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FOLSOM, Calif. – Members of the highbush (cultivated) blueberry industry are now seeking nominees to fill U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) state member and alternate positions for the 2026 to 2028 term. The nomination period will begin on March 21, 2025. Eight USHBC state member and alternate seats need to be filled for the term of office beginning Jan. 1, …
By Maegan Beatty North Carolina is a large contributor of specialty crops in the southeast. From peaches to seedless watermelon, the state grows a diverse set of fruits and vegetables for most of the year. In a recent interview with AgNet Media, North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler provides an optimistic outlook for 2025 and how the specialty crop …
By Clint Thompson The calendar says it’s the third week of February. In previous years that has meant watermelon planting time for some growers in the Suwanee Valley region of Florida. This week’s low temperatures, however, could halt some of that planting time. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in …
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s grape vines were mostly dormant amid sub-freezing temperatures experienced in January. That benefited the state’s producers when temperatures plunged last month, according to Sarah Lowder, University of Georgia (UGA) viticulture Extension specialist. “One of the benefits of this year compared to previous years is that the vines were able to go into dormancy. They were fully …
By Clint Thompson It might be a different year, but the concerns are the same for Blake Thaxton, executive director of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA). Speaking at the AFVGA Conference and Trade Show two weeks ago in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Thaxton discussed the No. 1 concern for him and his specialty crop producers. Not surprisingly, it …
By Clint Thompson The 2025 Georgia State Legislative Session continues to focus on topics pertinent to Georgia’s specialty crop industry. Georgia Agribusiness Council (GAC) President Will Bentley highlighted a few important pieces of legislation, starting with the Conservation Use Valuation Assessment (CUVA). “There have been a lot of bills moving around the Capitol these past two weeks dealing with agriculture …
The most recent release of the U.S. Drought Monitor shows dry conditions expanding and worsening across the Southeast. Nearly all of central and northern Alabama is either abnormally dry, moderately dry or severely dry. Severe conditions start in Choctaw and Clarke counties in the southwest part of the state and expand northeastward to Clay and Randolph counties. Moderate conditions then …
By Clint Thompson Neopestalotiopsis (neo) was a topic of discussion during last week’s Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Conference (AFVGA) and Trade Show in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Phil Brannen, UGA Extension fruit disease specialist, spoke about the strawberry disease with attendees and engaged in a Q-and-A session with strawberry producers. “We do have a problem. I think they recognize …
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 Rob Last Sarah Scott Pee Dee Brittney King
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a private ceremony on Thursday at the Supreme Court building. The U.S. Senate confirmed Rollins by a vote of 72 to 28. “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the nation’s …
