ADAI Offers Reimbursement Program for Organic Certified Growers

Web AdminAlabama, Organic

Alabama producers who get certified organic between Oct. 1 and Dec. 15 are eligible for reimbursement from the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. Farmers would be eligible to receive 50% of certification costs, up to $500. Those growers interested in recouping some of those expenses need to apply by Dec. 31. “That’s what makes it a little different than …

How Low Are Pecan Prices Compared to Previous Years?

Web AdminAlabama, Georgia, Pecan, Top Posts

Pecan prices are devastatingly low for Georgia producers. But how low are they compared to what farmers are used to this time of year? South Georgia pecan farmer Randy Hudson puts it in perspective. “We’re seeing prices anywhere from 30% to 50% less than what they’ve been the last three years,” Hudson said. “It makes a big difference. Of course, …

New Findings on Growing Hemp in Florida

Web AdminFlorida, Hemp, Top Posts, VSCNews magazine

By Tory Moore As the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Industrial Hemp Pilot Project research continues, growers around the state have begun growing hemp on their own farms. Researchers from the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) in Apopka have important considerations for Florida growers contemplating or currently growing hemp. Research lessons learned and …

Farm Share Wants to Buy Your Produce

Web AdminFlorida, Produce, Top Posts

Farm Share, a nonprofit organization that distributes food to those in need, is looking for Florida farms with bulk produce available for purchase immediately. The organization received funding from the CARES Act to use for food purchases for distribution to families affected by the pandemic. If you have bulk produce available for purchase, contact John Delgado, Farm Share’s inventory operations …

UF/IFAS Extension Farm Labor Education Program Online in English, Spanish

Web AdminFlorida, Top Posts

By: Lourdes Rodriguez, 954-577-6363 office, 954-242-8439 mobile, rodriguezl@ufl.edu FLORIDA. – The fall crop season is underway in Florida and over the next few months, an increase in the farmworker population will help plant, maintain, and harvest our crops in the Sunshine State. Agriculture is an essential industry where farmworker safety is paramount to the successes underlying timely and efficient crop production activities. …

hemp

Georgia 2021 Hemp Applications to Be Accepted in January

Web AdminGeorgia, Hemp, Top Posts

Georgia’s 2020 hemp season is nearing an end as harvests wind down across the state. It’s never too early, though, to start thinking about next year’s production season. According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), applications for new Georgia hemp grower licenses and hemp processor permits will be accepted beginning in January, 2021. Growers licensed by the GDA are …

Hemp Research Key to Industry’s Growth in Alabama

Web AdminAlabama, Hemp, Top Posts

Hemp research is still in its infancy across the Southeast. But as more data is developed and information is processed, an already growing market could continue to explode in popularity. “If you look around the country, there’s now a Professor of Cannabis position open in Illinois. There’s one in Tennessee. There is money and energy going to research,” said Katelyn …

Mild, Wet Weather Leads to Rise in Downy Mildew Disease in Alabama This Year

Web AdminAlabama, Disease, Top Posts

Weather conditions in Alabama this year were conducive to plant diseases impacting the state’s vegetable crops. One disease, downy mildew, has been especially prevalent in fields across the state, according Ed Sikora, Alabama Extension Specialist and Professor in Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University. “I put out about eight cucurbit downy mildew sentinel plots around the state. Most of …

Hurricane Eta a Threat to South Florida Vegetables

Web AdminFlorida, Top Posts, Vegetables, Weather

The latest hurricane activity to threaten the United States could impact South Florida vegetable production early next week. According to weather.com, Hurricane Eta is threatening to approach South Florida this weekend and bring rain, high winds or a combination of both as early as Monday morning. Vegetable producers are feeling anxious right now, says Gene McAvoy, University of Florida Regional …

Falling Pecan Prices Dishearten Growers Amid Bumper Crop

Web AdminGeorgia, Pecan, Top Posts

It’s a disheartening feeling to know you have your best pecan crop in years only to face the worst market prices in at least the last 20 years. But that’s what pecan growers in Georgia are facing this fall, according to Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist. As states like Georgia are currently harvesting a bumper crop, …