Vegetable Crops

Vegetable production and marketing in Manatee County is a 260 million dollar industry encompassing approximately 28,000 acres and including a variety of crops. The largest acreages are devoted to tomatoes, snap beans, watermelons, cucumbers and potatoes. Other crops include pepper, cantaloupe, squash, oriental vegetables and other minor and specialty crops.

The Manatee County Extension Service, with access to the many resources of the University of Florida, provides assistance to the vegetable industry in many different subject areas. The Manatee Vegetable Newsletter is published 6 times annually and contains a calendar of scheduled programs, a list of available publications and production and pest information.

Areas of Expertise and Service to Manatee County:

• General vegetable production
• Vegetable fertilization
• Vegetable irrigation management
• Pest management
• Pesticide licensing information

Additional Information

• Good Agricultural Practices Network for Education and Training (GAPsNET). This site provides useful links, educational materials and research & extension publications on food safety topics.
• BMPs for Vegetable & Agronomic Crops - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) (82KB pdf)
• Revised Recommendations for Management of Whiteflies, Begomovirus, and Insecticide Resistance for Florida Vegetable Production (94KB pdf)
• New Tomato Burn-Down Rule (55KB pdf)
• Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Inspection Form (513KB pdf)
• Required Workplace Posters (68KB pdf) 

Manatee Vegetable Newsletter

It's full of news you can use!

• November/December 2007 (314KB pdf)
• September/October 2007 (327KB pdf)
• July/August 2007 (155KB pdf)
• May/June 2007 (165KB pdf)
• March/April 2007 (252KB pdf)
• January/February 2007 (217KB pdf)
• November/December 2006 (333KB pdf)
• September/October 2006 (133KB pdf)
• July/August 2006 (312KB pdf)
  View the insert, "Implementation Procedures for Vegetable and Agronomic Crop BMP Manual" (40KB pdf)