 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
By Clint Thompson Soil moisture sensors are used by most large-acre farmers in Florida, according to one industry expert. Extension personnel can help growers use the technology more effectively, says Jay Capasso, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent for Northeast District Capasso was a featured speaker during the recent Georgia-Florida Irrigation …
By Clint Thompson Ryan Atwood may be one blueberry farmer in Florida, but he speaks for many Southeast specialty crop growers who believe change needed to be made to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). That change could be on the way. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer issued a statement on July 1 that indicated the United States did not agree to …
By Clint Thompson Weed management is a vital part of specialty crop production every year for growers in the Southeast. No matter how control strategies evolve with artificial intelligence (AI), current tactics will still be implemented to some degree, according to Lynn Sosnoskie, assistant professor with Cornell University. She talked about smart sprayers, lasers and AI during the Southeastern Specialty …
By Clint Thompson The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) is one of the many ag-based organizations praising the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act, recently introduced by U.S. Representative GT Thompson. Chris Butts, GFVGA executive director, highlighted the bill’s far-reaching impact. “We have to have this. It’s a solid bill. It was a bipartisan bill,” Butts said. “It was written …
By Frank Giles It has been a long process to get a new farm bill in place since the 2018 legislation expired in September 2023. But in June, the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee entered the fray with the release of its farm bill 2.0 text. The text drew praise from a broad spectrum of agricultural organizations, including the Specialty Crop …
By Clint Thompson Site selection and soil testing are helpful in ensuring long-term success for potential grape producers. Sarah Lowder, University of Georgia (UGA) viticulture Extension specialist, emphasized that message following UGA’s New Grape Growers Symposium this year. “Choosing the right site is one of the best things that you can do to have an economically sustainable vineyard in the …
MAITLAND, Fla. — The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) recently affirmed that dumped imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico are continuing to threaten the U.S. tomato industry, ending the Changed Circumstances Review brought by Mexican producers and keeping the antidumping duty order on fresh tomatoes from Mexico fully in force. The decision concludes a review the commission instituted on Jan. …
In this month’s sneak peek, the July issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine highlights artificial intelligence and its progress in the agricultural sector. The U.S. market value of AI in agriculture has surpassed $1 billion, though expectations are for that number to increase. AI’s costs remain the biggest barrier to specialty crop producers adopting it on a wide commercial scale. …
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; …
