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By Clint Thompson The draft text for the Senate’s version of the farm bill was well received by specialty crop groups. But there’s always room for improvements. That’s a view shared by Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council and co-chair of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA). Following the draft’s recent release, Quarles provided some “little tweaks” …
By Clint Thompson Georgia peach harvests are moving at a normal pace following a sluggish start to the season. “I feel like we’re rolling about like normal now,” said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agriculture and natural resources (ANR) agent for Peach and Taylor counties. “We just went past one of the packing sheds, my son’s with me; …
By Clint Thompson While the prolonged drought that impacted the Southeast this year reduced yields in some areas, the dry conditions provided some benefit for South Georgia’s Vidalia onion crop, particularly at harvest. Chris Tyson, University of Georgia Extension area onion agent at the Vidalia Onion & Vegetable Research Center in Lyons, Georgia, recapped this year’s season, highlighted mostly by …
By Clint Thompson Watermelon harvests have come and gone for North Florida producers in the Suwannee Valley Region. A challenging start to harvest season ended positively for growers, explains Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. “I think that, overall, the season has been okay, and I …
Sweet Grown Alabama hosted a pop-up farmers market on Wednesday, June 24, in conjunction with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ Annual Tomato Sandwich Lunch at the Ed Teague Arena in Montgomery. The market featured Sweet Grown Alabama members from across the state offering a variety of fresh, local products, including seasonal produce, value-added goods and specialty food items. …
Increased rainfall across the cold-hardy citrus region is a sight for sore eyes. Still, citrus growers in South Georgia, North Florida and South Alabama must stay on top of their trees’ water needs to help ensure a viable crop this season. Mary Sutton, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist, spoke on this subject at the recent …
By Clint Thompson San Jose Scale’s impact in Georgia peaches this year has been noticeably not as bad compared to recent years. “No, it’s not bad this year,. I need to knock on wood, but we haven’t been seeing a huge pressure,” said Brett Blaauw, assistant professor at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “This …
By Clint Thompson Despite a recent drop in the number of growers, interest in grape production still remains in the Southeast region in Alabama and Georgia, according to Sarah Lowder, University of Georgia (UGA) viticulture Extension specialist. “It’s something where I think we definitely have seen a slowdown from, five years ago or so, 5 to 10 years ago, where …
By Clint Thompson Soil tests are a key management strategy for vegetable growers looking to remain sustainable. While soil tests are usually conducted in the fall, it never hurts for farmers to get a refresher on their importance. Ted McAvoy, University of Georgia Extension vegetable specialist, stressed soil tests’ importance during the recent Georgia-Florida Irrigation Expo held at the University …
By Clint Thompson A week of rainy weather did a lot to reduce the drought-like conditions being experienced across the Southeast, including Alabama, Georgia and Florida, according to the June 25 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Alabama One of the driest parts of Alabama remains in the southeastern part of the state. But it has been reduced to abnormally …
