Lots of @UF_IFAS@UFCALS presence tonight at the inaugural Florida Blueberry Association Hall of Fame event! Blueberries were an “alternative crop” developed for #Florida.
@UF_IFAS@UFCALS@UFHortSci’s Dr. Paul Lyrene is the first inductee for the Florida Blueberry Growers Association Hall of Fame. He developed 31 patented low chill blueberry plants to become commercially viable in #Florida.
Florida blueberry production pioneers, Drs. Alto Straughn and Paul Lyrene @UF_IFAS emeritus were among the five inductees of Florida Blueberry Growers @the_FBGA Associations’s inaugural Hall of Fame this evening. @nplace01 @JackPayneIFAS @DrJtotheMastro@UF_IFASResearch
Registration is available for the Inaugural Florida Blueberry Hall of Fame Celebration Dinner and the @the_FBGA Fall Meeting and Trade Show @Mission_Inn in Howey-In-The-Hills on October 24 & 25: https://t.co/rTKN1NgZNX
Like most growers, FFVA Board Member Chuck Allison of Wild Goose Farms wants the gov't to streamline the visa process for foreign ag workers, and for retailers to prioritize local produce. He's also exploring mechanized harvesting as a way to cut costs. https://t.co/Me6E0MScze
Under #NAFTA, no measures were available to growers to bring a trade case based on regional/seasonal data. #USMCA doesn’t address it either. We need #FairTradeForFarmers before more Southeast fruit and vegetable farmers go out of business. #SupportAmericanProduce
Southeast fruit and vegetable farmers desperately need a trade mechanism that allows them to use seasonal data to fight illegal dumping. We support free, but #FairTradeForFarmers .
Extensive year-round government subsidies, unfair pricing practices and very low wages have helped Mexico achieve produce dominance in the U.S. over the past 20 years. #FairTradeForFarmers#SupportAmericanProduce
Unfair trading practices have made Mexico the largest exporter of fruits and vegetables to the U.S. #SupportAmericanProduce and #FairTradeforFarmers of seasonal produce so they can legally challenge Mexico’s illegal dumping before they're put out of business.
Southeast fruit and vegetable farmers desperately need a trade mechanism that allows them to use seasonal data to fight illegal dumping and Mexico's unfair trade practices. We support free, but #FairTradeForFarmers . #SupportAmericanProduce
No measures were available to growers to bring a trade case based on regional/seasonal data under #NAFTA and #USMCAnow doesn’t address it either. We need #FairTradeForFarmers before more Southeast fruit and vegetable farmers go out of business. #SupportAmericanProduce
Mexico is now the largest exporter of fruits and vegetables to the U.S. due to unfair trading practices. Farmers of seasonal produce must be able to legally challenge Mexico’s illegal dumping. #SupportAmericanProduce#FairTradeforFarmers
As I wrote today in @thehill, the #USMCA’s numbers don’t add up for US agriculture. In Florida, up to:
$389 million farm losses
$271 million lost labor income
$70 million lost tax revenue
@POTUS's USMCA allows Mexico to keep eating our lunch – and it won’t be American-grown.