The Florida Blueberry Growers Association (FBGA) added its voice to other agriculture producer groups in support of the Florida delegation’s Section 301 petition to protect the state’s fresh fruit and vegetable farmers from the rapidly rising onslaught of heavily subsidized Mexican produce. “Now is the time to deliver relief to domestic producers under assault from foreign imports, including blueberry growers,” …
Alabama Extension to Host Strawberry Production Meeting
Alabama Extension will hold a strawberry production meeting on Nov. 10 in Jemison, Alabama, beginning at 11 a.m. EST. The meeting will highlight various issues pertinent to strawberry production. Topics include weed management, soil fumigation, disease management, variety selection and budget development. It is a free event and is tailored towards experienced growers as well as beginning farmers. A catered …
Florida Growers Seeing Uptick in Stink Bug Problems
By Clint Thompson The stink bug has increasingly become problematic for Florida tomato growers. Not only must producers scout regularly to see if there are stink bugs in their fields, but they must also decipher what species is impacting their crops. That’s what makes controlling stink bugs such a challenge, says Amanda Hodges, an Extension scientist at the University of Florida …
Farm Bill Conservation Working Group Meetings Scheduled for Florida
Florida’s Local Working Group (LWG) meeting schedule for Fiscal Year 2023 has been announced by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The NRCS and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts host the LWG meetings, where input and recommendations are discussed to develop solutions using Farm Bill programs. The LWGs provide recommendations to USDA on criteria for conservation activities and programs, and they focus …
Entomologist on the Trail of Invasive Species
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has appointed internationally acclaimed entomologist and ecologist Matthew Thomas as director of the new Invasion Science Research Initiative (ISRI). Thomas will establish the framework for ISRI, which will bring together more than 120 UF/IFAS scientists from more than 20 departments currently dedicated to the detection, diversion, tracking and control of nonnative …
Alabama Peach Crop Not as Productive as Could Have Been
By Clint Thompson Alabama’s peach production had similar results to Georgia’s crop. Much of it was impacted by below-freezing temperatures in mid-March. The chilling effect had devastating repercussions for much of the state’s peach varieties, says Edgar Vinson, assistant research professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University. “Similar to Georgia, we had a similar outcome …
Corteva’s Salibro™ Effective Option Against Nematodes
By Clint Thompson Andrew Lovett, a market development specialist with Corteva Agriscience, believes Salibro™ nematicide provides specialty crop producers the most bang for their buck when managing nematodes. “Growers can’t take any risks. If they’re going to pull the trigger on an expensive product, especially a nematicide, then they need it to work. They can definitely have confidence with Salibro™ …
Sorrel Shows Promise as a Florida Specialty Crop
By Clint Thompson Sorrel is a potential new crop for Florida specialty crop producers. It is easy to grow and requires minimal inputs but can suffer in fields prone to flooding. While more research is needed to verify sorrel’s place among growers, it has yielded promising early returns in University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research, …
Stink Bugs a Growing Concern for Florida Tomato Producers
By Clint Thompson Stink bugs are increasingly become problematic for Florida tomato growers. Not only must producers scout regularly to see if there are stink bugs in their fields, but they must also decipher what species is impacting their crops. That’s what makes controlling stink bugs such a challenge, says Amanda Hodges, an Extension scientist at the University of Florida …
Peak of Whitefly Pressure? Growers Hope Populations Start to Decline
By Clint Thompson Whitefly populations have spiked across the Southeast. One university specialist hopes they have peaked, and specialty crop producers will soon start seeing a decline. Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist, describes what farmers and other specialists are seeing in their fields. “We’re hoping we have peaked. The trap lines that Phillip’s (Roberts) group …