The Georgia Department of Agriculture expands trade efforts. (GDA) — More than 51,000 pounds of Georgia pecans are headed to Taiwan and are expected to enter retail stores by mid-December. The pecan purchase from a grower in Ocilla, Georgia, is a direct result of bilateral trade efforts between Georgia and Taiwan. During October, Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black joined representatives from the …
Disaster Areas Declared in Georgia Due to Drought
Emergency Support to Producers in Surrounding Counties/Border States Also Available (USDA/FSA) — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 13 Georgia counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Barrow, Clarke, Dade, Greene, Hancock, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Taliaferro, Walker, Walton and Warren who suffered losses due to recent drought may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency …
Evaluating Methods to Reduce Runoff in Blueberry Beds
By Gary L. Hawkins Water and nutrients are needed items for plant growth, and blueberries are no different. However, when nutrients leach below the root zone that is a loss for the farmer. Where water tables are high and farmers use subsurface tile drains to remove excess water, mobile nutrients such as nitrogen in the form of nitrate can cause …
Postharvest Practices Necessary for Peach Trees During Drought
By Karla Arboleda According to Extension faculty at the University of Georgia (UGA), peach growers need to continue to water their trees after harvest to avoid negative effects from the ongoing drought. Dario Chavez, an assistant professor in peach research and Extension at UGA, said there is still a lack of water in areas throughout Georgia. GEORGIA DROUGHT Since at …
FFVA President Discusses Updates on Labor Reform, USMCA
By Karla Arboleda Mike Joyner, president of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA), spoke to specialty crop growers about efforts toward labor reform and the current draft of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). LABOR REFORM While meeting with members of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association, Joyner talked about the Farm Workforce Modernization Act that was introduced on Oct. 30. …
New UGA Entomologist Studies Food Safety, Farming Systems
By Karla Arboleda At the University of Georgia (UGA), research on birds and bacteria may contribute to food safety and farming systems. That’s what Bill Snyder, a professor of agro-ecology at UGA, hopes to accomplish in his latest position. After spending 20 years in the Northwest, where he worked on natural approaches to pest control, Snyder will continue to pursue …
USDA Grants $3.2 Million Toward Whitefly Research
By Karla Arboleda After years of growers experiencing problems with whiteflies in vegetable crops, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will fund $3.2 million toward whitefly research. The grant will fund research at the University of Georgia (UGA), Fort Valley State University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service in South Carolina. Bhabesh Dutta, a vegetable Extension pathologist at UGA-Tifton, shared …
Webinars to Focus on Food-Safety Crisis Communications
By Karla Arboleda The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) and the United Fresh Produce Association have teamed up to host a webinar series on how producers can prepare to handle a food-safety crisis. The Crisis Communications Webinar Series hosted and led by several crisis management experts from Washington, D.C., will cover what aspects to consider when encountering events …
Florida Producers Escape Some of Dorian’s Devastation
Hurricane Dorian turned out to be a storm full of surprising twists and turns. What was once supposed to decimate Florida’s east coast as a category four storm stayed hundreds of miles off land and continues to move up the Atlantic coast. Florida lucked out with Dorian since the storm shifted gears over Labor Day weekend. As for Florida, reports …
Keeping an Eye on Dorian
Update Sept. 3, 2019: After being stalled over the Bahamas for the majority of the holiday weekend, Hurricane Dorian is expected to start moving north today, still staying off the east coast of Florida. Gary England from the University of Florida released another update this morning about how the storm may impact northeast Florida as it slowly starts heading north: …