By Jaci Schreckengost An update and outlook on the peach industry was presented at the 2018 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Kay Rentzel, managing director of the National Peach Council, spoke with AgNet Media following her presentation at the conference in January. She discussed topics such as promoting the peach industry and widening the scope of demographics of peach …
Post-Irma Root Rot Concerns in Georgia Peaches
Most of the nation is aware that the Florida citrus industry suffered greatly when Hurricane Irma made landfall in September 2017. The storm resulted in approximately $760 million in citrus damage. In addition, the Florida fruit and vegetable industry sustained about $180 million in loss. By the time Irma reached Georgia, it had weakened substantially, going from a hurricane to …
Florida Peach Promotion Set for a Second Year
Sonia Tighe, executive director of the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation (FSCF), is excited to be heading into the second year of a two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to market Florida peaches. The grant was awarded to FSCF to work in collaboration with the Fresh from Florida program. After seeing great results from last year’s marketing efforts, Tighe …
Cold Snap Threatens Georgia Peaches
A warm February and unexpected cold snap could mean trouble for Georgia peaches. Dario Chavez, assistant professor and peach research Extension specialist at the University of Georgia, says although concrete data has not yet been collected, damage was done. Chavez says that early varieties of peaches were pretty developed before the cold snaps within the first couple weeks of March. …
Hydrogen Cyanamide for Low-Chill Peaches in Florida
By Tripti Vashisth and Mercy Olmstead Interest in Florida peach production remains steady, with approximately 2,000 acres in the state. Florida peach growers have a number of advantages: 1) Early flowering and fruit set result in the ability to harvest fruit earlier in the domestic market window, yielding higher economic returns. 2) Recent surveys show that consumers prefer local produce, …
Georgia Peach Outlook Uncertain
Last year’s low-chill issues, combined with cold weather this year, could affect Georgia peach crops in 2018. Phil Brannen, professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Georgia (UGA), gave an outlook for the peach season. Issues from 2017 have the possibility to carry over into this season and affect the crops. Many growers did not follow all the way through with …