FNGLA Tampa Chapter Winter Social

 

Hope to see you at the FNGLA Tampa Chapter Winter Social.  It will take place at the Lemon Orchard on 12/7/23 at 5:00 pm.  Sign up for advanced discounted tickets now.  https://link.edgepilot.com/s/5d10670f/ekxkzE0p1UiRe2yr19db0Q?u=https://profile.fngla.org/events/event-details/?id=7f17c3cd-727e-ee11-a81c-6045bd7da5f5

There will be some good raffle items available as well. Don't miss out and make some new connections.

Worker Protection Standard Train-the-Trainer Class

Do you need to train agricultural workers for the Worker Protection Standards (WPS) for their employment?  If so, you will either need to have a current Private Applicator License or a WPS Trainer Certificate.  UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County is offering a WPS Train-the-Trainer Class so you can be compliant with the Florida Department of Ag and Consumer Services in training agriculture employees.  The class will be offered on December 13th at the Hillsborough County Extension Office in Seffner, FL.  If you are interested, please view the flyer below.  If you are interested in taking the class, please click this link to register. https://WPSTTT2023Hillsborough.eventbrite.com

Extension Needs Your Help; Calling all Plant Producers!

UF/IFAS Extension is a cooperative system, joining both the University of Florida and Hillsborough County in service to local residents.  It is cooperative in solving production problems through communication between producers, extension educators, and scientists.  Educational programs are created to meet the specific needs of the community.  Cooperation, feedback, and input are essential from those we serve to deliver impactful programs. 

To start out the 2024 season, I would like to get input from ornamental plant growers in our community. In my commitment to fostering growth and excellence in ornamental horticulture, I invite all ornamental plant producers to participate in our Educational Needs Assessment Survey. Your insights are invaluable in shaping tailored educational resources that address the challenges and opportunities specific to our industry. By sharing your experiences and preferences, you contribute to a collective effort aimed at enhancing knowledge, promoting sustainable practices, empowering employees, and ensuring the continued success of Hillsborough and Polk County Environmental Horticulture Production Extension.

The survey will take less than three minutes.  Please help out with your valuable feedback.  Here is the link for the survey. 

Ornamental Production in Hillsborough County Saw Slight Decline in 2022

After four years of increasing ornamental plant production, Hillsborough County growers decreased their annual output slightly by -6.5%.  Estimated annual sales of ornamental plants were approximately $288 million in 2022 compared to $308 million in 2021.  The average annual wage paid to someone employed in this sector in 2022 was $37,442 or $18.00/hr.  This is about a 1% increase over last year's average annual wage of $37,064.  There was an estimated 2300 employees working directly in this sector in Hillsborough County in 2022.

Fall Class Schedule - WPS, Private Applicator Pesticide License Training & CEUs

UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County Agriculture Department is hosting a Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Train-the-Trainer Class on November 9, 2023, at 9:00 am as well as a Core and Private Pesticide Exam Training Course on October 24, 2023, at 9:00 am at the Extension Office Location in Seffner, FL.  The cost is $65.00 for each class.

The Core training is needed by all license types and the Private Exam Prep portion of the class will help you review to pass the Private Applicator Exam.  With both tests passed you will be able to apply restricted use pesticides on your property or that of your employers as well as teach ag employees the mandatory EPA Worker Protection Standards.

If you already have a Private Applicator License, then this class will give you 2 Core CEUs and 2 Private CEUs for renewal of your license.

Here is a glance at the agenda:

09:00  Welcome, coffee & snacks

09:15  General Standards/Core Exam Preparation Class

11:30  Lunch (provided)

12:15  Private/Ag Row Crop Applicator Exam Preparation Class

13:30  Review

16:00  Adjourn

The WPS class will discuss Worker Protection Standards for Agriculture workers and their employees and those responsible for the training and safety of Ag workers.  Taking this class will allow you to train ag employees on WPS topics for your ag establishment.

Attendees will receive a WPS-TTT certificate from FDACS after class completion!

