By Nathan S. Boyd and Arnold Schumann The majority of vegetables grown in Florida are grown on raised, fumigated beds covered with plastic mulch. This production technique has been widely adopted because the combination of plastic mulch and drip tape improves water and fertility efficiency. The use of plastic mulches has many additional benefits, including improved crop quality, reduced water …
New Herbicide Application Technology Available in Georgia and Alabama – But Not Yet in Florida
With spring and the rainy season just around the corner, many cattle producers look toward fertilization and weed control applications in the weeks and months ahead. As part of our coverage of this week’s National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Phoenix, we learned from Dow AgroSciences range and pasture experts that a new herbicide application technology is available in Georgia …
UF/IFAS Receives $1 Million Grant to Explore Automation in Nursery Industry
Imagine a future where nursery growers can effortlessly manage their plants with cutting-edge automation technologies, using potting or weed-spraying robots, instead of having to dig each hole or spray each pot by hand. With the help of a $9.8 million grant from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), this vision is becoming a reality. UF/IFAS will use …
Clemson Extension Agents Provide Crop Updates
Clemson Extension agents provide updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Coastal Region Zack Snipes Midlands Rob Last Pee Dee Christiana Huss Brittney King Upstate Andy Rollins Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New GroundNovember 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024SECURE FUNDING NOW | USDA-Sponsored Farming Project …
Management Options for Florida Blueberry Growers in November
Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator, is advising blueberry growers about management options they need to consider during November. Producers should continue monitoring and managing leaf diseases, especially in evergreen systems. It is the time for blueberry farmers to begin monitoring for blueberry gall midge. They can use bucket traps (3 …
AI May Help Kill Weeds, Preserve Peppers and Tomatoes
First, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers developed technology to kill weeds, instead of strawberries. Now, UF/IFAS researchers are designing a machine that can surgically eliminate weeds while preserving the tomatoes and peppers around them, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and sensor fusion. Vinay Vijayakumar, a doctoral student working under the supervision of Yiannis Ampatzidis, created …
Southern Scientists Use AI to Reduce Costs, Labor on Farms
Scientists throughout the South are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help growers save labor costs and time, spray with precision, detect diseases, control food quality, maintain animal health and help grow wheat. Among the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientists helping growers save time and money is Yiannis Ampatzidis, an associate professor of agricultural and …
Florida Blueberry Management Tips for September
Florida blueberry management is a year-round job for the state’s growers. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) provides producers with reminders about what management options they need to remember for September. Producers should be actively scouting for algal stem blotch as well as monitor and manage leaf diseases. On farms where there is active management …
Clemson Extension Agents Provide Crop Updates
Weekly Field Update Clemson Extension agents provide updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Statewide Tony Keinath (Extension Plant Pathologist) Coastal Region Anna Sara Hill Zack Snipes Midlands Rob Last Sarah Scott Pee Dee Brittney King Sponsored ContentNuseed Carinata Covers New GroundNovember 1, 2024TriEst Ag Group: Partners in …
Ag Chemical Use Survey Results
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducted an agricultural chemical use survey of fruit growers in 12 states, pertaining to 21 multiple fruit crops. Those surveyed included multiple states in the Southeast, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Data is for the 2023 crop year, the one-year period starting after the 2022 harvest …