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By Clint Thompson Weed control remains a vital management tool for Florida vegetable and specialty crop producers. Weeds like nutsedge, ragweed and pigweed can fight for essential nutrients and water that crops need to grow and produce yields. But according to Peter Dittmar, University of Florida/IFAS Extension weed scientist, there are other reasons for producers to try to keep their …
By Ashley Robinson The June issue of VSCNews Magazine will be your go-to guide for crop health. Carrots are target of plant-parasitic nematodes. The hidden enemy can create serious issues and limit carrot production in the United States. Abolfazl Hajihassani, assistant professor of nematology at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Tifton, shares the latest tips to control nematodes in …
It may be the end of the season for many South Florida vegetable and specialty crop producers, but preparations should already be made for the upcoming fall season. According to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, field sanitation is one of the most important management tools that producers utilize. It’s essential that growers clean up crop residues after harvest. …
A new University of Florida (UF)/IFAS tool can help blueberry producers decide what cultivars are best for their farming operation. The UF/IFAS blueberry breeding program has developed a new cultivar module of the UF/IFAS Blueberry Growers Guide, available for download at: iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/uf-blueberry-growers-guide/id1535258711 Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=co.austn.ss.blueberry The app includes a scouting guide that can help farmers scout their fields for diseases, …
According to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, vegetable producers in West central Florida report that chili thrips are wreaking havoc in pepper and watermelon fields. Thrips are causing serious damage to watermelons and peppers in the Plant City area of Hillsborough County. It’s been a carry-over effect in most cases. Thrips have moved over from the strawberry crops …
Labor Shortage a Reason for Lack of Supplies, Specifically Pallets By Clint Thompson Like most vegetable and specialty crop producers, blueberry farmer Ryan Atwood is an avid user of pallets. Over the course of his season in Florida, Atwood will use more than 14,000 pallets. Like every other grower in the Southeast, Atwood was impacted by the ongoing pallet shortage …
By Clint Thompson Irrigation is a key component of farming vegetables and specialty crops. With scorching temperatures and dry conditions expected for the foreseeable future, producers need to keep their crops watered to maximize yield production. Andre da Silva, Assistant Professor of Vegetable Crop Systems at Auburn University, said it depends on what type of irrigation systems that farmers have …
According to the University of Georgia Extension Viticulture Blog, downy mildew disease was discovered this week in the UGA Horticulture Farm grape research plots for the first time this year in Watkinsville, Georgia. UGA Extension implores producers to be scouting throughout the state. Also, growers need to incorporate highly efficacious materials into their spray programs as they move forward through …
By Tiffany Bailey and Ida Vandamme There is no denying that the demand for organic food is on the rise. Fueled by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers are showing a rapidly increasing willingness to purchase food online. There is also a recent trend in consumers seeking local and healthy food options. All these factors create a time when …
By Clint Thompson The hits just keep on coming for vegetable and specialty crop producers across the Southeast. If it’s not fuel prices skyrocketing, it’s a pallet shortage sweeping across the country. If it’s not high labor costs or having enough labor availability, it’s having to contend with increased imports. “Every week’s a different challenge, it seems like, something; either …
