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By Clint Thompson Sweet corn production has shifted into Georgia. Following the peak season for Florida growers around Memorial Day, the harvest window has shifted northward for producers. Florida grower Eric Hopkins liked everything about this year’s crop, except the price. “We certainly could have gotten more money for the crop and probably sold the same amount of units. It’s …
By Clint Thompson A tiny pest is wreaking havoc in some Southeast peach orchards this year. Thrips’ impact is unsettling since management options are limited, explains Brett Blaauw, assistant professor at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “We do not have a lot of options for thrips. There is a couple of relatively good materials, …
By Clint Thompson Georgia peach producers are at risk every year of having their crop succumb to brown rot disease — either through fungicide resistance or looming regulatory hurdles. Growers are successfully avoiding resistance with their current fungicide spray program, but potential regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist, …
Vegetable consumption dipped in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS) Situation and Outlook Report. USDA ERS data indicated that the domestic availability (proxy for consumption) was 155.4 million pounds, a 2.2% decrease from availability in 2022. Per capita availability of lettuce actually increased by 3% to 31.5 pounds in 2023, though there were …
By Clint Thompson Registration continues for the Citrus and Specialty Crop Expo, scheduled for Aug. 21-22 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida. The expo’s location in central Florida should appeal to citrus producers from the cold-hardy citrus region in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama. Josh McGill, show director, said the industry’s growth in that region is …
Registration is ongoing for the 50th annual Agricultural Labor Relations Forum, scheduled for Aug. 28-30 at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Florida. The forum is designed to educate agricultural employers, including growers, shippers, farm labor contractors and other employers, on compliance issues with labor laws and sound relations practices. Those interested in attending can click here …
By Clint Thompson Spencer McLeod did not set out to be one of the largest peach producers in the Southeast. It just happened that way. “I don’t necessarily want to be the biggest grower and I don’t want to be the smallest grower, but I want to be the best grower,” McLeod said. Producing a Plethora of Peaches McLeod has …
By Clint Thompson The House Agriculture Committee passed its version of the farm bill before Memorial Day. But now what? What’s the next step in the process of moving towards a final piece of legislation, hopefully, before the end of the year? Kam Quarles, CEO of the National Potato Council and co-chair of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA), …
The cover story of the June issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine highlights Spencer McLeod’s pursuit to be the best peach grower in South Carolina. He talks about how his farming operation has expanded to cover 50 different peach varieties and more than 1,000 acres every year. Speaking of peaches, brown rot disease is an annual challenge for peach producers …
By Clint Thompson It is amazing how the absence of a late-season freeze event will impact strawberry plants in Alabama. For producer Taylor Hatchett, it meant all the difference in this year’s crop. “It’s a thousand times better than last year. It was very unusual in that, normally you start small with your harvests, then get up to your maximum …
