Posted by Elina Coneva and Ed Sikora (Alabama Extension) Current wet and cooler than normal conditions are conducive for mummy berry disease in blueberry, according to Alabama Extension. Mummy berry disease is caused by the fungus Monilinia vacciniicorymbosi and is an important fungal disease of blueberries that can cause yield losses of up to 50% when conditions are favorable for disease …
Georgia Watermelon Season Ramps Up Next Week
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s watermelon harvest will ramp up next week. According to Samantha Kilgore, executive director of the Georgia Watermelon Association, acreage is projected to decrease this year to 19,000 acres. It would mark a significant drop from previous years’ harvests. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, from 2016-2018, Georgia averaged a harvest of just more than 23,000 …
Managing Floral Hemp Fertility in North Carolina
Written By Jeanine Davis There are many questions coming in this spring on how to fertilize floral hemp (hemp grown for CBD, CBG, CBN, etc.). Research to develop those recommendations is still ongoing in North Carolina, but Michelle McGinnis with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Agronomic Division, has prepared guidelines for us on leaf tissue sampling and …
UGA Extension helps Georgia Grown connect to consumers
By Maria M. Lameiras for UGA CAES News Like the moments before a race begins, dozens of staff with Georgia Grown and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension prepared to load thousands of pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables into hundreds of waiting cars and trucks stretched out in long lines at the Gwinnett Georgia Grown To Go event in Lawrenceville, …
UGA Economist: Submit Your CFAP Application Sooner Rather Than Later
By Clint Thompson University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Ag economist Adam Rabinowitz encourages farmers to submit applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) sooner rather than later. The application process for CFAP started this week. The program provides relief to American farmers and ranchers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. When details of CFAP were announced, the first guideline for …
New Charitable Effort Will Help South Carolina Farmers Amid COVID-19
South Carolina Department of Agriculture COLUMBIA – The nonprofit South Carolina Advocates for Agriculture will buy food from South Carolina farmers and distribute it to local food banks as part of a new charitable effort to ease COVID-19 strains on the food system. Certified South Carolina and South Carolina Advocates for Agriculture are partnering on Farmers to Food Banks, an …
In COVID-19 Era, UF/IFAS Research Adapts
By: Kirsten Romaguera, 352-294-3313, kromaguera@ufl.edu As Florida moved to “safer at home” measures, not all work could be put on pause. When it came to University of Florida research, many UF/IFAS projects could not wait. There are living plants, animals and insects to feed and maintain; some projects have regular monitoring procedures for which postponement could have broader environmental consequences. …
Persistent Rains in South Carolina Cuts Short Strawberry Season for Some Growers
By Clint Thompson Excessive rainfall in South Carolina has cut short strawberry season for parts of the state, says Bruce McLean, Clemson (S.C.) Extension area commercial horticulture agent for Dillon County, Horry County, Marion County and Malboro County in the Pee Dee Region. “Last week, in certain spots was just torrential rains,” McLean said. “A lot of the fruit that …
Stem Splitting in Watermelon, Squash and Other Cucurbit Crops
Posted by: Joseph Kemble, Edward Sikora, and Gary Gray/Alabama Extension According to a recent post, over the past several weeks, lower than average temperatures have been common across Alabama. Cucurbit crops (squash, watermelons, cucumbers, cantaloupes, and other small melons) are warm season vegetable crops that can suffer damage when temperatures fall below 60 degrees F. Cold damage is cumulative and …
Deadline for Georgia Pecan Assessment Vote is May 30
By Clint Thompson All Georgia pecan growers planning to vote on this month’s one-cent per pound assessment need to have their ballots postmarked by Saturday, May 30. Georgia’s pecan farmers are voting this month to renew a one-cent per pound assessment on pecans for the Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commission for Pecans. Ballots have been sent to Georgia growers who own …