A double-T trellis for supporting the two “table tops” of broken, fruit-bearing branches.
Photo by Gregory Lang

In recent articles, I have stressed the importance of renewal pruning to sustain sweet cherry fruit quality and yield over the life of the orchard. Renewal pruning approaches range from selective annual regeneration of the largest one to three fruitwood structures — such as branches or vertical leaders in tall spindle axe (TSA) and Kym Green bush (KGB) training, respectively — to annual regeneration of all fruitwood structures (such as stub-pruning of every lateral shoot in super spindle axe (SSA) training) to periodic renewal of the entire tree (whole tree renewal, applicable to upright fruiting offshoots (UFO), KGB, and even TSA trees).

Another creative strategy has been developed in the Netherlands for high-density orchards. This is known as Table Top (TTP), or Sistema de Renovación Permanente (SRP, as introduced in Chile) training. Like SSA, every fruit-bearing branch is renewed every year; however, the TTP renewal process ultimately develops two-year-old branches with fruiting spurs rather than one-year-old shoots with basal non-spur flower buds. Consequently, each fruiting unit has a higher yield potential (more flower buds and more leaf area) than SSA, but this also means a more three-dimensional canopy rather than a planar fruiting wall like SSA or UFO. Also like SSA, this annual renewal of the fruit-bearing structure, after only one year of cropping, maintains a young population of fruiting sites with a relatively balanced leaf-to-fruit ratio and, therefore, crop load management is achieved entirely by pruning.

TTP training creates a central leader tree with two tiers, or table tops, of fruit-bearing branches, with a window of open canopy in between for good light distribution to the lower tier. A double-T trellis (3-foot-wide cross-arms) provides support for each table top (see Table Top Trellis photo). What is innovative is how these tiers are formed and how the two-year-old fruit spur-bearing shoots develop and recycle every three years.

TRAINING TABLE

Training begins with either a “feathered” nursery tree — if the lateral shoots are located just above the lower T-trellis wires — or with the initiation of lateral shoots on a whip nursery tree just above the T-wires. This initiation of laterals can be accomplished by treatment with plant growth regulators such as Promalin, scoring, bud selection and removal, or lightly scoring and cracking/breaking of the leader about 8 inches above the T-wires and re-tying it vertically to an upper wire to heal while the buds below the break elongate into shoots. In any case, six or more lateral shoots is desired.

At budbreak in year 2, a shallow saw cut scores the top of each lateral shoot just above an upper-oriented vegetative bud near the base of the shoot (4 to 6 inches from the leader). The shoot is then cracked/broken downward and fixed to the T-wire for support while it heals. This initiates a replacement shoot from the vegetative bud below the break and initiates spur formation beyond the break while reducing shoot extension vigor.

Year-by-year training for Table Top fruiting branch formation, renewal, and removal.

At budbreak in year 3, the previously broken shoot will be fruiting on spurs and basal flower buds of its reduced vigor extension growth. The new replacement shoot initiated in year 2 is scored above a basal vegetative bud, broken, and fixed to the T-wire to heal and develop the next generation of fruiting spurs while inducing a new replacement shoot. After harvest, the original fruiting branch is removed at the point of the original break. The cycle is now complete and is repeated every year, so the only permanent structure is the central leader and the basal stubs from which new replacement shoots arise. If new shoots arise from latent buds on the central leader or on branch stubs below old points of breakage, these can be trained similarly to replace the older stubs as they extend further from the leader.

BREAKING BRANCHES

Breaking each future fruiting branch will reduce its vigor as it forms fruit spurs, but if lateral shoots develop on the branch, remove them with thinning cuts to maintain a narrow fruiting branch. Never head the broken branch. The goal is to develop a continuous cycle of about six fruiting branches per tier, with an equal number of replacement branches that are forming future fruiting spurs, plus an equal number of new shoots that will become replacement branches. If any replacement branches are excessively vigorous, they can be scored and broken in late summer of the year they form, rather than in the spring. This also achieves more rapid healing and promotes less risk of bacterial canker infection. To further reduce risk of infection, precede or follow spring scoring and breaking with an application of an antibiotic.

The upper tier should be developed similarly. Prune back lateral shoots that arise from the central leader (in between the tiers) to the most basal vegetative bud (SSA-style). This promotes good light exposure throughout the lower tier while supplementing the fruiting population with basal non-spur fruiting sites. Also, thin excessive laterals entirely. When the tree reaches its mature height, the growth of the leader is slowed by breaking it, rather than imposing a heading cut, which also helps to reduce the stimulation of multiple vertical replacement shoots.

