A deal that could be the beginning of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) 2.0 was made between the United States and Mexico earlier this week. Although this may look good for NAFTA renegotiation talks, Georgia produce growers are not happy about the deal and what it could mean for NAFTA going forward. Charles Hall, executive director of the …
Selecting Herbicides for Stone Fruit
By Breanna Kendrick With perennial crops such as stone fruits, growers are limited in their weed management options because they can’t choose practices like crop rotation. Therefore, selection of proper herbicides is critical for effective weed control. Peter Dittmar, assistant professor with the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, specializes in weed …
Precision Application of Dry Fertilizer in Wild Blueberry Fields
By Arnold Schumann, Qamar Zaman, Hassan Chattha, Scott Read and Aitazaz Farooque The wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is a perennial, shrubby, slow-growing plant that is native to northeastern North America. Commercial wild blueberry fields are developed by removing competing vegetation and debris from natural mixed forest, because they cannot be successfully planted. Establishment of a commercially productive field of wild …
Vegetable and Specialty Crop Seminars Pack a Punch
The 27th year of Citrus Expo is expected to be the biggest year yet with an added vegetable and specialty crop educational program. AgNet Media has always relied on University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professionals to help create an informative program for growers. This year, Gene McAvoy, a regional vegetable Extension agent, led the efforts in …
UF/IFAS Hopes to Grow Vanilla, Meet Consumer Demand
For dessert, how about a scoop of ice cream flavored with vanilla from Florida’s farmers? Because so many consumers enjoy vanilla, University of Florida (UF) scientists hope to help Florida farmers grow the bean. Consumers have an appetite for vanilla. The United States leads the world in imported vanilla beans, said Alan Chambers, an assistant professor of horticultural sciences at …
Taking Precautions for Increased Rain
By Breanna Kendrick With widespread rain in Florida for the past week and a half and another week of rain forecasted, growers are becoming concerned about what this might mean for their crops. For the past seven days, rainfall has ranged from 1.20 to 9.43 inches in Florida. Depending on location, the rain has either been devastating or vital for …
Cool Temperatures May Pose a Threat to Southeastern Ag
Southeastern regions experienced some cold temperatures this past week, and it appears the cold is sticking around throughout next week. These temperatures pose a big threat to blooming fruit crops. After seeing high temperatures in February, some 10 degrees higher than the average, crops like blueberries and peaches may have some freeze damage as temperatures continue to drop next week. …
Battling Blueberry Diseases
Predictive systems and preventing new diseases in blueberries were topics Phil Brannen addressed at the 2018 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Ga., in January. Brannen is a professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Georgia. Predictive systems can benefit growers by letting them know when their disease risks are highest and lowest. Brannen said a …