By Clint Thompson Pecan interest has finally slowed amid rising input costs and a deflated market. Need proof? Just look at the attendance at Tuesday’s Pecan Beginner’s School at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center. “The planting of nursery trees over the past year did drop. The number of trees planted, people are still planting, but I think …
Watermelon Prices Just Average Amid Rising Input Costs
By Clint Thompson The watermelon prices that were good, maybe, 10 years ago are not so much in the current economic climate. Branford Florida watermelon producer Laura Land estimated that current prices are approximately 18 to 20 cents per pound for 45-count seedless; roughly $126 per bin. However, the same input expenses that cost Southeast vegetable producers all spring are …
Input Costs Rising for Vegetable Farmers
It comes as no surprise to farmers that input prices have increased in recent years. What may be eye-opening is how much expenses like fertilizer costs and gas prices are expected to go up this year. According to the USDA Vegetable and Pulses Outlook: April 2021, growers should expect to pay for most of the inputs required to produce, pack …
Costly Concerns: High Inputs, Freight Costs, Pallet Prices Worry Farmers
By Clint Thompson What had Southeast producers concerned in late spring and early summer has not changed in early July. High input costs, increased freight rates, outrageous pallet prices; all add up to a challenging time to produce vegetable and specialty crops. “We’re very concerned about it. Freight rates haven’t really backed off yet. We don’t know what’s going to …
Costly Input: UGA Extension Pecan Specialist Discusses Scab Spray Expenses
By Clint Thompson Fungicide applications are one of the most important and costly expenses that pecan producers must make. If they can’t or won’t protect their crop from scab disease, yields will be drastically reduced. It is a message that Lenny Wells, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension pecan specialist, emphasized during the UGA Pecan School on March 20 in Perry, …
UGA Specialist: Peach Producers to Try to Minimize Costs Ahead of Next Season
By Clint Thompson Peach producers struggling to produce a crop this year are likely already starting to think about next season. It is all about reducing input costs at this point, believes Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Peach and Taylor counties. “Going forward, they’re probably going to do as little as possible …
It Costs How Much? Thanksgiving Dinner Expenses Up 20%
Thanksgiving remains an important time for many Americans. The cost of the meal this year is also top of mind. American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) 37th annual survey provides a snapshot of the average cost of this season’s classic Thanksgiving feast for 10, which is $64.05 or less than $6.50 per person. This is a $10.74 or 20% increase from …
Gas, Diesel Costs Continue to Increase
Gas and diesel prices are on the rise across the Southeast, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Gas costs averaged $3.59 per gallon along the east coast on Nov. 7, which is a 6-cents increase from the previous week and 11 cents more than two weeks ago. The expense is also 24 cents more compared to a year ago. …
Input Expenses Still a Concern for South Florida Growers Ahead of Fall Crop
By Clint Thompson It is a time to relax, reflect and look ahead to the fall crop if you are a vegetable farmer in South Florida. “Everybody’s pretty much on vacation in the vegetable world,” said Gene McAvoy, associate director for stakeholder relations at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. …
Statistically Speaking: Various Factors Contribute to Surge in Input Expenses
By Clint Thompson Various factors have contributed to the increase in costs for fertilizer and other energy-based inputs. A surge in post-pandemic demand combined with transportation delays, low crude oil inventories and the current Russia-Ukraine conflict are the main reasons, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service. Nitrogen fertilizer is up 110% from …