By Clint Thompson Alabama’s hemp producers and industry leaders should make plans to attend one of the scheduled hemp meetings in January. Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University assistant professor and Extension specialist, believes these meetings – which are scheduled throughout the state – are beneficial to the long-term sustainability of the crop. “It allows us to get a lot of growers …
North Alabama Strawberry Plants Impacted by Cold, Deer
By Clint Thompson The cold weather experienced over Christmas weekend wreaked havoc on strawberry plants in North Alabama. Eric Schavey, regional Extension agent in Northeast Alabama, described the impact his growers’ plants incurred during the multiple days of below-freezing temperatures. “What I’m hearing from some of my strawberry growers is they got out there to put row covers on just …
Florida Tomato Industry Pioneer Paul DiMare Passes Away
On Dec. 30, Paul J. DiMare passed away at the age of 81. DiMare had served as president of DiMare Fresh, a Florida-based company which grew into one of the nation’s top tomato producers. He moved to Florida in the 1960s to oversee the tomato growing and packing business started by his father and uncles. Over the years, DiMare made …
Florida Tomato Legend Paul DiMare Passes Away
On Dec. 30, Paul J. DiMare passed away at the age of 81. DiMare had served as president of DiMare Fresh, a Florida-based company which grew into one of the nation’s top tomato producers. He moved to Florida in the 1960s to oversee the tomato growing and packing business started by his father and uncles. Over the years, DiMare made …
Mites Levels Remain Low Across South Florida
Mites levels are still low in some fields across southern Florida, though some species are increasing in numbers, according to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline. Broad mites are increasing in Southwest Florida but still remain at low population levels Spider mites were reported to be low in multiple crops. Spider mite populations are growing in younger corn in …
Farm Bill’s Importance for Specialty Crop Farmers
By Clint Thompson The year 2023 will be the year of the Farm Bill for farmers across the U.S. The piece of legislation that is renewed every five years will be vital to producers in all areas of agriculture. It will be especially important for Southeast specialty crop producers, says Adam Rabinowitz, Alabama Extension economist. “Specialty crops within the Farm …
Final WOTUS Rule Announced
By Frank Giles The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced the latest attempt to define the waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. The final rule was announced on Dec.30. The final rule restores essential water protections that were in place prior to 2015 under the Clean Water Act for …
H-2A Worker Numbers Still Rising
U.S. agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of U.S. domestic workers can fill seasonal farm jobs with temporary foreign workers through the H-2A visa program. The Department of Labor certified around 317,000 temporary jobs in fiscal year (FY) 2021 under the H-2A visa program, more than six times the number certified in 2005. Only about 80% of the certified jobs …
GFVGA: Omnibus Appropriations Bill Includes Significant Funding for Critical Ag Needs
The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) expressed appreciation for the Omnibus Appropriations Bill, though it failed to address agriculture labor reform. “While the bill failed to include any action on agriculture labor reform, the bill did include significant funding for critical agriculture needs, including Georgia producers,” the GFVGA announced in an email. The bill included $8.25 million for …
FDOC Promoting OJ Sales
The demand for orange juice (OJ) would decline by 11.3% without the awareness produced by Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) promotional activities, the Florida Citrus Commission was told in December. Marisa Zansler, FDOC economic and market research director, delivered that message in summarizing a recent report by Lisa House, chair of the University of Florida’s Food and Resource Economics Department. House’s report …