Here is a glance at the agenda:

09:30 : Welcome, coffee, and snacks

10:00 : WPS TTT Part 1&2

12:00 : Lunch (provided)

13:00 : WPS TTT Parts 3, 4, & 5

15:00 : Adjourn

If you already have a Private Applicator License or a WPS TTT certificate, then you can get 4 Core CEUs towards the renewal of your license. 

Here are the registration links if you would like to attend.

AgPesticideTraining2023.eventbrite.com

 WPSTTT2023Hillsborough.eventbrite.com

 If you have any questions about either class, please send an email to ststeed@ufl.edu

New Agricultural Tax Exemptions and the Florida Tax Exempt Ag Materials (TEAM) Card

Are you taking advantage of all the tax breaks available to you as a farmer? You may be aware that there are sales tax exemptions on items such as off-road (dyed) diesel fuel, electricity used for ag purposes, trailers used in ag production, fertilizer, fungicides, pesticides, power farm equipment, and plant material used to produce food for human consumption.

You may not be aware that back in July 2023 the Florida Legislature passed a law that became Florida Chapter 2023-154 that now includes temporary and permanent fencing, post, wire, electric fencing and supplies, and even concrete for posts, nails, screws, staples and hinges for gates.

The law also created a card that can be shown to retailers to verify your agricultural tax exemption called the Farm Tax Exempt Agricultural Materials (TEAM) card. This card will be available to producers starting in 2024.

For a more thorough reading about the agricultural tax exemption and the TEAMS card please refer to this article written by Extension Agent Doug Mayo. Florida Farm TEAM Card for Agriculture Sales Tax Exemption | Panhandle Agriculture (ufl.edu)  There are some great reference articles attached for more in-depth information.

Hurricane Idalia Damage Assesment

Hurricane Idalia struck the Florida panhandle as a Category 3 storm causing severe flooding due to storm surge.  Some crops were also severely damaged due to the high winds and rain.  Speaking with growers in our area of the state, it seems that we got off fairly easily in terms of damage to crops and infrastructure.  

UF/IFAS is working on a damage assessment of the agricultural industry.  Please fill out this form to report any loss or damages sustained from Hurricane Idalia.  Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management Thank you for your input and for helping UF/IFAS gauge this storm's impact.

Hurricane Nursery Preparation and Recovery Guide.

Living and working in Florida can be a beautiful thing, however, it also comes with weather risks like tropical storms and hurricanes.  Dr. Tom Yeager (retired) with the University of Florida developed a guide to assist and remind growers of some things they can do to make sure they are ready and check off the list when big storms approach.  Please take a look at this guide from USDA Forest Service Office of Sustainability and Climate and make sure you have everything covered.

Hurricane Preparation and Recovery in the Southeastern United States—Commercial Nursery Guide (usda.gov)

Worker Protection Standard Train-the-Trainer Class

Do you need to train agricultural workers for the Worker Protection Standards (WPS) for their employment?  If so, you will either need to have a current Private Applicator License or a WPS Trainer Certificate.  UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County is offering a WPS Train-the-Trainer Class so you can be compliant with Florida Department of Ag and Consumer Services in training agriculture employees.  The class will be offered on June 21st at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm, FL. If you are interested, please view the flyer below.  If you are interested in taking the class, please click this link to register. https://WPS-TTT-June2023-Hillsborough.eventbrite.com

Opportunities for CEUs or Private Applicator Licensure

If you are in need of CEUs for either Core Pesticide License or Private Applicator License UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County will be hosting an exam preparation class for Private Applicator/Ag Row Crop and Core Pesticide Licenses on June 6th at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm.  You can also obtain 2 Core CEUS and 2 Private, Ag Row, Ag Tree, Aerial, Soil & Fumigation., or Demo & Research CEUs for a total of 4 CEUS towards your licenses.  We will also host a private testing day for those wanting to pass the exams.  Please click on the flyer below for more information.  Here is the link if you are interested in registering.  https://June2023PesticideApplicatorHillsborough.eventbrite.com

Do Rice Hulls Prevent Weeds in Woody Ornamental Container Production in a Central Florida Growing Environment?

