By Clint Thompson Recent rainfall events in North Florida have watermelon producers on high alert from disease pressure building up. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, cautions growers against downy mildew disease as harvests continue across the region. “I expect that the weather pattern here is …
Florida Blueberry Grower: “Wasn’t a Good Year for Florida”
By Clint Thompson Blueberry season has all but ended in Florida. Growers are taking stock of the season, which was impacted by the Christmas freeze event and a couple of freezes in March. One producer believes it wasn’t a good year for Florida. “We were down on our yield. We were a little late because of some of those freezes. …
Robotic Harvesters Could Be Challenge in Vegetable Production
By Clint Thompson Precision Ag innovations are needed for specialty crop producers to remain sustainable now and into the future. The only problem with that reality may be vegetable’s sensitivity. A robotic harvester may not be feasible for some of those crops because they could get damaged during harvest, believes Jessica Kirk, director of food safety and marketing at Lewis …
Gas Prices Decreasing Across Southeast
Gas prices are decreasing across the U.S., especially in the Southeast, according to AAA. Prices have dropped significantly over the past month and more than $1 per gallon over the previous year. As of Monday, a regular gallon of gasoline in Florida costs an average of $3.40, compared to $3.47 a week ago, $3.71 a month ago and $4.48 a …
Cold-Hardy Citrus Production and Challenges
By Maegan Beatty Cold-hardy citrus is grown across a few thousand acres in more than 16 counties in North Florida and South Georgia. The satsuma mandarin is a cold-hardy species that has been grown throughout North Florida since the 1800s. The fruit is typically medium sized, a reddish orange color and can produce the highest quality in cooler winters and …
Don’t Miss the Deadline: Blueberry Commodity Commission Nominations Due by May 26
Any blueberry producer interested or knows someone that is interested in serving on the Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commission for Blueberries need to remember that nominations are due by Friday, May 26. Nomination forms can be found at – agr.georgia.gov/cpf, under the nomination form tab or by emailing andy.harrison@agr.georgia.gov. Nominations will be accepted through email or by mail at Andy Harrison, …
Farming’s Future? Precision Ag Conference Highlights Needs for Specialty Crop Industry
By Clint Thompson The International Conference of Integrative Precision Agriculture last week allowed farmers to vent current concerns and industry experts to counter with potential remedies of the future. George Vellidis, conference planning committee chairman, discussed the importance of the two-day event held in Athens, Georgia. “The University of Georgia has identified precision ag as a key area for investment …
Cold-Hardy Citrus Production and Challenges
By Maegan Beatty Cold-hardy citrus is grown across a few thousand acres in more than 16 counties in North Florida and South Georgia. The satsuma mandarin is a cold-hardy species that has been grown throughout North Florida since the 1800s. The fruit is typically medium sized, a reddish orange color and can produce the highest quality in cooler winters and …
Still Dry: Lack of Rain in Areas Across Southeast
Rainfall continues to impact parts of the Southeast, though much of the region is still observing dry conditions. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, much of the west coast of Florida is either extremely dry or severely dry. These include Levy, Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Manatee, Hardee, Sarasota, Desoto and Charlotte counties. Most of the central part …
Cucurbit Downy Mildew Found in South Carolina
First it was Florida. Then Georgia. Now South Carolina. Downy mildew disease has moved its way up the Southeast region. According to the South Carolina Grower, cucurbit downy mildew was identified in South Carolina on May 12. The identification came from butternut squash grown in a sentinel plot at the Coastal Research and Education Center in Charleston, South Carolina. Vegetable …