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By Clint Thompson What was due at the end of last September is still not in place as the calendar hits mid-April. Who knows when a new farm bill will be in place? Blake Thaxton does not. The executive director of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association expressed his frustration about the piece of legislation that was scheduled to …
By Clint Thompson President Biden’s visit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida should lead to talks for the export of U.S. fresh potatoes into Japan, believes the National Potato Council (NPC). NPC CEO Kam Quarles hopes the Biden administration will capitalize on this opportunity to spark conversations about loosening the restrictions the country has established on potato imports. “We’ve been …
By Frank Giles Nematodes can be a hidden yield robber. The soilborne pests can pack a pretty powerful punch despite their puny size. Nematodes have been problematic in Southeast vegetable crops for many years. Their management was complicated by the phaseout of methyl bromide. In 2018, the University of Georgia surveyed fields in 30 Georgia counties to measure the pest. …
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s bill to restrict foreign ownership of land is an important piece of legislation impacting food and national security. SB420 seeks to limit property rights for certain foreign ‘agents’ and entities by prohibiting them from purchasing land used for farming or within a 10-mile radius of a military base or installation. It refers to those considered a …
Eastern lubber grasshoppers are out in force throughout the Southeast, including some parts of Florida. They’re munching on landscape plants, citrus and vegetable crops, while gardeners and growers are trying to minimize the damage. These insects can be found from March to April to about October to November in North Florida and the state’s Gulf Coast. They can be economically …
Rainfall is plentiful in most areas across the Southeast. But in one spot, rain is starting to lack, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. While most of Alabama has sufficient moisture, areas in Mobile and Baldwin counties in the southern part of the state near the Gulf of Mexico are abnormally dry. Both dry spots are concentrated to the central …
Thrips pressure is intensifying across certain areas of southern Florida, according to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline. Populations are increasing across pepper fields from low to high levels in Southwest Florida. Some reports have indicated moderate to high levels of Florida flower thrips. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) commercial vegetable Extension agent Anna …
VIDALIA, GA – Fields of green stretch in every direction this time of year, starting just outside the quaint downtown of Vidalia itself and connecting the other small, Georgia towns in the 20-county official onion growing region. Any direction you drive you see acres and acres – more than 10,000 in all — of Georgia’s trademarked crop, the sweet Vidalia onion, …
By Clint Thompson The earliest planted watermelons in North Florida are already setting fruit. That is what happens when plantings start in mid-to-late February, says Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. “The earliest planted ones, the ones that were planted the third week in February, those …
By Clint Thompson Wet weather conditions are expected to remain across the Southeast through April, believes Pam Knox, University of Georgia Extension agricultural climatologist. “It was a really strong El Niño, so it’s going to take a while for it to decay and go away. We can expect impacts like this to linger for probably at least the next couple …
