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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Georgia”
By Clint Thompson The 2025 Georgia State Legislative Session continues to highlight areas of concern for Georgia’s specialty crop industry. One bill centers on labor. House Bill 82, also known as the Georgia Guest Worker Act, was the focus of a recent hearing for the House Industry and Labor Committee. Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) President Will Bentley discussed the bill …
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s connections to the Trump administration provides hope to one Georgia vegetable producer that legislative leaders will provide solutions to their plethora of problems. Doug Collins was recently confirmed as Trump’s Veterans Affairs secretary. He is a Georgia native and previously served in the Georgia and U.S. House of Representatives. Kelly Loeffler was Trump’s nominee to lead …
By Clint Thompson Chris Tyson, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension area onion agent, is optimistic about this year’s Vidalia onion crop halfway through the season. That optimism speaks volumes considering the weather challenges that have threatened production this year. “We’ve had several obstacles in our way this year. First was Hurricane Helene which caused some plant losses and stand losses …
By Clint Thompson The amended budget for Georgia’s ’25 fiscal year is currently under review by the state Senate. It is expected to vote on the budget soon, believes Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) President Will Bentley. Bentley discussed the budget situation as the 2025 Georgia State Legislative Session continues in Atlanta. “The House added, I believe, an additional $25 million …
By Clint Thompson University of Georgia research in Vidalia onions has yielded a new approach to planting the crop. Ted McAvoy, University of Georgia Extension vegetable specialist, wants growers to maximize their area to produce more plants per acre. Because of the threshold of the recommended spacing between plants, McAvoy offered an alternative method. “Most all of the work that’s …
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s grape vines were mostly dormant amid sub-freezing temperatures experienced in January. That benefited the state’s producers when temperatures plunged last month, according to Sarah Lowder, University of Georgia (UGA) viticulture Extension specialist. “One of the benefits of this year compared to previous years is that the vines were able to go into dormancy. They were fully …
By Clint Thompson The 2025 Georgia State Legislative Session continues to focus on topics pertinent to Georgia’s specialty crop industry. Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) President Will Bentley highlighted a few important pieces of legislation, starting with the Conservation Use Valuation Assessment (CUVA). “There have been a lot of bills moving around the Capitol these past two weeks dealing with agriculture …
By Clint Thompson Downy mildew remains the biggest disease concern for Georgia’s Vidalia onion farmers. It won’t be long before producers must protect their year’s investment, says University of Georgia Extension Vegetable Plant Pathologist Bhabesh Dutta. “This disease is so aggressive and can damage the crop so fast, all of these programs need to be initiated right (in late February). …
By Clint Thompson Chill hours are no longer a concern for fruit tree growers across the Southeast. The main worry now is with potential late-season freeze events following recent warming temperatures, according to Pam Knox, University of Georgia Extension agricultural climatologist. “I would say probably right now the fruit farmers are the No. 1 concern that I have because they’ve …
By Clint Thompson Timing remains a vital part of San Jose scale management for peach producers in the Southeast. Brett Blaauw, assistant professor at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, outlined the approach growers must take if they are going to successfully manage this pest. “Getting a good delayed dormant spray on for the scale …
