By Clint Thompson Southeast strawberry growers’ first line of defense against Neopestalotiopsis is to plant clean plants. For those producers that have the disease in their fields, there are management options available, according to Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist. “Depending on the amount of infection you have, if it’s a relatively low level, you can …
Protect Citrus Trees Post-Freeze With Fungicide
By Clint Thompson Growers in the cold-hardy citrus region should consider a fungicide application following snow last week and multiple days of running irrigation for freeze irrigation. That advice comes from Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association, on the heels of historic snowfall recorded across the Southeast. “I’ve heard some people having up to 10 inches of …
Georgia’s 2024 Net Farm Income Down 42%
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s net farm income is likely to decrease 42% compared to 2023. That was the underlying message shared by Gopinath (Gopi) Munisamy, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Marketing at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, during UGA’s recent Ag Forecast event. Hurricane Helene’s lingering impact on the state remains significant with the spring …
UGA Climatologist: Winter Storm Generational Event in Southeast
By Clint Thompson The cold temperatures and historic snowfall recorded throughout the Southeast last week was a generational event, according to Pam Knox, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension agricultural climatologist. “Clearly, we don’t get these every day and it’s probably a good thing. Some of the locations set daily records for snowfall, so for them it was unusual,” Knox said. …
Uncharted Waters: Sub-Freezing Temps’ Impact on Vegetables in Southeast
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s vegetable leaders are unsure what last week’s sub-freezing temperatures and historic snowfall mean for this year’s winter greens in the field. It is not a scenario a South Georgia grower had to deal with prior to the start of last week where frigid temperatures were present for several days in a row. “We’re still not sure …
Blueberry Advisory System Helps Growers Be More Efficient in Managing Anthracnose
By Clint Thompson Blueberry growers need a more sustainable way of managing diseases. A calendar-based method requires fungicide applications that may not be necessary. The Blueberry Advisory System allows producers to be more efficient in how they manage anthracnose, a key disease growers have to manage every year. Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist, …
Ag Forecast Announcement: Kent Hamilton Named Georgia Farmer of Year
By Clint Thompson A Georgia produce grower and industry leader was named Farmer of the Year at the 2025 Georgia Ag Forecast meeting on Friday. Kent Hamilton, chief executive officer at Southern Valley, located in Norman Park, was recognized during the Ag Forecast event. He’ll later compete against other farmer of the year recipients from the Southeast for the Sunbelt …
Making Sense of Future Pesticide Applications
By Clint Thompson Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia Extension weed scientist, believes 2025 will be a pivotal year for specialty crop growers attempting to navigate the regulations surrounding pesticide implementation. It’s what he has highlighted during county grower meetings and what he stressed during the recent Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. “Everyone of us in the future, as we …
Former GFVGA Executive Director Charles Hall Passes Away
Charles Hall, the former executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), passed away on Monday, Jan. 20. He was 74. Hall has been instrumental in helping the GFVGA host one of the premier regional trade shows in the country every January during the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. He will be forever missed by those …
GFVGA Executive Vice President: Labor Expenses Have Put Farmers in a Box
By Clint Thompson Labor expenses remain the most significant barrier to Georgia specialty crop producers staying sustainable. At the current rate, the state’s fruit and vegetable growers are losing ground on sustainability. Georgia specialty crop producers have incurred a 31% increase in the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) over the past three years. The $16.08 growers are paying for AEWR …