Hollowing and cracking of plant stems are one of the symptoms associated with tomato pith necrosis.
Photo by Gerald Holmes

Tomato pith necrosis is caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas corrugata, which is a weak pathogen that is able to attack rapidly growing tomato plants. While it typically occurs in greenhouses, it is being seen more regularly in field-grown tomatoes in Florida and the Southeast under certain conditions.

Identification
Initial symptoms of tomato pith necrosis typically include yellowing or chlorosis of young leaves and upper portion of the stem. Chlorosis often is accompanied by wilting, which develops in the upper portions of the plant along with necrosis of the lower stem when infection is severe.

Infected stems may not show external lesions, but the pith will gradually turn brown and necrotic. The stem might become chambered or hollow with a ladder-like appearance when split open length-wise.

This hollowing can lead to the cracking and breaking of the plant stems. Production of profuse adventitious roots often are associated pith necrosis. Although initial symptoms may look destructive, the disease might not progress. Fruit symptoms are rare and consist of greasy water-soaked blackened areas on the blossom end of the fruit.

Pith necrosis is most often observed when the first fruit set is close to mature green. The disease usually occurs randomly and is generally limited to a few plants.

Survival and Spread
In addition to P. corrugata, several other species of Pseudomonas can cause tomato pith necrosis. Pectobacterium carotovorum also can cause tomato pith necrosis.

Disease onset is favored by low night temperatures, high humidity, and high nitrogen. This pathogen is capable of growing in temperatures up to 100°F. Wounds and natural openings on the roots, stem, and base of the plant provide an entryway for the pathogen. Contaminated equipment and irrigation water can spread bacteria from plant to plant. Free water on stems and leaves promote infection, which develops when the first fruit set reach mature green stage. The bacterium may be transmitted to seed during fruit development.

Management Methods
Foliar symptoms of pith necrosis are similar to early bacterial canker disease symptoms and should not be used to confirm the disease. Symptomatic plants should be sampled immediately and submitted for plant disease diagnosis to rule out bacterial canker. Pith necrosis disease progression is slowed during warm and sunny periods, and plants will often recover from the disease once fertility conditions are corrected. The only strategy for managing pith necrosis is prevention by avoiding favorable conditions, such as excessive nitrogen application, especially in the spring when vegetative growth is rapid.

If possible, growers should delay planting in weather that is cool and wet as these environmental conditions favor the pith necrosis pathogens. Since the pathogens that cause pith necrosis can be introduced on contaminated crop debris, growers should avoid planting in fields with undecomposed tomato debris or which have been used to dump cull fruit.

Copper fungicides do not provide control because this soilborne bacterial pathogen is inside the plant.

Ag in the Southeast U.S. is seeing a shift change in producer demographics with younger, more diverse backgrounds returning to the farm.
Photo by Preston Keres

Ag in the Southeast U.S. is evolving as legacy crop demand (tobacco, cotton) falters. A younger generation is beginning to sow a new saga.

Like all areas across the U.S., growers in the Southeast are closely scrutinizing and discussing hemp as a potential game-changer. Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) Executive Director Charles Hall is witnessing this development play out right in front of his very eyes, both in his home state as well as across the region.

“There is a strong interest, being that it is a new crop for Georgia farmers, and obviously everyone sees this as something that is up and coming from a production standpoint,” Hall says.

Charles Hall

The longtime Georgia agriculture advocate, however, doubts whether his state will ever sign off on retail sales of the end product, CBD.

Hall cautions that much regarding the future of the crop currently in Georgia remains up in the air. USDA is still reviewing the details and 2020 growing season regulations proposed under Georgia’s state pilot program. And then recently, USDA announced its national hemp program rules, although state programs will supersede those regulations.

“Nothing is in place yet as far as whether growers will be in production this spring with hemp,” he says.

Farmer Demographics Are Changing, Too

It’s not just the crop mix taking on a new look in Georgia.

Young college-age graduates are coming back to the farm in large numbers. They’re hoping to get a piece of the ag action as the industry becomes more appealing to younger generations burnt out on city and suburban life.

“We do have a large number of family operations that the younger folks are beginning to move into leadership and ownership positions within those operations,” Hall agrees.

In Georgia specifically, Hall sees a lot more second- and third-generation farmers coming back to help run and eventually take over the family farm. He believes is at least partly due to farming’s continued embrace of technology and the younger generation’s proclivity to align with those type of careers.

