By Clint Thompson Alabama fruit and vegetable farmer John Aplin has experienced a 500% increase in his strawberry customers this year. He believes it’s due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its effect on people’s buying habits. “I know that we all didn’t get a 300, 400 or 500% increase in people who buy fresh fruits and vegetables this year,” …
Specialty-Type Melons Under the Microscope in Alabama
By Clint Thompson Alabama produce farmers may soon have more options to choose from. This is due to ongoing research from Alabama Extension vegetable specialist Joe Kemble. Kemble is researching a melon trial this year that encompasses everything but watermelons and cantaloupes. It’s an expansion upon last year’s trial. He hopes to present relevant date at the annual Fruit and …
UGA Extension, Georgia Department of Agriculture seek to help farmers get produce to public
By Maria M. Lameiras for CAES News Georgia farmers and agricultural producers eager to sell fresh produce and other products are being connected with consumers and other buyers who need their products through a new partnership between University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Georgia Grown program. Because of disruptions to the industry triggered by the …
North Carolina Extension Seeks Help With Survey
North Carolina Cooperative Extension seeks help from farmers with a short survey. As producers fill out the survey, it will help Extension assess the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the specialty crop (fruit and vegetable) and agritourism industry in North Carolina. The survey will help shape Extension’s response. N.C. State IRB approved the survey. Also, Extension specialists in the …
Georgia Farmer Thinking Inside the Box
By Clint Thompson One South Georgia farmer is thinking inside the box when it comes to moving this year’s fruit and vegetable crop. Like his brethren in Florida, Bill Brim’s farming operation has been impacted by the orders of self-quarantine amid the current coronavirus pandemic. The lack of a foodservice market led to a sharp decline in demand for fresh …
Food Safety a Top Priority in Alabama Produce Industry
By Katie Nichols, Communications Specialist/Alabama Cooperative Extension System AUBURN University, Ala. – With Alabama’s growing season in full swing, produce growers are working to ensure continuing food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC, USDA and FDA agree that there is no indication the virus can infect consumers through food or food packaging. Good Agricultural Practices Alabama Extension food safety …
South Carolina Hopeful for Productive Fruit and Vegetable Season
By Clint Thompson The current coronavirus pandemic has impacted fruit and vegetable farmers across the Southeast. South Carolina producers may be better equipped to deal with the current crisis based off who their normal clientele is. “I think everyone here is looking at Florida and is not liking what we see down there but hoping that our situation is a …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Highlights $522 Million in COVID-19 Crop Losses and Importance of Agriculture Aid
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) released the Florida Seasonal Crop COVID-19 Impact Assessment, a new report providing data on crop losses facing Florida farmers. Based on figures reported by growers, total crop losses across the state through mid-April 2020 may exceed $522.5 million. Florida is the nation’s second-largest producer of seasonal specialty …
West: Hope to be Stabilizing Influence During Time of Uncertainty
By Clint Thompson Effective July 1, the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) will have a familiar face to serve as interim dean. Joe West, who recently retired as assistant dean from the UGA Tifton campus, just hopes he can be a stabilizing influence during a time of uncertainty in the Ag industry in Georgia. …
Why Are the Grocery Store Shelves Empty?
By Gopinath (Gopi) Munisamy for UGA CAES News While all industries have been seriously affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, food and agriculture have been among the hardest hit segments of the U.S. economy. The primary reason lies in the composition of household food expenditures. The impacts of the pandemic appear to vary by commodity based on two critical issues: perishability and …