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Freight costs have doubled. Input prices have risen. These increased expenses will have a snowball effect, believes Florida watermelon farmer Laura Land. Land said the pallet shortage is a serious shortage and a serious problem, especially as she prepares for the upcoming harvest for her North Florida watermelons. She still doesn’t have enough pallets to ship on with harvest less …
Imports are a real concern for vegetable and specialty crop producers across the Southeast and were the basis for a couple of U.S. International Trade Commission hearings. A closer look at the most recent USDA data explains why. According to the USDA Vegetable and Pulses Outlook: April 2021, the value of all vegetable and pulse imports totaled $16.1 billion in …
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Fresh produce can look a lot different on your table than it did when first harvested from the field. What was once fresh and vibrant looks wilted and moldy. Tie Liu feels your pain. “Everybody has this problem: Which of these vegetables or fruits should I use first? Guess wrong, and you end up throwing out the …
By Peter J. Dittmar Weeds are problematic throughout the entire year in Florida. Annual weeds (separated into summer and winter annual weeds) germinate, grow and produce seeds in a single year. Summer annual weeds begin to germinate in March when temperatures begin to warm. Winter weeds begin to germinate when temperatures are cool (around October) and continue to emerge through …
By Clint Thompson One Florida farmer dodged the supply shortage that’s running rampant across the vegetable industry. But the fall season is not that far away for Wade Purvis, who farms in Immokalee, Florida and is part of the Farmers Alliance. “I know guys that are literally buying sawmills and going out in the woods, cutting logs and starting to …
Companies spend a lot of time developing product labels. “The companies that make the crop protection products work very hard to make them right,” Valent USA’s Senior Field R&D Scientist Craig Campbell said. “I work on labels, they are there as the most important guide for a grower, an applicator or anyone using a pesticide.” In the latest episode of …
By Clint Thompson A delay in harvest for North Florida watermelons would normally spell doom for producers in that region hoping to avoid a collision course with South Georgia producers. But that’s not the case this year. Branford, Florida producer Laura Land said most producers are expecting to harvest at least week than they normally would, due to cooler temperatures. …
Take a look at what the numbers tell us for each of Florida’s key maturity windows.
By Clint Thompson A late cold snap in April is likely to have a devastating impact on fruit crops in north Georgia. Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Fruit Disease Specialist, says the apple, peach and grape crops were hit hard by sub-freezing temperatures, especially in Northwest Georgia. “In north Georgia, apples, that last cold was just devastating. It’s …
By Clint Thompson It’s the calm before the storm for sweet corn producers in Alabama. The cool temperatures have suppressed much of the insect population so far in the growing season. However, that’s likely to change soon, says Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist “I did hear about some fall armyworms starting early this year. We may …
