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By Clint Thompson Alabama’s specialty crops sector will be impacted by Hurricane Isaias when it moves through the state this weekend. A pair of specific industries are especially at risk from the major hurricane when it makes landfall late Friday night. Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Executive Director Blake Thaxton discussed those two agricultural sectors in an interview with …
Consistent irrigation is needed during the final few weeks of production for this year’s crop in the cold-hardy citrus region. That management tactic will help prevent fruit splitting, said Mary Sutton, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist. Sutton said she has seen fruit split in a couple of spots that was caused by extended dry, hot …
By Clint Thompson A recap of the 2026 freeze event that impacted Florida’s blueberry season will be discussed during the industry’s upcoming fall meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15, in Lakeland, Florida. The Florida Blueberry Growers Association, in collaboration with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Blueberry Extension, will host the meeting. Doug Phillips, UF/IFAS …
By Frank Giles In research literature, cedar waxwings are described as frugivores — animals that thrive mostly on fruits. Blueberry growers know that term is spot on as the birds find blueberries a favorite source of food. For growers in Florida and Georgia, the birds can do significant damage to yields by direct feeding on the fruit or knocking berries …
By Clint Thompson Tropical Storm Isaias is set to become a hurricane before making landfall this weekend along the Gulf Coast. Depending on the storm’s development over the next couple of days, the Southeast region will be impacted, as a lot of rain and some wind can be expected, according to Pam Knox, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension agricultural climatologist. …
By Kasey Cronquist The blueberry industry created the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) 26 years ago with a simple but ambitious purpose: to grow the entire category. USHBC exists to give more consumers in the United States more reasons to buy more blueberries, expand demand for U.S. blueberries in global markets and equip the industry for success. Ultimately, this work …
By Clint Thompson A prolonged heat wave scorched the Southeast this summer. Not only did it make life uncomfortable for those who had to work outside in the hot conditions, the weather conditions impacted pumpkin yields for farmers in the region. That is according to Drew Echols, owner of Jaemor Farms in Alto, Georgia. “Yields are not what they should …
Weekly Field Update Clemson Extension agents provide updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Lowcountry Report Anna Sara Hill Midlands Report Rob Last Pee Dee Report Bruce McLean
By Clint Thompson North Carolina (N.C.) strawberry growers are still coping with how to best manage Neopestalotiopsis (Neo) disease. It’s a challenge that producers and industry leaders, like Mark Hoffmann N.C. State Associate Professor and Small Fruits Extension Specialist, are struggling to get a handle on. “I would say at the moment we don’t know exactly how to handle Neopestalotiopsis, …
By Clint Thompson Heavy rains last weekend and those in the forecast for next weekend are not ideal for row crop producers trying to harvest their cotton and peanuts. But for pecan growers, the additional rainfall this time of year is expected to benefit the nuts, according to Lenny Wells, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension pecan specialist. “It’s probably actually …
