Growing potatoes in Northeast Florida is nothing new. Roots for the cash crop there go back more than a century, writes Paul Rusnak in an article published on Growing Produce.
Researchers at the UF/IFAS Agricultural Extension Center in Hastings, however, are set to launch a program that could change the game in the future for local spud growers. They will be applying knowledge to develop new potato varieties geared to better withstand Florida’s challenging production conditions.
The UF/IFAS program is backed by the support of local potato growers across the Tri-County Agricultural Area (St. Johns, Putnam, and Flagler counties) who are reported to grow more than 20,000 acres of potatoes for potato chips and fresh market consumption.
“We are excited, and growers are excited because it’s an opportunity to provide better varieties for Florida,” says Lincoln Zotarelli, UF/IFAS Associate Professor of Horticultural Sciences.
Source: Growing Produce. Read the full article here
Photo: Credit Pixabay
