By Clint Thompson Registration is ongoing for the upcoming Georgia Ag Labor Relations Forum, scheduled for Nov. 9-10 at ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture in Tifton, Georgia. The event is tailored towards agricultural employers, human resource managers and administrators. It will provide discussions with leading experts on how to navigate the challenge of finding and maintaining a consistent workforce, says …
Minimal Dry Conditions in Southeast
Persistent rainfall in early September continues to provide adequate moisture for specialty crop producers planting their fall crops. Georgia is drought free. Alabama has minimal dry conditions in the northwest part of the state. Florida’s abnormally dry conditions are isolated to the southeast area of the state. This is according to Thursday’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Only portions …
Florida Citrus Harvest is Underway
By Frank Giles Steven Callaham, CEO of the Dundee Citrus Growers Association (DCGA), reports citrus harvest got underway on Sept. 4. Brix in the tangerines being harvested are trending higher than last season, and he says that’s good news. “We are very pleased with the quality we are seeing this early in the season. As far as production is concerned, …
Florida Citrus Acreage Takes a Hit
Total Florida citrus acreage dropped 8% in the past year, to 375,302 acres, according to the Commercial Citrus Inventory Preliminary Report. The report was released Sept. 7 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The net loss of 32,046 acres is 19,942 acres more than was lost the previous season. New plantings, at 7,980 acres, are down from …
What’s Happening? Clemson Extension Agents Provide Crop Updates
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 reports, “It rained every day last week, and we ended up with over eight inches. Field conditions are really soupy right now, and growers have had problems getting into some fields. Beware of …
AI-Enhanced System Detects Bruised Strawberries
Bruises in fruit can be caused by multiple factors: compression, impact or vibration during harvesting, transportation and packaging operations, said Xue Zhou, a doctoral student at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Zhou works with Yiannis Ampatzidis, a UF/IFAS associate professor, and Won Suk “Daniel” Lee, a professor, both …
Dry Weather Leads to Improved Grape Season
By Clint Thompson There is still a month left of harvest for some grape varieties in the Southeast, but the crop has already shown better results than last year. The better yields are attributed to the dry weather experienced this summer, said University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist Phil Brannen. “I think, overall, it’s a lot better this …
Florida Bamboo Growers Form an Association
By Frank Giles Bamboo is gaining momentum as a potential alternative crop in Florida. Recent developments, including improved variety selection and new infrastructure, are causing some growers to investigate the crop more closely. Responding to the interest, the Florida Bamboo Growers Association, Inc. was founded this spring. The association held its first board of directors’ election in June. Kevin Barley …
Florida Tomato Leader Optimistic Amid Plethora of Challenges
By Clint Thompson One tomato industry expert voiced his optimism Wednesday about the upcoming season despite numerous challenges facing Florida growers this year. Speaking Wednesday at the Florida Tomato Conference in Labelle, Florida, Michael Schadler, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee and executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, highlighted the strengths and challenges of Florida’s tomato industry ahead …
Increased Rainfall Problematic for South Georgia’s Fall Crops
By Clint Thompson Specialty crop producers prefer dry conditions so they can be the ones applying water and not worry about disease pressure. They are not getting their wish with their fall crops, however. Increased rainfall across southern Georgia in recent weeks has led to intense disease pressure on fall vegetable crops. Ty Torrance, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable …