Interest rates are low and should remain that way for the foreseeable future. Adam Rabinowitz, Assistant Professor and Extension Economist at Auburn University, says vegetable and specialty crop producers may have an opportunity to capitalize. “Interest rates are extremely low, and they are forecast to remain low. That is certainly an opportunity to where if there’s interest on any kind …
Getting to the Bottom of Blossom-End Rot
By Maria M. Lameiras for UGA CAES News Home gardeners and commercial farmers alike can attest to the disappointment of seeing a beautiful tomato ripening on a vine, only to discover that the fruit has dark, sunken pits at the blossom end of the fruit. Called blossom-end rot (BER), this physiological disorder is prevalent in fruit and vegetable crops, including …
Why are Sales of Real Christmas Trees Breaking Records This Year?
Sales of real Christmas trees are breaking records this season. Conversations with tree shoppers may reveal why. (Gary Crawford. Tim O’Connor with the National Christmas Tree Association and several intrepid tree hunters) Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New GroundNovember 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024SECURE FUNDING NOW | USDA-Sponsored Farming Project Underway in the Southern PiedmontFebruary 1, 2024
Year-End Economic Survey Now Open to Georgia Farmers
A survey is now being conducted by the University of Georgia (UGA) in an effort to get a year-end perspective of the impact of the pandemic on Georgia’s agricultural industry. The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture, Georgia Farm Bureau, Georgia Department of Agriculture and UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development are jointly sponsoring the survey. Organizers will use the data …
Pecan Harvest Season Nearing End
According to the USDA Pecan Report, growers are about 90% finished with harvesting their pecan crop this season. An estimated 50% have been sold, with the rest that are of good quality and size will be stored to sell later when prices have improved. The Pecan Report states, “Prices are about steady, and interest has increased as the push for …
Avoiding a Shutdown: H-2A Help Essential in Harvesting Crops Next Spring
The early onset of the coronavirus pandemic spelled doom for certain sectors of the agricultural industry. Restaurants shut down, unemployment rose, and suddenly, fruit and vegetable producers across the Southeast faced a decreased demand for their produce. There was also temporary concern among farmers about how suspended travel from foreign countries would impact H-2A workers trying to get in the …
U.S. Horticulture Operations Report $13.8 Billion in Sales
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8, 2020 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties report, the only source of detailed production and sales data for floriculture, nursery, and specialty crops for the entire United States. The data show that horticulture operations sold a total of $13.8 billion in floriculture, nursery and …
Congressional Support Helps Lead to Potential Investigations of Imports of Cucumbers, Squash
Congressional support of Georgia’s vegetable and specialty crop sector has helped lead to potential investigative action regarding imports of cucumbers and squash. Letters from both Georgia U.S. Senators; David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler; as well from four Georgia Congressmen; Sanford Bishop (D-GA-02), Austin Scott (R-GA-08), Buddy Carter (R-GA-01) and Rick Allen (R-GA-12), were sent to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert …
Low Pecan Prices Remain Stable for Georgia Growers
Pecan prices have been depressingly low all harvest season. But they have not dropped much more in the last month or so, according to Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist. “What I’ve been hearing, they’ve been fairly stable for the last two or three weeks. Good nuts have been selling in the range of a $1.15 to …
CFAP 2 Deadline is Dec. 11
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reminds vegetable and specialty crop producers who wish to apply to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) 2 that the deadline is Friday, Dec. 11. This program provides relief to farmers facing market disruptions and associated costs due to COVID-19. It is a program that Adam Rabinowitz, Assistant Professor and Extension Economist at Auburn University, …