Clemson Extension agents provide updates in the The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Weekly Field Update-4/12/21 Statewide Dr. Matt Cutulle reports, “I am starting to see some goosegrass popping due to soil temperatures being 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Goosegrass will typically be problematic in more compacted areas of the field. …
Clemson Extension Agents Provide Crop Updates
Clemson Extension agents provide updates in the The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Weekly Field Update Coastal Rob Last reports, “Vegetable crops are growing out of the impacts of frost well. There is active Alternaria in places on brassica crops. Insect activity in vegetable crops in the area remains low. …
Rising to the Challenges of Florida Farming
Problem-solving skills and a thirst for knowledge allow Chuck Obern to run a thriving vegetable farm. By Kendal Norris To be successful in farming requires a good deal of stamina, flexibility and determination, along with a love of the art of growing things. Charles “Chuck” Obern, owner of C&B Farms, Inc., embodies all these qualities. He is also curious, with …
Whitefly Management Methods
By Hugh Smith The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmits tomato yellow leaf curl virus in tomatoes. The pest also transmits three viruses to cucurbits, including squash vein yellowing virus, which causes watermelon vine decline. In addition to virus transmission and contamination, the silverleaf whitefly induces irregular ripening in tomato and the silverleafing in squash that gives it its common name. …
Georgia Blueberry Growers Focusing on Bush Health and Labor
After suffering from late freezes during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Georgia blueberry growers are focusing on mending bush health. Brandon Wade, grower and president of the Georgia Blueberry Growers Association (GBGA), says growers have had a tough couple seasons due to the freezes. Disease pressure has been prevalent as well. According to Wade, the freezes opened the window for …
Higher Prices Save Florida Watermelon Season
By Breanna Kendrick The 2018 Florida watermelon season posed challenges for most growers that resulted in lower yields and higher fruit prices. Bob Hochmuth, regional specialized Extension agent for vegetable crops at the University of Florida (UF) Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences North Florida Research and Education Center in Suwannee Valley discussed Florida’s 2018 watermelon season. He addressed the …
Improving Information Collection After a Natural Disaster
By Breanna Kendrick Alan Hodges, an Extension scientist in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), believes that natural disaster recovery systems must be upgraded. Hodges serves as Extension coordinator in the department and as director of UF’s Economic Impact Analysis program, which conducts sponsored projects for industry organizations …
Georgia Blueberry Growers Suffer Second Consecutive Year of Loss
Commissioner Gary W. Black hosted a conference call to connect Georgia blueberry growers and agricultural industry representatives with U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Bill Northey to discuss recent loss assessments for the 2018 blueberry crop. According to University of Georgia Extension, overall losses of both highbush and rabbiteye varieties could exceed 60 percent. This would mark the second consecutive …