Excessive rains in February continue to impact South Georgia vegetable producers who are trying to plant this year’s crop. Some fields are still too soggy to apply fumigation, a necessary component of vegetable production in how it controls nematodes and other diseases like fusarium. Farmers are faced with the difficult decision that could impact yields come harvest season: Apply fumigation …
QLA Deadline: Pecan Producers Reminded of April 9 Date
Pecan producers still recovering from Hurricane Michael have three weeks to apply for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to extend the deadline from March 5 to April 9 allows farmers extra time to apply for a program that is assisting producers who suffered crop quality losses due to qualifying natural disasters in the …
South Florida Thrips Update
Various thrips species are causing problems for South Florida vegetable producers. According to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, strawberry farmers have dealt with chili thrips all season in the Manatee Ruskin area. They are also showing up in pepper. In the Miami-Dade County area, melon thrips are increasing in populations in various crops. Along the east coast, western …
Whitefly Infestations: Pest Numbers Increasing in South Florida
Whitefly infestations continue to increase in vegetable fields in Southwest Florida. According to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, tomato fields have been greatly impacted. Adult whiteflies are swarming young cucurbit plants, especially those transplants that have just been planted in the ground and those direct seeded crops. Growers and scouts report that whitefly pressure is increasing in some …
Mummified: Blueberry Growers Watch Out for Fungal Disease
South Georgia blueberry producers need to be wary of mummy berry disease. University of Georgia Extension advises growers to initiate sprays for the disease to protect plants that are vulnerable. “Growers usually know around green tip, when new leaves are developing and then through bloom, they need to be putting out effective fungicides for control of mummy berry,” said Jonathan …
Record Keeping: Producers Encouraged to Keep Track of Crops’ Productivity
Proper record keeping is a management practice that all farmers need to be utilizing. It can save producers time and money when deciding what to grow for the upcoming season. Jessie Boswell, Alabama Regional Extension agent, believes producers will benefit financially if they keep annual records of how productive their crops are. This is especially true for growers who produce …
Florida Farmer: I’ve Got a Bad Taste in My Mouth for Mexico
Count Kim Jamerson as another Florida vegetable producer who is being negatively impacted by imports from Mexico. “I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth for Mexico,” said Jamerson in Fort Myers, Florida. She farms approximately 1,280 acres of produce in south Florida, including eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber and green pepper. Jamerson struggles to keep pace with Mexican imports …
Heritage Orchard Reclaiming Georgia’s Forgotten Apples
By Michael Terrazas for CAES News The names tick off like racehorses or colors from some fancy catalog: Carolina Red June, Duchess of Oldenburg, Hewe’s Crab and Rabun Bald, Limbertwig and Nickajack and Parks’ Pippin and many more. They’re apples, hundreds of varieties that thrived in orchards across North Georgia a century ago, before an evolving apple industry swept them …
Statistically Speaking: Data Supports Mexican Imports’ Impact on Florida
Florida producers have been protesting Mexican imports and the devastating impact they’re having on market prices for years. But just how bad have imports from Mexico been in several key commodities? University of Florida Associate Professor Zhengfei Guan describes in a webinar how much imports have risen in the last two decades. Strawberries “In 2000, strawberry imports from Mexico were …
Final Rule: Changes to Hemp Production Go Into Effect March 22
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Hemp Production Program’s Final Rule will go into effect March 22. Some of the key provisions include raising the negligence threshold from 0.5% to 1% and limits the maximum number of negligent violations that a producer can receive in a growing season to one. Also, the normal 15-day window to collect samples before harvest has …