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It is never too early to start thinking about the 2026 Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) Conference and Tradeshow, scheduled for Feb. 4-6, 2026, in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The three-day event will be held at The Lodge at Gulf State Park. The theme for next year’s show is “Game Plan for Growth: Team AFVGA.” AFVGA Executive Director Blake …
By Clint Thompson North Carolina (N.C.) vegetable growers should be mindful that cucumber downy mildew has been confirmed on cucumber plant samples from a research plot at the Mountain Research Station in Haywood County, North Carolina. It was detected on July 30. Inga Meadows, N.C. State Extension Associate in Vegetable and Herbaceous Ornamental Pathology, noted that water-soaked lesions on the …
Georgia citrus growers are still in the honeymoon phase of production with regards to disease, said Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist. While established groves in Florida have had to deal with disease buildup for decades, disease has yet to be problematic for South Georgia citrus production. But that could be changing. “With respect …
By Clint Thompson South Georgia vegetable farmers have gone from one extreme weather event to the other in recent weeks. The lack of rainfall created abnormally dry conditions for most of the latter part of July. However, weather conditions changed this week with excessive rainfall. Georgia producers like Sam Watson are having to navigate the weather challenges in preparing to …
By Clint Thompson The blackberry season did not transpire the way one Florida producer had hoped. Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida, will give it one more season or change his approach to producing the fruit in the future. “Volume was off; probably half the volume of last year. I did get them to go …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will host a hemp field day on Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the UF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit in Citra, Florida. The UF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit is located at 2556 County Highway 318, Citra, Florida. UF/IFAS researchers, Extension agents …
By Clint Thompson Labor continues to be a trendy topic discussed among specialty crop producers. The H-2A program remains the only reliable workforce. Fruit and vegetable farmers need it to stay reliable heading into the future. Reforming the program must be a priority, according to Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson (PA-15), chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. He talked about labor during …
The July 31 release of the U.S. Drought Monitor shows dry conditions spreading and worsening across some areas in Georgia and Alabama and covering parts of Florida. Abnormal drought is observed in Southwest Georgia and much of the northern part of the state. Dry conditions in the southwest corner of the state start in Seminole and Decatur counties, expand eastward …
By Clint Thompson Georgia peach production has been strong this season. One North Georgia producer is still enjoying the fruits of his labor. Drew Echols, owner of Jaemor Farms in Alto, Georgia, and past president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), estimated on July 22 that production would continue for another month to six weeks. That is …
By Clint Thompson and Dale Sandlin The potential lack of satsuma mandarins this season in the cold-hardy citrus region should not discourage growers from adding to their production portfolio in the future. It just means they need to try other varieties, despite satsumas being the most commonly produced variety in the region. Jake Price, University of Georgia (UGA) area citrus …
