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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Specialty Crop Grower Magazine”
By Zippy Duvall In my family, as I’m sure for many of you, fall means harvest season and football season. Where I’m from, you can’t help but be a Georgia Bulldog fan. No matter who you root for, though, you want a fair game where each team has the opportunity to win. But imagine for a moment what would happen …
By Clint Thompson and Frank Giles The fall of 2024 will not soon be forgotten by specialty crop growers in the Southeast after Hurricanes Helene and Milton roared ashore bringing far-reaching impacts to crops and infrastructure. While the true fallout of the storms will take months to realize, early reports show the level of damage growers are dealing with in …
By Frank Giles Invasive pests are a particular problem for specialty crop growers in the Southeast. Insects find their way through various ports of entry, and the region’s climate is often conducive to their survival and reproduction. A relatively new pest that is on the move and has growers and the research community on notice is Thrips parvispinus. The pest …
By Frank Giles What would you do if your farm’s name was splashed across headlines nationwide in association with a food-borne illness outbreak? That’s a scary question some specialty crop growers have had to answer. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which was signed into law in 2011, was largely driven by food-borne illness outbreaks associated with produce. Some of …
By Frank Giles This fall, specialty crop growers in parts of the Southeast have been rocked by hurricanes that destroyed crops and disrupted operations. Growers have had to learn to live with Mother Nature for as long as farming has been around. Sometimes the weather hurts and sometimes it helps. You must carry on despite her whims. But another factor …
By Frank Giles Specialty crop growers might have heard about the Mind Your Melon mental health awareness campaign as it has gained more attention in recent years. Marshal Sewell and his wife Taylor officially launched Mind Your Melon in May of 2022 during Mental Health Awareness Month. Movement Takes Shape Mental health has been a passion for Sewell since 2007 …
By Kasey Cronquist The blueberry industry has experienced remarkable growth over the past few years. This has been driven by a united marketing effort to increase demand, improvements in the consistency of year-round supply, and advances in genetics, post-harvest technologies and agricultural practices. The team at the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) and the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) is …
By Frank Giles There has been a lot of activity in the past couple of years surrounding the H-2A visa program for agricultural workers. The wage-rate has skyrocketed, and a new final rule, titled Improving Protection for Workers in Temporary Agricultural Employment in the United States, is causing more regulatory heartburn for growers. The rule was published in June and …
By Frank Giles The Southeast has become a major production area for blueberries, thanks to strong breeding programs at land grant universities in key states. Here’s a look at several popular, new and under-development varieties from those breeding programs. University of Florida/Breeding Team Lead: Patricio Munoz Sentinel Sentinel is a vigorous, early-season, high-yielding cultivar with no known disease issues, although …
By Frank Giles Among the critical elements in blueberry production are pollination and crop protection materials. Managing how those two interact is important to ensure pollinators like honey bees are protected. Recently, Rachel Mallinger, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor of pollinator ecology and conservation, published a paper on managing pesticide applications during …
