Although the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo is at a new location this year at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, many of the event’s traditions are alive and well. One of those traditions is the annual gun safe giveaway, sponsored by Everglades Equipment Group. Growers who preregister for the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo are eligible to win the prize. Miss Florida …
Farmers Be on Alert for Corn Earworm
By Clint Thompson Alabama sweet corn producers should be mindful that corn earworm populations are spiking and pose a threat to their crop. Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University assistant professor and Extension specialist, talked about the insect and described what growers are seeing this year. “It was hit or miss depending on if you got hit with some of those major …
Strawberry Growers Can Be More Efficient When Managing Chilli Thrips
By Clint Thompson University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research into chilli thrips provides a more accurate way for strawberry growers to manage this annual problem. Producers can now be more efficient in controlling thrips populations. Sriyanka Lahiri, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor of entomology and nematology at the …
UGA Implores Use of Scab Resistant Varieties
By Clint Thompson One of the best and most efficient ways to preserve pecan fungicides for the future is for growers to not use them as much as they currently do. That’s why University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells continues to advocate the use of scab resistant varieties. If producers grow varieties that are resistant to …
Grape Producers Be Wary of SWD, Sour Rot
By Clint Thompson Southeast grape producers should be mindful that the time is now to manage spotted wing drosophila (SWD) flies. Doing so will help suppress sour rot in grapes that are susceptible. Brett Blaauw, assistant professor at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, noted in the UGA Extension Viticulture Blog, that the flies are active …
UGA to Host Vidalia Onion Production Meeting
Georgia’s Vidalia onion producers should mark their calendars for the annual production meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 6. The meeting will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and be held at the University of Georgia (UGA) Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center. Attendees will receive updates on disease management, storage trials, flavor research and fertility trials. Anyone with …
Georgia’s Summer Weather: Mostly Wetter and Hotter
By Clint Thompson Summer is winding down across the Southeast. Georgia’s specialty crop producers will remember this year to be a mostly wet and hot summer, though, those conditions vary throughout the state. The increased rainfall caused tremendous scab pressure in some pecan orchards. The heat also reduced potential harvests for some of the watermelons produced. Pam Knox, University of …
S.C. Farmers, Food Processors Seeking Organic Certification May Qualify for Grant Funding
COLUMBIA – South Carolina farmers and food processors who want to pursue organic certification may qualify for reimbursement through a grant administered by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency. For some producers, organic certification can help reach new customers and align with existing ones. “This funding enabled …
One or Two More Sprays Needed for Pecan Scab Disease
By Clint Thompson Pecan season is nearing harvest time for growers in Georgia and Alabama. But that doesn’t mean producers should skip any fungicide sprays for scab disease these last few weeks of the season. Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist, highlighted the need for scab management with harvest just a few weeks away on the earliest varieties. …
Increase in North Florida Watermelon Acres is Not Guaranteed
By Clint Thompson A productive and prosperous watermelon season in North Florida last spring does not guarantee increased acres next year. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, explains why one of the most successful seasons in recent memory will not necessarily lead to more watermelon acres …