“The younger producers have more exposure to technology and electronics in their everyday lives, so you’re going to naturally see more acceptance of precision ag solutions there. But that’s not to say that the older generation is dismissing technology at all,” Hall says.

“Most of the vegetable growers here in Georgia, they’re always looking for new ways to produce a product, and they’ve never been afraid of looking at new technologies or methods of production,” he adds.

Hemp’s Not the Only Winner

When thinking about the state’s ag demographics, Georgia is typically pigeon-holed as a place where they grow cotton, tobacco, peanuts, and those famous Vidalia onions and Georgia peaches, and not all that much else.

Not so fast, cautions Hall.

“If you combine all of the vegetable crops together, those crops in Georgia would easily be the No. 1 overall cash crop (in the state),” he says.

Rattling off some of the perhaps lesser known crops grown across the state like sweet corn, peppers, cucumbers, squash, and both field and greenhouse tomatoes, Hall says that altogether Georgia-grown vegetables comprise “about a $1.1 billion market.”

As for how 2019 went for Georgia growers of all crops, time will only tell after a somewhat perilous 2018 season.

“The last couple years have been tough on the agronomic crops, between the pricing situation and then Hurricane Michael coming through in 2018,” Hall says. “It’s kind of hard to say where things are at right this moment.”

Any uncertainty at the moment is mostly due to what Hall deems a very, very good harvest season thus far, but planting weather was not so good, and “there’s some late planted cotton that we’ve got to see how it looks,” he says.

New Trade Agreement Bodes Well for Growers

The pending United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) would be a big boon for Georgia and all Southeast growers alike, Hall believes. As of press time, however, it sits before House representatives and will need to make a trip to the Senate floor and onto the President’s desk before becoming law.

“USMCA is a very, very good deal for U.S. ag overall. We do have some concerns in the Southeast regarding how open borders are affecting our markets and our pricing when these ag products are on the market, but we’ll deal with that as we need to,” he says.

Surely then, if USMCA passes as proposed, ag in the Southeast is poised for another golden era of high prices and sunny days for producers, right?

“It’s too early in the process to predict what will happen and how our growers will adjust to all of these challenges they face,” Hall says. “In the long run, over the next five to 10 years, we’ll have to see what changes within the industry. But sitting here today, I don’t really have a good answer for how it will all play out.”

Asked for his parting message when it comes to the current state of ag in the Southeast, Hall sounds optimistic.

“Within specialty crop ag, and particularly within the vegetable industry, you’ve got a lot of creative, ambitious, and aggressive farmers and marketers that are looking at opportunities to produce and sell more Georgia-grown products. But to predict what will happen five years down the road? I don’t know. But I am confident that we’ve got the team coming together and all the new folks coming into the industry and coming into ownership and decision-making roles.I’m anxious that we’ll see continued growth within the industry.”

In an accelerating trend, a litany of regulations — many at the local and state level — are hitting our nation’s farmers, especially in the West. These regulations make it increasingly difficult to accomplish their noble goal of feeding the world.

Here are just a few examples of these restrictive policies:

• Rules that limit how much water can be used to irrigate crops
• Eliminating vital crop protection tools (before alternatives are developed)
• Laws that result in exorbitant labor costs and ultimately hurt the earnings potential of farmworkers

It’s evident support for farmers among policymakers across the country is eroding. And it’s taking a toll on the industry.

In 1935, the U.S. boasted 6.8 million farms. Today, just over 2 million farms are in operation. The number of farms that blanket our nation are dwindling at a steady rate — an unfortunate fact that is exacerbated by diminishing natural resources, rising foreign competition, and the onslaught of regulatory blows to agriculture.

Yet despite these challenges, farmers are still rising above it all in an effort to feed our growing population.

Prepare for a Great Leap Forward

The United Nations recently reported that the world’s population is slated to reach a staggering 8.5 billion by 2030. It will take a dramatic increase in food production to feed this many mouths. The critical question is: “Where will these gains be achieved?”

Because of intense regulatory pressures, as well as the growing scarcity of resources — exhausted arable cropland, eroded soil, depleted aquifers, and urbanization — farmers are increasingly turning to innovation and technology to remain viable in the 21st century and beyond.

Throughout history, increases in food production always have followed advances in agricultural practices, such as during the Second Agricultural Revolution between the mid-17th and late-19th centuries, and technology, such as during the Green Revolution beginning in the late 1960s.

