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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 …
You can taste them now – sweet, succulent strawberries. February and March mark the peak time for Florida strawberry production, and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) experts point to several reasons consumers gobble up the juicy fruit. “Strawberries are tasty because they are sweet and slightly tangy. This comes from the sugars and acids in …
By Tyler Harper It’s no secret that 2024 was a difficult year for Georgia’s No. 1 industry and farm families across our state. Inflation, sky-high input costs, depressed commodity prices, an unlevel playing field with our foreign competitors and bad policy coming from D.C. are among the reasons U.S. net farm income has declined by upward of $40 billion over …
By Clint Thompson Downy mildew remains the biggest disease concern for Georgia’s Vidalia onion farmers. It won’t be long before producers must protect their year’s investment, says University of Georgia Extension Vegetable Plant Pathologist Bhabesh Dutta. “This disease is so aggressive and can damage the crop so fast, all of these programs need to be initiated right (in late February). …
