Alabama Christmas tree farms started with record-breaking sales during the Thanksgiving holidays, according to Jeremy Pickens, Alabama Assistant Extension Professor in Horticulture at Auburn University. While bad weather on Sunday reduced some foot traffic, Pickens expects sales to pick back up. “I think with the (coronavirus) pandemic, unfortunately, people are ready to get outside. What a great thing to go …
Slug Management in Blueberries
Ash Sial, Associate Professor in the University of Georgia in the Department of Entomology, is receiving reports of slug infestations in Georgia blueberries. According to the UGA IPM blog, slugs generally lay between 3 and 40 small transparent eggs at one time. Each slug can lay up to 400 per year. The slugs can contaminate the harvested fruit once harvest …
Pecan Prices Stay Low
It is getting late in the pecan harvest season. Prices remain low for farmers across the Southeast. According to the USDA Pecan Report, some producers are storing pecans they would normally export in hopes of getting a better price after the new year. Farmers and homeowners who are trying to sell now are still encountering decreased prices. “Export and retail …
Alabama Extension Specialist Regarding Hemp: You Need a Plan From Day One
Alabama Extension’s message to potential hemp producers back in March was, “Know what you’re getting into.” Nothing has changed nine months and one harvest season later. Following the state’s second commercial production season, the take-home message remains the same for hemp growers already planning for next year’s crop. “It sounds like some people got burned. They planted a lot of …
Diamondback Moths a Problem for Cole Crop Producers
Diamondback moths are starting to show up in some vegetable fields across Georgia, says Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist. Cole crops producers need to be wary of this pest, as it can pose a threat to cabbage, collards, kale and broccoli. “Diamondback moth is starting to show up in some areas. We’ve had three or four …
Freeze Warning Tonight for Parts of Florida
University of Florida/IFAS is warning its vegetable and specialty crop growers of low temperatures expected tonight in some parts of the state. In an email sent by Gary England, UF/IFAS Extension Agent IV Emeritus, he reminds growers that the National Weather Service has issued free warnings for all north Florida locations west of the St. Johns River tonight. The warning …
Clemson Extension Agents Provide Crop Updates
Clemson Extension agents provided updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Weekly Field Update 11/30/20 Coastal Zack Snipes reports, “After a long Thanksgiving nap, I was able to waddle out in the fields and look at some strawberries. We have had some really good strawberry growing weather especially considering most folks …
Stanley Culpepper: A leading voice for growers
By Clint Thompson When University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension weed agronomist Stanley Culpepper speaks, Tift County grower Bill Brim listens. After more than two decades of Culpepper providing expertise regarding more than 20 different vegetable crops, there’s no reason for Brim not to pay attention. “He’s a great young man. He’s a hard worker and tries to get things …
White Strawberry One of Two New UF/IFAS Varieties Ready for Harvest Season
December 1, 2020 By: Brad Buck, 813-757-2224, bradbuck@ufl.edu, 352-875-2641 (cell) BALM, Fla. — A white strawberry? Not red? Yes, you “read” that right. And it smells a little like a pineapple. It’s also novel in that it’s the first white strawberry to go to market in the United States. Just in time for the west-central Florida strawberry harvesting season, which …
Myths Debunked: Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2)
Posted by J. Latrice Hill, National Director of Outreach, USDA Farm Service Agency in Farming USDA is now accepting applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) for farmers and ranchers whose operations have been impacted by the current pandemic. Signup closes on Dec. 11. Have you submitted your application? Let’s debunk some common myths that may be …