Producer Perspective: Alabama Peach Grower Discusses This Year’s Crop

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Most of Alabama’s peach farmers felt the sting of an early spring freeze event. It wiped out much of the state’s early varieties, including some on Mike Reeves’ farm in Hartselle, Alabama. “We got hurt by the freeze on our early varieties and our late varieties but most of our mid-season varieties are in pretty good shape,” …

Sweet Grown Alabama Farm to Table Dinner Scheduled for Aug. 13

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Sweet Grown Alabama’s next big event will involve specialty crop growers and industry leaders from across the state. The organization’s sixth annual Farm to Table dinner is slated for Thursday, Aug. 13 at Lazenby Farms in Auburn, Alabama. Aisling Walding, Assistant Director of Sweet Grown Alabama, discussed the event, which will be held from 6:30 p.m. to …

Sweet Grown Alabama Hosts Farmers Market in Conjunction with Tomato Sandwich Lunch

Clint ThompsonAlabama

Sweet Grown Alabama hosted a pop-up farmers market on Wednesday, June 24, in conjunction with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ Annual Tomato Sandwich Lunch at the Ed Teague Arena in Montgomery. The market featured Sweet Grown Alabama members from across the state offering a variety of fresh, local products, including seasonal produce, value-added goods and specialty food items. …

Alabama Pumpkin Growers Need Dry Weather to Plant This Year’s Crop

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson North Alabama is one of the few areas in the Southeast not suffering through drought conditions anymore. But the increased rainfall in recent weeks has caused concern for the region’s pumpkin growers looking to plant this year’s crop. Eric Schavey, regional Extension agent in Northeast Alabama, talked about the challenge facing his area’s pumpkin farmers. “We could …

Early-Season Peaches Lacking in Central Alabama

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Like in most areas in the Southeast, Central Alabama’s peach crop was impacted by freezing temperatures in mid-March. It wiped out early peach varieties, according to David Lawrence, regional Extension agent in central Alabama. That has changed since, however. “We didn’t have a great early season or early crop. A lot of our mid-season varieties are coming. …

Diverse Crops, Marketing Channels Yield Success for Alabama Grower

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Alabama farmer Taylor Hatchett’s diverse approach in what she grows and how she markets her crop is a reason why Boozer Farms remains a successful farming operation in Chilton County. Some may connect Hatchett and Boozer Farms with the place to get strawberries; or blueberries; or vegetables. No matter what consumers come to purchase at Boozer Farms, …

Alabama

Minimal Citrus Production Remains in South Alabama

Dan CooperAlabama

South Alabama’s citrus production is nearly non-existent. The 2025 snow event made sure of that. One of the few remaining producers is Craig Goolsby, with Silverhill Satsumas in Baldwin County. Goolsby recently added trees to his citrus operation, but that is far from the norm for Alabama citrus growers. According to Goolsby, state plant protection inspectors were recently making the …

Alabama Peach Grower: We’re Lucky to Have Anything At All

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Alabama’s peach crop is far below what some growers are accustomed to. But many producers are thankful just to have a crop, says Alabama farmer Jeremy Calvert. A mid-March freeze event froze out some of the state’s peaches. “Peaches, I think, can be safely said for the state of Alabama, they’re pretty good. There’s probably something like …

Annual Conference Highlights Impact of Alabama Extension Master Gardener Volunteers

Clint ThompsonAlabama

AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala.—The Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the Alabama Master Gardeners Association recently welcomed hundreds of volunteers and horticulture educators to Huntsville, Ala., for the 2026 Alabama Master Gardeners Association Annual Conference. Hosted by the Master Gardener associations of Limestone, Madison and Morgan counties, the event highlighted the important role of Extension Master Gardener volunteers as Extension educators. Kerry …

Extreme Drought Conditions Challenging Southeast Alabama

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Scattered rains last weekend in Southeast Alabama were a welcomed sight for producers. But considering the drought’s impact in the region, growers need those rains to continue. “Right along the Houston-Geneva County, the southern parts of the county along the state line, it’s mighty dry,” said Neil Kelly, Alabama regional Extension agent in Southeast Alabama. Almost all …