Pushing Georgia Grown Beyond State Lines

Web AdminProduce, Top Posts, Vegetables

2019 is set to be a year of expansion for the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Grown brand. Gary Black, Georgia commissioner of agriculture, is pleased to see his department grow this year. To stretch Georgia Grown beyond the state’s border, two department employees have been moved into different positions. Sarah Cook will serve as the domestic brand …

outbreak

Looking Beyond the 2018 E. coli Outbreaks

Web AdminLeafy Vegetables, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

Food safety continues to be a hot topic in the vegetable and specialty crop industry, especially after the E. coli outbreaks in 2018. One of the commodity conferences offered at the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference was focused on food safety. The session began with a presentation by Trevor Suslow, vice president of food safety with the Produce Marketing …

Peach Pest Forecast

Web AdminPests, Top Posts

By Alison DeLoach Brett Blaauw, assistant professor and Extension specialist at the University of Georgia and Clemson University, gave his peach pest forecast for the year during his presentation at the recent Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Regarding San Jose scale, Blaauw expects  a tough year for growers. He said this winter has been relatively warm, creating a good …

Tickets Available for the Florida Ag Hall of Fame Banquet

Web AdminTop Posts

The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet is quickly approaching. Ray Hodge, president of the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation, is encouraging industry members to purchase tickets as he expects a big crowd at this year’s event. According to Hodge, the four inductees for 2019 have been great representations of Florida agriculture. “This year’s class is very diverse, but …

Science Could Lead to Longer-Lasting Fruits and Vegetables

Web AdminResearch, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Jenelle Patterson We’d all like to slow the hands of time and stay young forever, and scientists have been trying for centuries to figure out what causes aging. Research into human aging has now identified some causes, but can this information be applied to horticultural crops? Here, we will explore how these two fields synergize and how combining them …

Florida Legislators Discuss Ag Issues

Web AdminLegislative, Top Posts

By Gary Cooper Red tide, blue-green algae, hemp and hurricanes were among the items discussed in recent days during legislative committee meetings in Tallahassee, Florida. Lawmakers and state officials are getting down to business and looking forward to the start of the legislative session in early March. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried on Tuesday gave senate agriculture committee members a status …

State Block Grants Needed for 2018 Hurricane Recovery

Web AdminLegislative, Top Posts, Weather

The 2018 hurricanes cost several southeastern growers millions of dollars in lost production. Now, those growers are looking for federal dollars to help them recoup their losses from hurricanes like Florence and Michael. However, according to Robert Redding, an agricultural lobbyist in Washington, D.C., grants on the state level are imperative for vegetable and specialty crop growers. Redding believes growers …

Sneak Peek: February VSCNews Magazine

Web AdminSneak peek, Top Posts

Hemp has been a hot topic in the vegetable and specialty crop industry, however there is still much to figure out regarding production practices and opportunities for southeastern growers. The February issue of VSCNews magazine will discuss the hype on hemp. In an article written by AgNet Media’s Abbey Taylor and Ernie Neff, readers will learn about the crop and …

Peach Pruning Improves San Jose Scale Control

Web AdminPeaches, Stone Fruit, Top Posts

By Alison DeLoach Recent research has shown that pruning peach trees can help growers reduce pests in their orchards. One pest in particular, San Jose scale, can cause difficulties for growers, including branch die back, and can ultimately lead to tree death if left untreated. Brett Blaauw, an assistant professor and Extension specialist at the University of Georgia and Clemson …

Rotating Organic Insecticides

Web AdminOrganic, Top Posts, Vegetables

Rotating insecticides is key for organic growers. According to Ayanava Majumdar, Extension entomologist with Auburn University, if growers do not rotate their insecticides, they run the risk of harming natural enemies. Majumdar has been testing organic insecticide rotations in Alabama over the past six years. He noticed that using one insecticide did not work very well against high populations of …