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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Specialty Crop Grower Magazine”
By Clint Thompson Another month of sweet corn harvests is expected in South Florida. One grower believes the favorable weather conditions contributed to strong quality and quantity in this year’s crop. “We’ve had really good weather. It’s been a little dry, but we have not had any freezes that have knocked things out. We haven’t had any floods to damage …
By Frank Giles Make Estate Planning a Top Priority Sometimes when writing this column, I will scan the internet looking for topics that could be relevant for this page. Doing just that for this month’s issue, I came across a headline that had eye-catching power. It was a write-up from American Farm Bureau Federation Associate Economist Samantha Ayoub titled “Estate …
By Clint Thompson Southeast specialty crop producers must be prepared for a potential raid or audit of their workforce amid the current crackdown by the Trump Administration in deporting those who are in the country illegally. Georgia and Florida are two of the largest users of the H-2A program, which allows U.S. employers who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring …
Mark Trimmer, president and founding partner of DunhamTrimmer, has more than 35 years of experience in research, product development, registration, technical service and technology licensing in the crop protection industry. DunhamTrimmer is a market research company focused exclusively on the global biocontrol, biostimulant, biofertilizer and crop nutrition markets. We asked Trimmer for an update of the state of the biologicals …
By Frank Giles Southeastern tomato growers largely rely on plasticulture to produce commercial-scale crops. Production practices are well established, but some growers are considering new bed designs based upon recent research. Sanjay Shukla, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor of water quality, initiated research several years ago to examine potential benefits of a new bed …
By Frank Giles Specialty crop growers have a great story to tell and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to offer consumers. From roadside stands to popular retail outlets, there’s many ways to market and sell produce. Most states provide growers with an opportunity to join their special marketing programs. This year, Specialty Crop Grower will be featuring these …
By Frank Giles and Clint Thompson Whiteflies have grown into one of the top concerns for specialty crop growers in the Southeast. The memories of the 2017 outbreak are still fresh in the minds of many who lost entire crops to the swarming clouds of the pest. According to “The 2017 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates” report compiled by Elizabeth …
The Last WordBy Kristen Searer-Jones Think of IR-4 as a cloaked superhero — often unseen but doing critical work for the specialty crop community. For over 60 years, IR-4 has developed the data required for registrations of safe, effective pest management products for specialty crop growers. Driven by growers’ priorities, IR-4’s research supports healthy harvests, economic growth, agricultural livelihoods, affordable …
Up FrontBy Frank Giles We’ve preached to the choir and shouted from the rooftops about the importance of growers being active advocates on their behalf and making their voices heard by lawmakers at local, state and federal levels. That message is always important but probably now more than ever. With the Trump administration in place and a flurry of activity …
By Frank Giles With inflated input costs and tight profit margins in recent years, some specialty crop growers have sought to diversify their businesses to generate new revenue streams and to spread risks. Agritourism has been the choice for some farms. Agritourism encompasses several categories, including you-pick, direct-to-consumer retail sales, and venue space for weddings and other events. Growers considering …
