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By Clint Thompson Drought remains a concern for states across the Southeast, even amid recent rainfall. This is especially seen in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. According to the most recent release of the U.S. Drought Monitor, all of South Georgia is either abnormally dry or moderately dry. The driest part of the state remains in the southwest corner. Moderate drought …
By Clint Thompson The recent cold snap impacting Florida benefited the region’s strawberry crop, believes Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida. He said the crop size will improve as a result. “We needed this cold weather we’re getting. We had abnormally warm weather leading up to this point. I saw a lot of our fruit, …
By Clint Thompson Tariffs are one of the more controversial topics being handled by the Trump Administration. Since it involves the United States’ current trade relationships with China, Canada and Mexico, it’s helpful to understand what they are and their impact on Southeast agriculture. Adam Rabinowitz, Alabama Extension economist, highlighted tariffs and why they are implemented. His main concern are …
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s connections to the Trump administration provides hope to one Georgia vegetable producer that legislative leaders will provide solutions to their plethora of problems. Doug Collins was recently confirmed as Trump’s Veterans Affairs secretary. He is a Georgia native and previously served in the Georgia and U.S. House of Representatives. Kelly Loeffler was Trump’s nominee to lead …
By Clint Thompson The Florida Citrus Show is less than a month away. Southeast specialty crop producers, including from Florida, Georgia and Alabama, are invited to attend this year’s show, scheduled for March 13 in Fort Pierce, Florida. While citrus is a major component of the daylong show, there is a vegetable seminar program scheduled for those wanting to learn …
Satsuma mandarins are easily produced in the cold-hardy citrus region. But their lack of shelf life is causing multiple growers in the region, which includes North Florida and South Georgia, to pull trees in favor of something else. Those growers includes Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association. She’s removing 400 of 1,000 satsuma trees, or about 40% …
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson is highlighting the Florida Farm Bill and its proposal to protect Florida’s farmers and ranchers from environmental, social and governance (ESG) lending discrimination from financial institutions. The proposal will prohibit financial institutions from using ESG scoring to restrict services and capital to farmers. Traditional lending determination options, such as the evaluation of …
By Clint Thompson The cost of doing business remains a huge concern for Alabama’s specialty crop farmers heading into the 2025 season. Input prices remain inflated, while market prices remain mostly deflated. Wendiam Sawadgo, Auburn assistant professor and Extension economist, explains how the math is not adding up for fruit and vegetable producers to remain sustainable. “Inflation has come down …
By Clint Thompson Chris Tyson, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension area onion agent, is optimistic about this year’s Vidalia onion crop halfway through the season. That optimism speaks volumes considering the weather challenges that have threatened production this year. “We’ve had several obstacles in our way this year. First was Hurricane Helene which caused some plant losses and stand losses …
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced loan interest rates for February 2025, which became effective Feb. 3. USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) loans provide important access to capital to help producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment and storage structures or meet cash flow needs. Operating, Ownership and Emergency Loans FSA offers farm ownership, operating and emergency …
