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By Clint Thompson Predatory mites are an effective management option for strawberry growers dealing with mite infestations. But growers should understand the ramifications of pesticide impacts on the predatory mites. Lorena Lopez, N.C. State assistant Extension professor of entomology and plant pathology, highlighted that topic during the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in early January. “In the case of …
By Clint Thompson What a difference a year makes for Alabama strawberry producers. Expectations are that the growers’ problems with Neopestalotiopsis (Neo) disease in 2025 will not be as problematic this year, according to Ed Sikora, professor and Extension plant pathologist in the department of entomology and plant pathology at Auburn University. The key has been where growers sourced this …
By Clint Thompson The Feb. 12 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor shows extreme drought conditions expanding in South Georgia and North Florida and in parts of Alabama. Florida Extreme conditions in North Florida stretch from Washington and Jackson counties in the Panhandle, eastward to Duvall, Saint Johns and Flagler counties and as far south as Citrus and Sumter counties. …
Kula Bio has announced the commercial launch of Kula-N and Kula-Next, which are two shelf-stable, soluble powders that deliver efficient nitrogen-fixing bacteria directly to the root zone. Kula Bio’s soluble powder product line builds on the agronomic performance of its liquid formulations introduced in 2024, translating that success into a dry, soluble powder engineered to simplify operations, eliminate cold storage …
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $1 billion in Assistance for Specialty Crop Farmers (ASCF) Program assistance for specialty crops and sugar, commodities not covered through the previously announced Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program. These one-time bridge payments will help address market disruptions, elevated input costs, …
By Clint Thompson Consumers of fresh fruits and vegetables are more invested in knowing where their foods come from, maybe now more than ever. Alabama growers can use that to their advantage in marketing their products and telling their individual stories, says farmer and Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) President Taylor Hatchett. Hatchet spoke about marketing during the …
By Clint Thompson Alabama strawberry growers do not need to put all of their eggs in one variety basket. That’s the message that Sushan Ru, assistant professor in horticulture at Auburn University, presented to growers at the recent Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Conference on Feb. 4-6. Instead of growers depending so much on the Camarosa variety, producers should …
The Florida Citrus Show is just a month away, scheduled for March 12. The event will be held at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Indian River Research and Education Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce. The seminar program offers a wealth of educational opportunities, and …
After a week and a half, the full scale of damage that the late January/early February freeze has inflicted on Florida blueberries is beginning to unfold. This was seen in a damage assessment tour (Feb. 10-11) organized by the Florida Blueberry Growers Association and North American Blueberry Council. The tour focused on farms in North and Central Florida. One of …
Southeast citrus growers hoping that the Feb. 1 freeze would wipe out the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) population are going to be disappointed. “What we do know about freezes is a lot of time they will reduce or delay the buildup of many of the populations of pests that we worry about,” said Lauren Diepenbrock, University of Florida Institute of …
