the information shows they are not dumping tomatoes into the U.S.

The Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, Maitland, is designating July 12 as #FairTradeForFarmers Day, asking for the public’s help to resist the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Plant City, Fla.-based berry grower Wish Farms has started a summer partnership campaign with Feeding America.

Ongoing investment in protected agriculture in Mexico will likely result in continued losses for the fruit and vegetable industry in Florida, according to a new report from the University of Florida.

Coral Gables, Fla.-based Fyffes, a tropical produce importer and distributor, supports new global sulfur restrictions in all marine fuels to 0.5 % beginning Jan. 1.

Grimmway Farms, Bakersfield, Calif., has acquired processing facilities and other assets from Generation Farms, Lake Park, Ga., a grower of carrots and other vegetables.

Miami-based J&C Tropicals has upgraded its packing process, said Jessie Capote, executive vice president and co-owner.

Versatility is a retail promotional bonanza for Florida avocados, suppliers say. Retailers are best-served by providing shoppers with usage ideas and choices, they said.

The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association has announced the members of its ninth Emerging Leader Development Program class.

Titan Farms recently showcased peaches in a Florida school, teaching students about growing practices and agriculture in general.

Katiana Valdes is a self-confessed produce nerd.

Leslie Simmons hit the ground running when she joined the produce industry eight years ago.