Search

Like everything for the past 2 centuries, agriculture has depended increasingly on fossil fuel energy. Pressures to shift to renewable energy and changes in the fossil fuel industry are set to massively alter the energy landscape over the next 30 years. Two near-certainties are increased overall prices and/or decreased stability of energy supplies. The impacts of these upheavals on specialty crop production and consumption are unknowable in detail but the grand lines of what will likely change can be foreseen. This foresight can guide the research, extension, and teaching needed to successfully navigate a future very unlike the recent past. Major variables that will influence outcomes include energy use in fertilizer manufacture, in farm operations, and in haulage to centers of consumption. Taking six increasingly popular fruit and vegetable crops and the top two horticultural production states as examples, here we use simple proxies for the energy requirements (in gigajoules per ton of produce) of fertilizer, farm operations, and truck transport from Florida or California to New York to compare the relative sizes of these requirements. Trucking from California is the largest energy requirement in all cases, and three times larger than from Florida. As these energy requirements themselves are all fairly fixed, but in future will likely rise in price and/or be subject to interruptions and shortages, this pilot study points to two commonsense inferences: First, that fruit and vegetable production and consumption are set to reposition to more local/regional and seasonal patterns due to increasing expenses associated with fuel, and second, that coast-to-coast produce shipment by truck will become increasingly expensive and difficult.

Florida’s K–12 schools provide a potential opportunity to increase market channel options for small- and mid-sized diversified farms, but processing, storage, and distribution resources are extremely limited for smaller producers. This 9-page document serves as a model and case study with steps for producers and other stakeholders to conduct a feasibility study before forming a cooperative to sell local fruits and vegetables to schools and other institutional food-service outlets. Written by Jonathan Adam Watson, Danielle D. Treadwell, Catherine Campbell, and Ray Bucklin, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, March 2021.

Updated comprehensive guide written as a companion to the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide. It is intended for the home gardener who prefers to use natural and organic materials as well as methods that are compatible with the philosophy of organic gardening.

Organic farming can generally be described as a method of production that utilizes non-synthetic inputs and emphasizes biological and ecological process to improve soil quality, manage soil fertility, and optimize pest management. This revised 16-page fact sheet is written for commercial producers who are transitioning to or beginning organic production. Written by D.D. Treadwell and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, April 2014. HS720/CV118: Introduction to Organic Crop Production (ufl.edu)

HS1164, a 3-page illustrated fact sheet by Danielle D. Treadwell, Robert Hochmuth, Linda Landrum, and Wanda Laughlin, provides an overview of this new type of market crop and its production. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, April 2010. HS1164/HS1164: Microgreens: A New Specialty Crop (ufl.edu) A minor revision of this article was published September 2020, here: https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/123356

PP266, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by Jessica Palenchar, Danielle D. Treadwell, Lawrence E. Datnoff, and Amanda J. Gevens, describes the symptoms, causal organism, disease cycle, and management of cucumber anthracnose in Florida. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Plant Pathology, May 2009. PP266/PP266: Cucumber Anthracnose in Florida (ufl.edu)

HS-1146, a 6-page illustrated fact sheet by Danielle D. Treadwell and Mickie E. Swisher, briefly outlines the history of the USDAs National Organic Program (NOP), summarizes for consumers the benefits of government regulation of organic food products, and provides a guide for interpreting labels on products with organic ingredients. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, August 2008.

HS-1135, a 7-page illustrated fact-sheet by Danielle Treadwell and Pei-wen Huang, describes this “pseudocereal” commonly grown as a cover crop in the southeast, growth habits, environmental requirements, role as a nutrient catch crop, interactions with insects, potential for weed control and weed suppression, and economics. Includes references. Published by UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, February 2008.

HS1126, a 6-page illustrated fact sheet by Danielle D. Treadwell and Mike Alligood, summarizes the recommended cultural practices to help vegetable growers grow a successful summer cover crop and to optimize the amount of nitrogen that is returned to a vegetable crop. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, January 2008.

HS-1113, a 4-page illustrated fact sheet by Robert C. Hochmuth, Danielle D. Treadwell, Eric H. Simonne, Linda B. Landrum, Wanda L. Laughlin, and Lei Lani Davis, describes the results of trials of using soilless culture and shade to extend the bell pepper growing season through the hottest part of the summer and into fall. Includes tables of trial data. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, July 2007. HS-1113/HS368: Growing Bell Peppers in Soilless Culture under Open Shade Structures (ufl.edu)

ABE-373, a 6-page report by K. W. Migliaccio, T. Olczyk, Y. Qian, Y. Li, G. J. Hochmuth, R. C. Hochmuth, D. D. Treadwell, E. H. Simonne, L. S. Osborne, and R. K. Sprenkel, presents the results of trials conducted in 2005 and 2006 to compare organic fertilizers and potting media for greenhouse production of container herbs. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, May 2007. ABE 373/AE408: Organic Greenhouse Container Herb Production in South Florida: Fertilizer and Potting Media (ufl.edu)

Revised! HS-720, an 18-page fact sheet by D.D. Treadwell, is a general introduction to organic production, replacing a 4-page article by J.M White. Includes links to additional information and references. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences as part of the Vegetable Production Guide for Florida, September 2006. HS720/CV118: Introduction to Organic Crop Production (ufl.edu)

Weeds are a major contributor to yield loss and reduction in yield quality in an agricultural setting, competing with the crop for resources like light, water, and nutrients. This competition along with the cost of weed management strategies like tillage and herbicides, are responsible for the economic impact of weeds, which can reach into the billions. In addition to the damage caused by direct competition, weeds can also harm crop plants by acting as reservoirs for destructive plant pathogens, the insect vectors that move these pathogens from plant to plant, or both. The objective of this publication is to summarize previously published weed-pathogen associations to help growers scout and monitor pathogens in weeds near production areas. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1335