Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is urging residents to take the time to investigate companies they may be considering for termite protection. ...more

July 9, 2008

For those willing to brave the summer sun, plucking tomatoes hot off the vine is a longstanding Florida treat. ...more

June 21, 2008

For those willing to brave the summer sun, plucking tomatoes hot off the vine is a longstanding Florida treat. ...more

June 20, 2008

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson is reaching out to growers, distributors and retailers of Florida-grown tomatoes to help restore confidence in the state's tomato crop. In an effort to assist with the sale of Florida tomatoes now that the areas in production have been declared safe, the department will offer "Fresh from Florida" labels and/or point of purchase materials upon request. Anyone involved in the production or sale of Florida tomatoes can call the Division of Marketing and Development at 850-488-9948 or e-mail mailto:fapc@doacs.state.fl.us. The logos are also temporarily being placed on the department's Web site, www.florida-agriculture.com, for distributors and retailers to download. There will be no charge for the requested materials or for shipping. The material will be available for 10 days. For continued use of the "Fresh from Florida" logo, businesses are encouraged to contact the Division of Marketing and Development for information about Florida Agricultural Promotional Campaign (FAPC) membership. On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration put the areas of Florida currently in tomato production on the "safe to eat" list indicating they could not be the source of a salmonella outbreak that has impacted predominantly western states. Tomato harvesting is currently under way in the Quincy, Palmetto and Ruskin areas. ...more

June 14, 2008

LAKE PLACID — Ag-Venture won a statewide award Friday as the outstanding volunteer program from Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, a division of Florida Farm Bureau. ...more

June 14, 2008

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