Climate Change: Increased Tropical Fruit Production in Central Florida

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson Count the tropical fruit industry as an agricultural sector impacted by climate change. Certain areas in Florida are now home to tropical fruit production. It wasn’t that long ago that the thought of farmers in central Florida producing mangoes and other tropical fruits seemed unthinkable. Jonathan Crane, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) …

VOC Seeking Committee Nominations

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

Attention Georgia Vidalia onion producers: The Vidalia Onion Committee (VOC) is seeking nominations from industry producers. The VOC elects eight new nominees annually. Four members and four alternate seats are currently available on the committee. The VOC administers the Federal Marketing Order 955 locally and consists of eight producer members and their alternates, one public member and an alternate. The …

Blueberry Management Options for August

Clint ThompsonFlorida

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has provided guidance for Florida blueberry growers to consider during August. Disease Management Disease management remains important. Growers should be scouting for algal stem blotch as well as other leaf diseases. For producers managing bacterial wilt, they should monitor through irrigation or banded bed applications of a phosphorous acid product. …

House Committee Chairman: Currently Working on Farm Bill 2.0

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson A legislative leader said farm bill 1.0 was part of the Big Beautiful Bill that was recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump. The second part is currently being worked on, according to Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-15), chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. He spoke about the farm bill at the Southern Peanut …

Registration Ongoing for Florida Tomato Conference

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson Registration remains open for the Florida Tomato Conference, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 4 at the John Boy Auditorium in Clewiston, Florida. The event is free for all employees of Florida tomato growers, packers, sponsors, presenters and university affiliates. Other attendees are charged $50. Participants must select the sessions they plan to attend. Early registration will close on …

Summer Update Informs Growers on Impactful Issues

Dan CooperEvents, Georgia

The annual Citrus Grower’s Summer Update meeting on Aug. 14 in Valdosta, Georgia, provided cold-hardy growers with updates on several factors impacting the industry. Information on topics ranging from snails to phytophthora to Asian citrus psyllid trapping were presented to growers who are on the cusp of harvesting another season’s crop. Jake Price, University of Georgia (UGA) area citrus agent …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: The Last Word

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Specialty Crop Grower Magazine

It’s Time to Compete -Fairly By Robert Guenther The termination of the U.S.–Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement isn’t just the end of a flawed trade deal. It’s a turning point for American tomato growers and, more broadly, for how this country chooses to defend its agricultural backbone in a global economy. For nearly 30 years, domestic producers operated under suspension agreements …

insect pests

Insect Pests To Watch for in Georgia

Dan CooperGeorgia, Pests

Georgia citrus growers are a couple of months away from harvest season. If producers are going to maximize this year’s crop, they need to protect it from insect pests. Apurba Barman, University of Georgia assistant professor of entomology at the Tifton Campus, discussed insect pests during the Southeast Citrus Update in Lyons, Georgia on July 24. He focused on a …

Scab Infection of ‘Avalon’ Pecan Variety in Northeast Georgia

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson The appeal of the pecan variety ‘Avalon’ is that it produces high yields and has excellent scab resistance in University of Georgia research trials. But its recent susceptibility to scab in some Georgia orchards is a key development for growers contemplating planting the variety in the future. UGA pecan breeder Patrick Conner noted in the UGA Extension …

N.C. State Extension Strawberry Meeting Scheduled for Aug. 21

Clint ThompsonNorth Carolina

By Clint Thompson North Carolina (N.C.) State Extension reminds the state’s strawberry growers the Western North Carolina Strawberry Preplant Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the N.C. Extension, Wilkes County Center in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Matthew Clay, N.C. State Extension agent, talked about the importance of the meeting with planting season looming. …