We are in the early stages of yet another great leap forward in global food production, an agricultural technology (agtech) revolution that began just a few short years ago. Prior to 2013, investment in agtech was relatively flat. However, 2013 saw a 75% growth in investment, reaching $860 million, according to AgFunder. Agtech has continued to soar — receiving $16.9 billion in 2018 — and the year-over-year increase will only continue to escalate as farmers battle numerous ongoing challenges, including labor availability, food safety, and water scarcity.

Augean Robotics’ Burro can learn paths and retrace them autonomously, continuously conveying material back and forth.
Photo courtesy of Western Growers

How Tech Will Improve Labor

Agriculture has been at a labor deficit for more than a decade. The number of farmworkers migrating to the U.S. from Mexico has steadily dropped, and it is a well-established fact that Americans will not work in our fields, regardless of higher wages.

Absent an immigration solution that provides U.S. farms with access to a legal, stable supply of foreign workers, farmers and ag-related businesses are looking into ways to support mechanization and automation to help solve their labor woes.

Since launching our agtech incubator — the Western Growers (WG) Center for Innovation & Technology — in 2015, we have seen mechanization and automation technologies grow from their infancies to commercial viability.

We have startups in our center that are integrating computer vision and machine learning to build technologies ranging from autonomous tractors and weeders to strawberry-harvesting robots. These startups are working hand-in-hand with growers to refine their technologies, ensuring that the robots are both useable and affordable.

Augean Robotics, for example, used the funding they earned from last year’s WG/S2G Ventures AgSharks Pitch Competition to help launch a fleet of test robots. These “Burros” follow pickers and function as a virtual conveyor belt between pick points and collection points, allowing harvesters to pick continuously rather than wasting up to 20% to 30% of their time shuttling the produce around.

Today, the startup is working closely with table grape growers in the Central Valley to ensure the technology addresses their labor concerns. Augean Robotics expects Burros to be commercially available next season.

Food Safety Innovations

Although agriculture has faced several high-profile food contamination events in the past few years, there has been substantial progress in developing more advanced food safety systems throughout the industry.

For instance, WG has teamed with agtech startup iFoodDecisionSciences and tech leader Trimble HarvestMark to launch a new food safety risk management program called the Supply Chain Risk Management Solution.

This program uses cloud- and blockchain-enabled technology to reduce the number of food contamination outbreaks, substantially improving food safety and keeping consumers safe. The advanced technology will now allow stakeholders throughout the supply chain to easily narrow and identify the specific products that are and are not involved in a food safety event.

Collaboration is key. Through collaboration, more multi-layered technology initiatives will start to be developed, which will ultimately benefit everyone from the grower to the consumer.

SWIIM helps growers track their application and consumption to partly transfer their saved water to other users.
Photo courtesy of Western Growers

Stretching Water Use Through Tech

Managing water is one of the most complex challenges farmers face. This is especially true in California, where burdensome water requirements are continuously coming down the pipeline.

Still recouping from the detrimental impacts of a multi-year drought, California farmers now have to deal with new limitations on groundwater pumping. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which goes into effect in January 2020, will restrict and reduce groundwater access to farmers — most notably in San Joaquin Valley.

However, new tools are being developed and quickly refined to help farmers untangle these water challenges. Answering SGMA’s call for a more holistic approach to water management and supply, agtech companies are delivering easy-to-use solutions for efficient water management.

One of the most promising software platforms currently on the market comes from Colorado-based SWIIM (Sustainable Water and Innovative Irrigation Management) Systems. SWIIM offers a suite of software packages and services that allows agricultural operations to conserve water while increasing the potential for income. By gathering and interpreting real-time data, the SWIIM platform enables farmers to make concurrent irrigation choices, all while optimizing water rights and allowing for water trading within local groundwater basins — something that will be crucial when SGMA is fully implemented.

At a time when agriculture is facing increasing regulatory and environmental challenges, technology provides a beacon of hope for the future of farming. Farmers have always sought ways to adapt to a changing world and producing a steady supply of food for an ever-growing population. Now, their efforts are being supplemented with technological innovations from agtech startups and entrepreneurs, and together, they will ensure the long-term viability of the agricultural industry.

[Photographs: Vicky Wasik]

When we came up with the idea of writing earnest recommendations for our most beloved kitchen tools to help our readers shop for the holidays, I knew immediately that I would want to write about two things: my mandoline and my Japanese poultry knife. While a mandoline is unarguably useful for every cook of every skill level, I realize that a specialty knife, one that is essentially a unitasker, might seem like a niche kitchen tool for most people.

