By Maria M. Lameiras for UGA CAES News Like the moments before a race begins, dozens of staff with Georgia Grown and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension prepared to load thousands of pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables into hundreds of waiting cars and trucks stretched out in long lines at the Gwinnett Georgia Grown To Go event in Lawrenceville, …
UGA Economist: Submit Your CFAP Application Sooner Rather Than Later
By Clint Thompson University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Ag economist Adam Rabinowitz encourages farmers to submit applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) sooner rather than later. The application process for CFAP started this week. The program provides relief to American farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. When details of CFAP were announced, the first guideline for …
Deadline for Georgia Pecan Assessment Vote is May 30
By Clint Thompson All Georgia pecan growers planning to vote on this month’s one-cent per pound assessment need to have their ballots postmarked by Saturday, May 30. Georgia’s pecan farmers are voting this month to renew a one-cent per pound assessment on pecans for the Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commission for Pecans. Ballots have been sent to Georgia growers who own …
Diversification Key for Nutsedge Control in Vegetable Fields
By Clint Thompson University of Georgia Cooperative Extension weed specialist Stanley Culpepper encourages vegetable growers to diversify their management programs against nutsedge. This protects against potential resistance and provides adequate control. “In general, I would say with our guys, I’m not overly concerned because our fields with our most nutsedge, they get fumigation, they get tillage and they get herbicides,” …
Georgia Watermelon Season Kicks Off June 3
May 27, 2020 — LAGRANGE, GA – Sweet, refreshing Georgia watermelon is coming to a store near you in early June. The 2020 watermelon crop is expected to have the crisp, sweet flavor and high quality unique to Georgia watermelon. While Georgia has had a cool spring, consumers should still start seeing Georgia Grown watermelons in stores the first week …
Georgia Grown To-Go Sizzles With Local Products
By Clint Thompson The Georgia Grown To-Go program generated excitement last weekend for consumers in Marietta and provided a boost in sales for some of the state’s farmers, including Bill Brim. As part of the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s (GDA) “Buy Georgia Grown, Now More Than Ever” campaign, Georgia Grown partners with local governments to connect produce farmers directly to …
Whiteflies not yet a concern for Alabama producers
By Clint Thompson Whiteflies have already been reported in Georgia vegetables this spring. They are not yet a concern for Alabama producers, however. Extension Entomologist Ron Smith said as cotton continues to be planted in Alabama, the focus right now is managing grasshoppers and thrips. Their focus will turn to whiteflies in early July. “I knew they overwintered at some …
UGA Agriculture Faculty Produce COVID-19 Video, Materials for Farm Workers
By Maria M. Lameiras for UGA CAES News As the spring harvest approached, members of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association knew they needed assistance to provide important information about COVID-19 safety measures and food handling protocols to workers who make up the majority of the seasonal agricultural workforce, many of whom are native Spanish speakers. University of Georgia …
UGA Extension Offers Webinar on Backyard Fruit Production
By Maria M. Lameiras for UGA CAES News Home gardeners who want to expand their edible backyard bounty to include fruits are invited to participate in the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Backyard Fruits webinar series that runs through June 5. The series was born out of an idea for a short course on fruit production that was sidelined by …
Sneak Peek: June 2020 VSCNews Magazine
By Ashley Robinson Policies and regulations can impact a farmer’s ability to make a living. The 2020 Florida, Georgia and Alabama legislative sessions have officially wrapped up, and the June issue of VSCNews magazine will tell readers how agriculture fared in each state. Adam Basford, director of state legislative affairs for Florida Farm Bureau, discusses the successes and progress that …