LAKELAND – Florida's 2007-2008 orange crop estimate remained the same at 168.5 million boxes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which released a revised citrus forecast. The 168.5 million boxes are made up of 80.5 million boxes of Early-Mids, 3 million boxes of Navels and 85 million boxes of Valencias. ...more

June 14, 2008

The Food and Drug Administration is warning the public about a salmonella outbreak linked to certain types of tomatoes. ...more

June 11, 2008

The Food and Drug Administration is warning the public about a salmonella outbreak linked to certain types of tomatoes. ...more

June 10, 2008

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson is calling on Congress and the Bush administration to investigate skyrocketing fuel prices. Good for him. Although we are not sure if anything will come of it, give Bronson credit for at least trying to do something. "We're being taken for a ride, and the evidence is everywhere, from the escalating prices we pay to fill up our vehicles with gasoline to the purchase of virtually all consumer goods," Bronson said Friday. "It is almost impossible to conceive of a product that is not dependent on oil in either its production or transportation to the stores in which it is sold." ...more

May 24, 2008

A recent lesson in extreme cuisine gave agricultural students at Mulrennan Middle School a chance to kick their knowledge of Florida fruits and vegetables up a notch. ...more

May 21, 2008

Monday's small brushfire in Avon Park Estates will hopefully serve as a reminder for residents to be prepared. To see just how devastating brushfires can be, check what happened in Brevard County last week. All it took apparently was tossing a cigarette and the result was thousands of acres of land burned, 30 homes destroyed, 140 structures damaged, people displaced and lives impacted for years to come. Although May is officially the last month of the brushfire season, the threat of fire is still very possible in many parts of the state. It has been dry – as evidenced by lawns turning brown – and will likely continue to remain that way. May is traditionally one of the driest months of the year in Florida. ...more

May 17, 2008

A West Pasco Special Olympics Pasco County athlete, Rosetta LoBianco, recently returned home from the Special Olympics Florida Athlete Congress, in Tallahassee. ...more

February 9, 2008

United States Envirofuels, a Tampa alternative fuel corporation, has been given a $7 million grant to build an ethanol plant in Venus. ...more

January 23, 2008

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is urging the state's farmers and ranchers to watch their mail in early January for the arrival of the 2007 Census of Agriculture form. "I urge all of Florida's agricultural producers to participate in the Census by completing and returning the form," Bronson said. "The input received by the Census helps shape the future of agriculture for years to come, and we want to make sure that the voices of Florida's farmers and ranchers are heard." ...more

December 30, 2007

Much has been made of government's decision last summer not to pump phosphorous rich water into Lake Okeechobee. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson claims that this one decision - which some claim will somehow deprive growers of some irrigation water - makes up $4 million of the $1 billion in losses expected to Florida's farm economy. Further, sugarcane farmers argue that sugar production (and presumably profits) may fall by 20 percent. ...more

December 27, 2007