But it shouldn't be because I know for a fact that a whole lot of you out there eat a whole lot of chicken. And if you cook chicken at least a couple of times a week at home, then I believe you should purchase whole chickens and break them down rather than buying them in parts. And I think anyone who breaks down whole chickens with any regularity would love to use and own a Japanese poultry knife.

Called a honesuki, the Japanese poultry knife is small, with a short blade that has a distinctive, triangular shape, and it is typically single-beveled (for more about the differences between single- and double-beveled blades, read here). The blade is heavy for its size and rigid. At one end, it tapers at the tip to a fine point while at the other it expands to a relatively large heel. Similarly, the blade's spine is thinner at the tip and grows thicker toward the tang, which puts most of the knife's weight closer to your hand. All of these features are designed with one goal in mind: to make the most efficient tool for taking apart and deboning a bird. The fine, light point is easy to maneuver between joints and against bone; the heavy, stiff blade means you don't have to apply so much force to the cutting tip, which, combined with its single-beveled edge, makes the task of cutting through flesh and, most importantly, skin, like cutting through butter. The wide heel gives you a lot of room on the knife edge to scrape flesh from bones, but it also can be used to make quick, deep cuts in the bird, as when you split the breast halves away from the breast bone.

That description should fill you with confidence about the honesuki's ability to efficiently dismember any poultry carcass, but I fully acknowledge that no one in the world needs this knife. Anyone who's cut up a chicken knows it's less a matter of actual cutting than knowing a few simple techniques, such as how to maneuver and snap back the legs and wings to pop bones out of their sockets, or where to slide your knife so the breast halves can be cleanly separated from the carcass. I've taken apart many, many chickens using a wide variety of knives: a chef's knife, a petty knife, a Western boning knife, a santoku...it doesn't matter. Even a sharp paring knife will do in a pinch.

So if there's so little cutting involved in breaking down a chicken, then why buy a knife designed specifically for cutting up chickens?

My argument is twofold: Buy a honesuki because it's a pleasure to use and because it both rewards and demands good technique.

The first one is self-explanatory. While unitaskers get a bad rap because they can only do one thing, there's something to be said for a tool whose sole purpose is to execute a single task better than any other. And the honesuki truly excels at taking apart birds! Something about the knife's design makes it entirely intuitive to use; you're able to make precise cuts from a variety of angles, due to its small size, and it comes to feel as if it's a natural extension of your hand.

The second argument is a little more nuanced. First of all, the fact that you own a poultry knife means you're committed to buying whole birds and taking them apart, which is a very good habit! Second, the pleasure of using a honesuki is directly correlated to how sharp you keep it, so you have to be comfortable with sharpening the blade, lest it be utterly useless.*

* On the one hand, this may sound arduous, since sharpening knives isn't as common a skill for home cooks as it should be (it's really easy!); on the other hand, because a poultry knife does very little heavy cutting, it doesn't need to be sharpened as frequently as general-purpose kitchen knives or even other task-specific knives like a deba, a fish butchering knife.

Finally, the honesuki is terrible at tasks it's not designed for, so it forces you to do things correctly. The best examples I have for this are the joint that connects the drumstick to the thigh and the joints between the wing's drummette, flat, and tip: All of these joints can be separated using brute force, by pushing a knife blade through the connecting cartilage. The tip of the honesuki isn't really designed to do that (although the heavy heel can be used to cut through cartilage), so it's far easier to take the time to cut away skin and flesh and expose the joint so you can slide the point of the knife between the bones.

There are some tasks that a honesuki makes even easier, like deboning legs and thighs. And, of course, the honesuki really shines when it comes to fussier work, such as butterflying wing flats or shaving the skin off areas of the back, like the bit just beneath the oyster, which, when removed with the oyster, can be wrapped around the morsel of meat, skewered, and then broiled or grilled to make one of the tastiest bits of chicken in the world.

Finally, since the knife is designed for poultry, it will obviously work for duck, turkey, quail, or other birds. But that sharp, thin knifepoint is great for a lot of small meat-butchering tasks, like cutting a rack of lamb into chops or splitting up a rack of ribs, and that heel is good for Frenching the bones, too.

