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The May issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine focuses on Grimmway Farms, one of the largest carrot producers in the world, with more than 40,000 acres planted every year. Jeff Huckaby, a fourth-generation farmer, joined Grimmway Farms in 1998. He discussed the company and its ability to keep the customer happy and supply carrots all year long. The key to …
By Clint Thompson Fruit and vegetable producers like weather conditions to be dry, so they can be the ones applying water. The current conditions impacting Southeast Alabama are preferred by growers who want to avoid disease buildup. “Honestly, in the fruit and vegetable world, we supply 90% of the crop’s need through irrigation, probably; if not close to 100%. We …
Early weather projections indicate a summer pattern that shows warmer and wetter conditions than normal. Pam Knox, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension agricultural climatologist, noted in the UGA Extension Climate Blog that, “the early summer pattern does show a continuation of warmer than normal temperatures due to the influence of rising temperatures caused by global warming, but rainfall is showing …
U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Tuesday a second round of payments coming this week for specialty crop producers through the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, providing up to $1.3 billion in additional program assistance. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already delivered just under $900 million in first round payments to eligible …
By Clint Thompson Powdery mildew disease has been confirmed in watermelon in the Suwannee Valley region of North Florida. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, noted in a weekly email that as a result of having low disease incidence, growers should “keep things simple.” “Perhaps a …
The lack of rainfall in recent weeks has led to drought conditions worsening across the Southeast. This is according to the latest release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Most of Florida is experiencing some level of drought conditions. The Panhandle and Northeast Florida are abnormally dry, starting as far west as Okaloosa County and stretching eastward to Nassau, Duval and …
By Clint Thompson What was once a dream is becoming a reality for Florida strawberry growers hoping to one day utilize automated strawberry harvesters. Harvest CROO, a company whose focus is developing a fully autonomous strawberry harvester, announced its automated harvest field trials have successfully demonstrated commercial viability. Gary Wishnatzki, co-founder and Wish Farms owner, discussed the breakthrough and its …
By Clint Thompson South Georgia’s dry weather conditions are not a bad thing for the region’s watermelon production. In fact, it is what specialty crop producers prefer. They want to be the ones applying the water, says Ty Torrance, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable agent for Colquitt, Tift and Worth counties. “As far as vegetables go for sure, we’d …
By Clint Thompson The end to the U.S.-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement will not disrupt the current market access to tomatoes nor will it impact prices consumers are paying. That’s the belief shared by Robert Guenther, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange. “We’re going to see this hyperbole as I like to call it, or false narrative that tomatoes …
By Clint Thompson and Nick Papagni The Georgia Citrus Association’s trip to California last week allowed the state’s industry leaders to look for opportunities to advance citrus in the cold-hardy citrus region. One of the focuses was learning about the different varieties produced in California that could have a potential future in the Southeast. Lindy Savelle, executive director of the …
