Pure Speculation: Hard to Estimate Georgia’s Pecan Production This Year

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pecan

By Clint Thompson Pecan harvests are on the horizon for Georgia producers. How many yields the state’s pecan farmers will produce is almost impossible to estimate, says Lenny Wells, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension pecan specialist. “It’s hard to really put a number on or estimate Georgia’s pecan production at this point because of all the planting that’s taken place …

End in Sight: South Georgia Watermelon Harvests Nearing End

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Watermelon

By Clint Thompson Watermelon harvests are winding down across South Georgia. Late-season rainfall has sparked disease outbreaks in fields, says Tim Flanders, a watermelon scout. “Most of the folks I’m dealing with are beginning to wrap up. I’ve got some late watermelons that I guess they will continue to try to go for a while, but that’s just a small …

Sens. Ossoff, Rev. Warnock Pressing USDA to Promote Georgia Pecans

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pecan

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock are pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help Georgia farmers export more pecans. Both are urging the USDA to provide adequate promotional resources for marketing Georgia pecans to the global market. The inquiry comes after the USDA announced the first tranche of funding under the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program …

Tiny but Destructive: UGA Entomologist Discusses Thrips Research

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pests

By Clint Thompson Thrips management is an annual challenge for specialty crop producers. One University of Georgia Extension entomologist is hopeful a new insecticide will be registered in the fall to help manage the tiny but destructive pest. Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist, talked about his latest research pertaining to thrips management. “We do something …

Costly Year for Gummy Stem Blight Control

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Georgia, Watermelon

By Clint Thompson Gummy stem blight’s presence in North Florida watermelons this year was expensive to manage. It could be even costlier to growers’ sustainability in the future. “Are we going to start losing effectiveness of chemistry?” pondered Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. “That’s the …

Typical June: Huge Nut Drop in Desirable Pecan Variety

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pecan

By Clint Thompson An increased nut drop of one of Georgia’s older and more established pecan varieties will impact volume this year. But growers should know this is a common occurrence with Desirable varieties, says Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist. “There was a big drop of Desirables this year. Desirables always have a drop in June. This …

Sprayer Management Important for Southeast Grape Producers

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Grapes

By Clint Thompson Sprayer management is an essential part of disease management for grape producers in the Southeast. As costly as fungicides can be, growers must be as efficient as possible with their spray applications, says Sarah Lowder, University of Georgia viticulture Extension specialist. “You can’t get good disease management if you don’t have good spray coverage,” Lowder said. “Where …

GFVGA Executive Director Discusses Farm Bill Proposals

Clint ThompsonFarm Bill, Georgia

By Clint Thompson The farm bill is far from a finished product, but at least the process to finalize an important piece of legislation is underway. The House Agriculture Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee have passed frameworks of the bill. Chris Butts, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), discussed the current proposals in both frameworks …

Drought’s Impact on Southeast Pecans

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pecan

By Clint Thompson It is never an ideal time for a drought but the current prolonged dry period came at an especially bad time of the season for pecan orchards in Georgia and Alabama. The pecan development is at a time when water consumption is vital to harvests which are a couple of months away. Lenny Wells, University of Georgia …

GFVGA Executive Director: Congressional Reform Needed for H-2A Program

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Unionization among farmworkers goes against the Supreme Court ruling and is a basis for the lawsuit against the Department of Labor (DOL) by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. It also serves as added rationale that the H-2A program needs congressional reform, says Chris Butts, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA). …