Avocado Production on Rebound in Florida?

Clint ThompsonFarm Safety, Florida

By Clint Thompson Laurel wilt disease impacted Florida’s avocado production so much over the past decade, acreage dropped 40%. Jonathan Crane, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor and tropical fruit crop specialist, estimated that 300,000 trees were lost. However, production may be on the rebound, and Crane explains why. His reasoning centers on the ambrosia …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Termination of Tomato Suspension Agreement a Victory

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson The termination of the United States-Mexico Tomato Suspension Agreement is a win for the domestic industry and should increase domestic production across the country. That’s the hope shared by Robert Guenther, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange. It was announced on April 14 that the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) terminated the 2019 United States-Mexico …

Blueberry Management Strategies for Florida Growers

Clint ThompsonFlorida

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reminds Florida blueberry growers about what management options they need to consider during the summer months. Disease management should always be top of mind, especially algal stem blotch in Southern Highbush. Producers should prune out canes infected with algal stem blotch, Botryosphaeria stem blight and dead canes. Growers should monitor …

Alabama Hemp Production Continues to Decline

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson The number of hemp growers continues to decline across Alabama and the country. It coincides with market prices not being what they once were, according to Zachary Barnes, with the Alabama Department of Ag and Industries hemp program. “From 2020 until now, what they were fetching for a kilogram of crude CBD oil, I’ve heard numbers were …

Disease Resistance in Watermelons Under the Research Spotlight

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson Watermelons encounter their share of diseases in the Southeast. BASF/Nunhems is hoping to help producers overcome some of those diseases, especially fusarium wilt. In conjunction with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, BASF/Nunhems hosted its North Florida Watermelon Variety Showcase in Lake Butler, Florida, last week. Ruhiyyih Dyrdahl-Young, Nunhems area sales manager for …

UF/IFAS Digital Twin Technology Simulates Strawberry Farm, Boosts AI Tools

Clint ThompsonFlorida

While strawberry production lasts from November through April in Florida, digital twin technology lets scientists simulate the growth of the fruit year-round, allowing research to proceed year-round. Digital twins are virtual replicas of objects, systems or processes that can predict system behavior as they interact in a simulated environment. Dana Choi and her team of University of Florida Institute of …

UGA Extension Citrus Specialist Discusses Rust Mites

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Citrus producers in the Cold-Hardy Citrus Region must be mindful of citrus rust mites (CRM) amid the warm, humid climate in the region. Mary Sutton, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist, implores growers in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama to be proactive in managing the populations which are currently high. “They …

Administration Addresses Agriculture’s Dwindling Labor Force

Clint ThompsonLabor

By Clint Thompson President Trump’s immigration policy has been a point of contention across the country. It has also created concern among the agricultural industry about what deportations might mean to an already slim labor force. He addressed the issue in a Truth Social post last week. “Our great farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Perfecting Peach Thinning is a Work in Progress

Clint ThompsonSouth Carolina

By Frank Giles There’s a fine line between thinning peaches to produce good marketable-sized fruit and thinning too aggressively which results in reduced yield. Growers and researchers have been working to perfect the practice for many years. Among those researchers are Juan Carlos Melgar, Clemson associate professor of pomology, and Greg Reighard, Clemson professor emeritus of horticulture. Their research has …

Alabama Extension Agent Discusses Region’s Strawberry Production

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Like most years, weather played a significant impact on Alabama’s strawberry production – for better and for worse – especially in the central part of the state where David Lawrence serves as regional Extension agent. He said a cold snap slowed production around the middle to the end of April. Saturated conditions in May led to berries …