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Tentative Programmatic Priorities for Commercial Vegetables
Miami-Dade County
Background: Decline of profitability
Background: High cost of production
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pest problems
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labor costs
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poor soil: micros, water, texture
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distance from out-of-state markets
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regulatory costs
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loss of land: urbanization, restoration, conversion to another agricultural use
Background: Need current production costs
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especially variable costs
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currently available for only 5 of the 60 crops grown
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small to medium-sized farms may not know break even points
Background: Areas for change
Pest management - 1
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control measures & IPM for specific pests
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SWF / Gemini viruses (BGMV, TYLCV, TMoV) [tomatoes & beans]
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pepper weevil (pepper)
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sweetpotato weevil (sweetpotato)
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silkfly (sweet corn)
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Thrips palmi (beans, eggplant, squash, potatoes)
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Diaprepes (potato / Florida cocoyam)
Pest management - 2
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Phytophthora capsici (squash, pepper, eggplant)
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Pythium & Rhizoctonia on beans
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Bacterial diseases (beans, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, others?)
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methyl bromide
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effectiveness
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alternatives
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Quadris for other crops (beans, squash, sweet corn)
Pest management - 3
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pest life cycles
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controlling pest insects w/o killing beneficials
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IR-4 trials, esp. tropicals, crop groupings
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pest resistant varieties - esp. Gemini viruses
Economics
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costs of production for the remaining 55 crops
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variable costs
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break-even price
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feasibility of automation (labor)
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way to track financial data for decision making
Production practices - 1
Production practices - 2
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basic production information - tropical, Asian & specialty crops
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practices to improve tilth of Rockdale soils, esp. root & tuber crops
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spacing (potatoes)
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double cropping
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recycling plastic
Postharvest concerns
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producer/packer-friendly information
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need to maintain quality when new practices (reduced fertilizer) are used
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improving postharvest quality
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consumer-friendly packaging
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value-added packaging
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handling techniques
Everglades restoration
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"high beds" to minimize problems
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bedding vs. no bedding on Rockdale soils
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UF involvement in critical water issues
Irrigation & fertilizer mgt
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implementation of soil testing & interpretation
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irrigation management / tensiometers, etc.: Rockdale & marl soils
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fertigation for plasticulture systems -- non-traditional crops
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crop nutrient requirements for tropicals
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fertilizer sources for tropicals
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foliar fertilizers
Marketing
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