Sneak Peek: August 2026 Specialty Crop Grower Magazine

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Georgia

In this month’s sneak peek, the August issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine highlights the skyrocketing input costs that are impacting day-to-day farming operations. Various growers across the Southeast spoke up about the costs, relating to diesel, fertilizer and pesticide use. Those growers included Kent Hamilton and Jessica Kirk from Georgia and Tony DiMare from Florida, who said he has …

Vidalia Onion Update Scheduled for Aug. 20

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

Vidalia onion producers and industry leaders should mark their calendars for next month’s Vidalia Onion Update, scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center in Lyons, Georgia. The event will start at 10 a.m. and concluded at noon. The agenda for the event will include talks on variety evaluation, disease management, a precision agriculture update …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Technology Conference Takes Glimpse Into the Future

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to enhance the agricultural landscape. How specialty crop producers farm today may look different from how they farm five years from now. The potential future of specialty crop production in the Southeast was on display during the Southeastern Specialty Crop Technology Conference & Show in Tifton, Georgia, in early May. Ag companies and …

North Georgia Farmer Discusses Pumpkin Production in Southeast

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Pumpkin production season is officially under way in North Georgia. Producer Drew Echols, owner of Jaemor Farms in Alto, Georgia, has about 130 acres this year. He talked about his pumpkin crop in an interview with AgNet Media. “Most everything’s been in the ground about two weeks, and they’re up about 10 inches tall already,” Echols said. …

Whiteflies Showing Up Sooner Than Expected

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson One familiar insect pest is starting to rear its ugly head this summer. Unfortunately, its arrival is earlier than expected. But that’s the grim scenario facing vegetable farmers preparing for their fall crops. Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension vegetable entomologist, said whiteflies have started showing up in cotton, according to conversations he has had with …

Drought Monitor Update

Clint ThompsonAlabama, Florida, Georgia

The July 16 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor shows lingering drought conditions in the southern and northern areas of Georgia, sufficient moisture throughout most of Alabama and extreme conditions in North Florida and down the state’s west coast. Alabama The driest areas in Alabama are located in the northern parts of the state. Moderate drought is observed in Northwest …

Bumper Satsuma Crop Expected in Cold-Hardy Citrus Region in 2026

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson This year’s satsuma mandarin crop in the cold-hardy citrus region is expected to be an abundant one; bumper even, according to Lindy Savelle, citrus producer and executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association. “We’re going to have another 2024. Bumper. It’s going to be a lot,” Savelle said. “But I’m excited. You know, we’re trying to do …

Anthracnose Development a Concern for Southeast Pecan Producers

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Scab is not the only disease impacting pecan orchards in the Southeast this summer. According to Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist, anthracnose has been observed on some pecan leaves this year. “We’ve had a few calls on that this year and did get confirmed in the diagnostic lab that it was anthracnose because there’s …

Cost-Saving Tactic: Pecan Producers May Delay Fertilizer Applications

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pecan

By Clint Thompson Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist, reminds pecan producers that fertilizer applications are necessary but can be delayed. Wells noted in the UGA Extension Pecan Blog that growers who consider making a second nitrogen application, that process can be done anytime from now through August. The second application will be mostly helping the tree for …