The November issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine highlights the impacts of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton on specialty crop production in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The two storms, separated by less than two weeks, devastated fruit and vegetable crops in Southeast Georgia, the Carolinas and most of Florida.
Helene caused an economic impact of $6.46 billion to Georgia agriculture, including a $138 million impact to pecans and $52 million impact to blueberries. Milton impacted Florida’s strawberry, blueberry, vegetable and citrus crops along with infrastructure damages.
A new thrips species is raising alarms for vegetable growers. Thrips parvispinus was first identified in the U.S. in 2020 in Florida and has since been confirmed in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences experts offered details about the insects, including what are the best control options.
A food-safety panel discussion was held at the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association’s annual convention in September. Being prepared was a key component of the discussion. Growers should practice for inspections and potential crises on their farms.
Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Congressman Sanford Bishop (GA-02) have offered the Protecting Our Produce Act legislation. It is designed to aid certain specialty crops who are impacted by unfair imports. It would impact blueberry, squash, bell pepper, cucumber and asparagus.