At home, I use a Fujiwara blade that isn't a true honesuki—instead of a single bevel, it has an asymmetric bevel, which I chose because, at the time, I wasn't quite comfortable with the idea of sharpening a single-bevel blade. I've since used the single-bevel Tojiro DP honesuki we have in the test kitchen many times, and I can recommend both, both as a gift to buy for yourself this holiday season or as a gift for anyone you know who cooks a fair amount of chicken and likes to use beautifully designed tools.

All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.

For the Refried Beans

• 1 tablespoon canola oil ((or high heat oil of choice))
• 1 small onion, (diced)
• 2 garlic cloves, (minced)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can black beans, (drained and rinsed)
• 1/2 cup water, (plus more as needed)
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Salt to taste

For the Tofu Scramble

• 1 tablespoon canola oil ((or high heat oil of choice))
• 7 ounces firm or extra firm tofu, (drained)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• Kala namak, (to taste (or regular salt))
• Black pepper, to taste

For Serving

• Canola oil ((or high heat oil of choice))
• 6 corn tortillas
• Toppings of choice, such as salsa, hot sauce, avocado, scallions and fresh cilantro

To Make the Refried Beans

1. Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with oil and place it over medium heat.

2. When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook it for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.

3. Add the garlic, cumin and oregano. Cook about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.

4. Stir in the beans and water. Raise the heat and bring the water to a simmer.

5. Cook the beans for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened up a bit. You can add a splash more water if it all dries up during cooking.

6. Remove the beans from the heat and use a potato masher to mash about half of them.

7. Stir in the lime juice and season the beans with salt to taste.

To Make the Tofu Scramble

1. Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with oil and place it over medium heat.

2. When the oil is hot, break the tofu into large chunks and add them to the skillet.

3. Cook the tofu for about 5 minutes, stirring and breaking the chunks up further with a spatula, until the edges begin to dry out and crisp up.

4. Add the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, lemon juice, cumin and turmeric. Gently flip everything a few times to distribute the seasonings.

5. Cook the tofu for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the liquid from the soy sauce dries up.

6. Remove the skillet from heat and season the tofu with kala namak or salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve

1. Lightly oil the bottom of a large skillet and place it over medium heat.

2. Add a few tortillas at a time and heat them up for about 2 minutes on each side, until they begin to crisp up.

3. Transfer the warmed tortillas to plates and top them with refried beans, tofu, and toppings of choice.

4. Serve.

For nearly six decades, the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame has honored the industry’s trailblazers and game-changers. The prestigious list of honorees is impressive and still growing. The organization’s Selection Committee has announced three more leaders will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame during the 57th Citrus Celebration Luncheon scheduled for March 6, 2020 at Florida Southern College in Lakeland.

The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame honors distinguished leaders who have made significant contributions to the state’s citrus industry. The Class of 2020 includes:

Dr. Frank E. Gardner (deceased) was sent from Washington, D.C. in 1940 to head up the USDA Subtropical Fruit Station in Orlando. He expanded the citrus research activities there and spent 29 years conducting research work in the areas of breeding, rootstocks, nutrition, and diseases.

Frank Gardner

He was instrumental in the establishment of the Citrus Research Foundation Farm, which houses a wide variety of propagation material and was among the first to establish large scale systematic rootstock. He was President of the Florida State Horticultural Society (FSHS) and received its highest honor — an honorary lifetime membership — for his accomplishments. In addition, he was a member of numerous national scientific and honor societies and authored numerous papers on rootstocks, hormones, fertilization, and breeding, presenting 22 papers to the FSHS alone.

John M. Kennedy, Sr. (deceased) worked with Golden Gem Growers, one of the largest citrus cooperatives in the U.S., as VP, Director of Grove Services for 44 years before his retirement in 1996.

John Kennedy

During his lifetime in citrus, he was a leader and active participant in numerous citrus organizations including the Production Managers Association, Florida Citrus Mutual, Florida Citrus Hall of Fame, FSHS, Lake County Farm Bureau, and numerous industry committees and task forces. When not managing Golden Gem’s 17,000 citrus acre portfolio and serving the cooperative’s 400 growers, Kennedy was a leader in the Kiwanis Club, the PTA, Boy Scouts, his local Elks Lodge, Lake County Boys Ranch, his church, Pine Meadows Golf and Country Club, and more.

Karick A. Price, Sr. (deceased) entered the citrus business in 1957 buying, selling, and harvesting fruit as an owner and Director of T & G Harvesting Company. In 1962, he took over as president of T & G Groves, a partnership which he increased to more than 2,000 acres of groves in Lake and St Lucie Counties. He was Farmer of the Year in 1968 and was appointed to three terms as Director of the Indian River Grapefruit Committee by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.