 

While making my rounds at various nurseries around the county I am finding more and more managers are utilizing parboiled rice hulls as a source of mulch for early weed control in container woody ornamental plantings.  The question is, "Do rice hulls prove to be both an economical and effective solution for weed control?"  When asking this question, I have a lot of anecdotal evidence of weed suppression during the early growth stage of container plant production, but I have very few facts to back up whether there is an economic benefit when comparing the cost of materials, labor costs and the difference between traditional weeding and a preemergent herbicide.

There is good evidence that rice hulls can reduce bittercress and liverwort when applied at depths of ½” to one inch thick on the surface of container soil (Atland, 2019).  Mulches play a crucial role in inhibiting weed growth by creating an unfavorable environment for seed germination. By covering the substrate surface, mulches restrict the access of small weed seeds to essential resources, such as stored energy and nutrients. However, most mulches eventually decompose and become conducive to weed germination, limiting their long-term effectiveness. 

Effective mulches for container crops should possess specific characteristics, including low nutrient content, quick drying properties, and resistance to decomposition. Rice hulls exhibit these desirable qualities, making them a potentially good choice for preventing the establishment of some weeds.

I have seen sawdust or shredded wood being used at nurseries but when I tested the cost and effectiveness in an experiment, there were no economical and no practical benefits compared to hand-weeding and preemergent herbicides. 

Dr. Chris Marble (UF Weed Scientist) and I did a mulch study and published the results. We found that large pine bark nuggets did well restricting weeds but when compared to thin plastic (the kind used for strawberry or vegetable fields); plastic mulch wins hands down (Marble et al, 2019). 

In another study of plastic mulch for weed control, I demonstrated that plastic mulch almost eliminated weeds, reduced water loss, reduced the need for irrigation, and reduced the leaching of fertilizer (Steed et al, 2018). I did find that plants grew slower in plastic mulch, but I speculate that it was due to the lack of leaching irrigation and a dramatic increase in EC and decrease in pH over the growth time
.

Soon we will be experimenting with rice hulls and let you know whether it is a good idea to use them as a weed control method or not. 

References:

Atland, James.  2019.  USDA tests PBH rice hulls for weed control in container crops.  Nursery Management Magazine.

Marble, S. C., Steed, S. T., Saha, D., & Khamare, Y. 2019. On-farm Evaluations of Wood-derived, Waste Paper, and Plastic Mulch Materials for Weed Control in Florida Container Nurseries, HortTechnology hortte, 29(6), 866-873.

Steed, S.T., Bechtloff, A., Koeser, A. & Yeager, T. 2018. Response of Japanese privet to plastic mulch applied over nonspaced containers HortTechnology 28 58-65

Tampa Chapter of FNGLA Lunch, Learn, and Connect Event with Site One

Join the FNGLA Tampa Chapter for their Spring Social at various Site One locations on March 28-30, 2023.  Lunch will be served and educational CEUs are available.  See the flyer below for all the information.

Curriculum (Tampa & Largo Only) 

8-10 AM Spring Training for Turfgrass (2 L&O CEU's) IFAS 

10-12 AM 2 CORE CEU's IFAS

12-12:30 PM H2B 101: What Your Business Needs to Know | MasLabor 

NEW CEU Online Articles from UF/IFAS Extension

Looking for CEUs for your spray license?  Environmental Horticulture Production at UF/IFAS Extension in Hillsborough County has two new CEU articles available online for those seeking to renew your spray licenses with CEUs.  The first article is "An Integrated Approach for Controlling Ornamental Production Pests."  This article if you pass the quiz will give you one Core CEU for CH. 482 or 487 license.  The second article is "Controlling Viburnum Diseases in Florida During Nursery Production."  If you read the article and pass the online quiz you can get either one Private Applicator, an Ornamentals and Turf Pest Control, or an Ag Row Crop Pest Control CEU.

For either article, sign into Eventbrite to access the article (cost $10.00 + fees),  then read the article.  Next take the 10-question quiz that is linked at the bottom of the article and pass with a 70% and you will receive your CEUs via email.  An easy option for renewing your Florida FDACS spray license.

Here are the links to the articles:  Viburnum Disease Control  and  Integrated Pest Management