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It can be challenging to be a Florida citrus grower and find optimism in today’s economic and production climates. After more than 20 years of dealing with citrus greening disease, it is understandable for growers to be downtrodden. But one grower sees some positivity. Daniel Hunt, with Hunt Bros. in Lake Wales, was cautiously optimistic when discussing the future of …
By Clint Thompson Current dry conditions in the Southeast are not expected to improve in the short term, which is challenging news for producers who are preparing to plant or currently are planting their crops. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released its spring outlook for climate conditions. Southeast growers must be aware that the prolonged drought may …
Clemson Plant Pathologist Tony Keinath provided updated fungicide recommendations to manage Alternaria leaf spot (black spot) in brassicas. The update was made in the South Carolina Grower. Keinath emphasized Alternaria black spot is active on overwintered brassicas. Growers should be looking for symptoms like tan to gray to black spots, about one-quarter to one inch in diameter on leaves. Longer, …
In this month’s sneak peek, the April issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine highlights Florida fourth-generation farmer BJ Wilkerson and how his farming family seeks to solve the sustainability puzzle. Wilkerson is based in Gilchrist County, grows watermelon and attributes long-term sustainability to multiple factors like crop diversification, crop rotation and grafting watermelon plants to combat fusarium wilt disease. The …
Are you craving a nutrient-packed bite to eat? The artichoke might just be your new super-snack, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher says. “Artichokes are not only a tasty vegetable, but they are also rich in nutrients that are good for our bodies,” said Tie Liu, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at UF/IFAS. …
By Clint Thompson The specialty crop sector is in need of further economic assistance, a lot more than the $1 billion allotted through the Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers Program. That’s the message that the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA), including co-chair Kam Quarles, is trying to get across to legislative leaders. “We’re very, very focused on getting economic …
By Clint Thompson A lot has changed with pecan production over the past decade. University research has generated updated recommendations regarding production that Georgia and Alabama growers must be aware of. This week’s University of Georgia Pecan Beginners Class provided University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells that opportunity to educate the region’s growers. He highlighted irrigation requirements in …
By Clint Thompson In his weekly email to North Florida watermelon producers, Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, advised growers that Extension agents in the Suwannee Valley region will again offer weekly petiole-sap testing this year. Hochmuth said that growers should let their county Extension agents …
Partnership Ensures North Carolina Ag Has Seat At Table By Tori Rumenik Agriculture is North Carolina’s largest industry, generating more than $111 billion in economic impact and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs across the state. North Carolina leads the nation in commodities such as sweetpotatoes, tobacco and turkeys and ranks near the top in many others, such as hogs …
By Clint Thompson Cover crops remain a cost effective way of managing nematodes in Florida. That was a message touted by Johan Desaeger, assistant professor of entomology and nematology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, at the recent Florida Citrus Show in Fort Pierce, Florida. Desaeger updated attendees …