Karick Price

He served on the Florida Citrus Commission from 1971-1981 and chaired the Public Relations and Institutional Committees, where he was a strong proponent of The Florida Sunshine Tree symbol and 100% Florida Orange Juice. He also was a Director /Member of the Citrus Associates of the New York Cotton Exchange and traded the second contract for FCOJ contract when trading first began in 1966. In 1974, Price chaired the Pool Drafting Committee working on a marketing order to implement The FCOJ Pooling Act of Florida which, if approved, would have set up the mechanics for averting flooding the FCOJ market in times of surplus crops, how it would be warehoused and how it would be sold out of storage.

For more information about the latest inductees and/or about the 57th Citrus Celebration luncheon, visit FloridaCitrusHallofFame.com.

Hello all, Emily here. There seems to be more and more Christmas activities that are planned in Paris each year, so David asked me to put together a selection of my family’s favorites.  Our tree is already up and wherever you are in the world – we’re wishing you a happy holiday season!

Things to do in Paris at Christmas

Without the celebration (and decorations) of Halloween or Thanksgiving in Paris, it is easy to forget the rapid approach of Christmas in France. Decorations don’t tend to go up as in Paris, as they do elsewhere, but when they do arrive, it’s often overnight, and with style. By December 1st, you’ll never be far away from a vendor selling fresh, pine-scented Christmas trees. Wine shops, épicieries (specialty food stores), butchers, and pâtisseries are filled with champagne, gibiers (game), foie gras, macarons, chocolates, and marron glacés (candied chestnuts), as locals stock up for the feasts ahead.

The French observe many wonderful traditions over the festive period with a strong focus on the family, taking time to reconnect with them, as well as close friends, during the break. Below is a selection of things my family enjoys during the festive season. I would love to know what your favorite festive Paris experiences are in the comments.

– Emily

1. Christmas Lights

There are wonderful Christmas lights strung up all over Paris but as far as department store windows go, the ones at Galeries Lafayette never fail to disappoint. We will be heading there to visit Santa later this month, who’s installed himself on the 5th floor. My favorite lights, however, are the floating Christmas trees at Le Bon Marché. Incredibly chic, and less-crowded, they’re the perfect excuse to visit the La Grande Épicerie for all your Christmas food treats. The pâtisserie section here is amazing and you can pick up almost anything, from a chestnut stuffed guinea fowl to an extravagant Bûche de Noël (yule log), in addition to all the regional French cheeses you can carry.

2. Ice Skating

There is no shortage of ice-skating rinks across Paris in winter, from the biggest rink in the world, to skating at some of the outdoor Christmas fairs. This year however the bar has been raised – literally. At Galeries Lafayette and on top of La Grande Arche at La Defense, you can skate above the skyline on top of the arch, which anchors the west end of Paris and (if you are as wobbly as I am on skates) feel safe knowing that the view is the real star of the show. Over in the ‘Paris fantasy’ department, the Katara Suite at the Peninsula Hotel will feature an ice rink on its private rooftop terrace…which can be yours from €18,000 per night! The one at the Galeries Lafayette, however, is free.

3. Concert Series at Sainte-Chappelle

With some of the most impressive stained glass windows in the world, Sainte-Chapelle is a hidden gem tucked away behind the Palais de Justice (Courts of Justice). It’s so hidden, in fact, that it took me over 4 years to visit. (And it’s only a 5-minute walk from my apartment.) It is difficult to accurately describe how magnificent the windows are, which stretch from not far from the floor, to right up to the ceiling, and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do. During my first visit, I was delighted to see that they hold charming classical music concerts regularly, in such a beautiful space. Further information can be found here and you can make a reservation here. 

Tip: I usually buy tickets at the little ticket office to the left of the chapel a few days in advance. 

4. Champagne Tasting

I am a big fan of a cruise up and down the Seine on the big flat tourist boats (as any friend who’s come to stay with me will attest) and think it is the perfect way to see many of Paris’ famous landmarks. French company Ô-Chateau offers a 1-hour champagne cruise, where you can sit in the huge bay windows at the front of the boat, as it departs by the Eiffel Tower, and taste 3 different champagnes under the guidance of an English-speaking sommelier. This cruise is available to book all year but as champagne is so closely tied to French holidays and fêtes, it feels extra special to do it with friends, or loved ones, over the holidays. 

