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Representative Austin Scott: I’m Worried About the Farm Bill By Clint Thompson Georgia Representative Austin Scott understands the political ramifications if a farm bill is not in place sooner rather than later. It would be in danger of not getting passed this year. “I’m worried about it. Obviously, we’ve got a March deadline on some of the funding aspects on …
By Clint Thompson Demand remains strong for Georgia’s fruits and vegetables. That’s the good news, believes Gopinath (Gopi) Munisamy, Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Marketing at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The challenge is determining how growers can capitalize amid rising labor expenses and increasing imports from other countries. He highlighted the specialty crop sector …
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced on Friday, Jan. 26 the approval of the first Hurricane Idalia recovery loan through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program. Simpson and legislative leaders announced the launch of two first-of-their-kind agricultural disaster recovery programs with more than $112 million in funding to …
WASHINGTON – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investments on Monday designed to support the U.S. specialty crops industry. The launch of the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) initiative will provide $65 million for projects that will help the specialty crop sector increase global exports and expand to new markets. Additionally, the USDA announced $72.9 …
By Clint Thompson The sustainability of Georgia’s No. 1 industry continues to be threatened by various factors; maybe none more so than the high input costs. It was a topic discussed by the state’s legislative and farming leaders during the University of Georgia Ag Forecast meeting last Friday. “We’re looking at commodity prices that were around 20, 30 years ago,” …
By Clint Thompson A fungal pathogen that was isolated to South Florida blueberries not too long ago is now on the radar of growers in North Florida and South Georgia. Phil Harmon, professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Florida, cautions farmers about algal stem blotch and believes it is a serious threat if not managed properly. “It’s …
By Clint Thompson Chill hours in Florida have been extremely low in recent years. It makes producing peaches, even those requiring minimal chill hours, challenging, if not impossible. Ali Sarkhosh, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor in horticultural sciences, spoke about peach production in Florida at the recent Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference …
Fort Worth, TX – In an effort to grow the pecan industry’s global relationships and increase exports, the American Pecan Council (APC) conducted its first reverse trade mission with Indian nut importers in key growing regions. The mission provided importers an up-close, educational look at the U.S. pecan industry and how the full value chain can offer a high-value, nutritious …
Weekly Field Update Clemson Extension agents provide updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Coastal Region Zack Snipes Midlands Phillip Carnley Rob Last Sarah Scott Pee Dee Brittney King
The University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning Provides Agriculture 2040/2070 Report is another strong signal of the importance of preserving agriculture and green spaces. Roughly a third of Florida’s land is currently in agriculture, but urban development and, on a much smaller scale, sea level rise are projected to result in the loss of about 120 acres of agricultural land a …