More information available here.

5. Hot Chocolate from Angelina

Angelina is famous for its chocolat chaud à l’ancienne (old-fashioned hot chocolate), so rich and thick they serve it with a glass of water, for novices. The café on rue de Rivoli is a truly elegant experience, but it’s often crowded with a long queue snaking out the door. Locals who want a festive fix know to grab a take-away cup outside, which you can take with you on a frosty walk through the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries, just across the street. If you are lucky you may even get some snow!

6. Christmas Fair in the Jardin des Tuileries

Those who want to pile on the festive cheer can follow up with a mulled wine, which is available at many cafés across Paris at this time of year, but also at the Christmas market in the Jardin des Tuileries. Open until January 5th, there are rides, gifts (French craftsmen and designers from Paris’ Chamber of Commerce perform demonstrations), roasted chestnuts and other winter delights. There are Christmas markets all across Paris but this one is our preference as it’s in a park with lots of leeway for strollers and kids to run around. It takes place every day, beginning at 11am. 

7. Indulge in Festive Food

There are numerous places to eat fondue in Paris but for the extra-cozy mountain vibe head to Brasserie Auteuil (78 rue d’Auteuil, 75016 Paris). For the second year in a row the Brasserie has transformed its rooftop into a temporary ski resort. Winter themed cocktails, a ski gondola and ice-skating await, with fondue on Thursday nights. Or you can make Swiss fondue at home with David’s recipe, if you just want to snuggle up and stay home.

And until March 2020, you can dine under a Bulle Parisienne (Parisian Bubble) on the terrace on the Eiffel Tower’s first floor. The ephemeral, transparent dome can accommodate 80 people and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or wine-tastings. These tastings are complemented by the exhibition of a temporary wine cellar next to the dome. Grapes from a vineyard near Paris are vinified there, at a height of 187 feet (57 meters). Take the opportunity to discover the authentic facilities – tanks, barrels, and casks – necessary to make wine, as well as learn about the different techniques and stages of winemaking.

More information available here.

8. Oysters

All over Paris in December until after Réveillon (New Year’s Eve), oyster vendors pop up on street corners and sell fresh huîtres (oysters) either to eat then and there, by the dozen (or kilo), or in little wooden crates to take home. At certain places, they’ll even open oysters for you, in case you want to bring them back to your place for a snack. Oysters are traditional for both Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with half of all French oysters consumed over this short period. (Note that at many outdoor markets in the winter, oyster vendors sell reasonably-priced plates of a half-dozen freshly shucked huitres with a lemon wedge and a glass of brisk, cold white wine alongside.) I have fond memories of discovering the tradition of fresh oysters in France and return each year to the Marché couvert des Enfants Rouges to pick up our oysters for entertaining over the festive season.

9. Light Festival

Until January 19th, the Jardin de Plantes (well worth a visit any time of year) will again be illuminated by colorful lanterns and incredible giant luminous sculptures. Not specifically Christmas-themed (unless flamingos are usual Christmas decor where you live?) but a really wonderful experience. In 2019 the theme is ‘The Wonders of the Oceans’ and as you wander the pathways of the Garden and the ménagerie (with the natural soundtrack of the zoo animals’ nocturnal sounds), as an ecological gesture, your attention will also be drawn to the fragility of our oceans.

Booking in advance is absolutely necessary and can be done here.

10. Donate to Charity

We strive each year to cut back on unnecessary excess over the holiday season and also donate annually to this charity. The Restaurants du Cœur (literally Restaurants of the Heart, but meaning Restaurants of Love), commonly known as the Restos du Cœur, is a French charity set up by beloved comedian Coluche in 1985. They distribute food packages and hot meals to the homeless, those with low incomes, and others in need. The association also helps people to find housing and supports similar projects. The goal of the founders was to give away 2,000 to 3,000 meals per day. 8.5 million meals were distributed during the first winter when the organization began their mission, and in 2018, 130 million meals were served. 

And if you’re looking for some more Christmas ideas…

– Christmas in Paris (Conde Nast Traveler)

– Where to Eat in Paris on Christmas (HIP Paris)

– Paris Restaurants Open During the Holidays (Paris by Mouth)

– Noel in Paris (David Lebovitz)

– Christmas in Paris (Secrets of Paris)

– Ice Skating in Paris (Discover Walks)

– Christmas Markets in Paris (Paris Info)

– Christmas and New Year in Paris (Paris Info)