The newly implemented Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) will negatively impact specialty crop producers across the U.S. That’s the belief shared by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). “We are disappointed in DOL’s (Department of Labor) final rule on the AEWR methodology,” said AFBF President Zippy Duvall. “This administration says it wants to help family farms, but its agency largely …
Upon Further Review: Warm February Detrimental to Peach Crop This Year
By Clint Thompson Abnormal weather conditions brought warm temperatures to Georgia in February. Unfortunately, it also led to peach trees blooming earlier than they were used to. The result was extreme vulnerability to a pair of freeze events in March that has impacted the crop statewide. “People talk about late freezes, but it really wasn’t that late. March is wintertime. …
Less Bang for Their Buck: Pecan Producers Receiving Less for Crop
Pecan producers continue to feel the sting of suppressed market prices, according to recent data generated from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service. It noted in its Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook: March 2023, the average grower price for pecans fell from an already low price of $2.16 per pound in 2021 to $1.79 per pound in …
GA Senators Pass Resolution for Farmworker Awareness Week
Georgia Senators Sam Watson (District 11), Shelly Echols (District 49), Larry Walker III (District 20), Lee Anderson (District 24) and Russ Goodman (8th District) filed a resolution last week that recognized March 25-31, 2023, as Farmworker Awareness Week. Watson, managing partner of Chill C Farms in Moultrie, Georgia, who produces squash, zucchini, bell pepper, cabbage, eggplant and cucumbers, highlighted the …
Freeze Had Greatest Impact on Young Trees
Lindy Savelle, president of the Georgia Citrus Association, and other industry leaders continue to preach to growers the need to diversify their crop portfolios. The Christmas freeze event that ravaged production in the Southeast last December should not be a deterrent for farmers hoping to produce citrus other than satsuma mandarins. Yes, non-satsuma citrus trees were impacted more by the multiple …
Dry Conditions Worsening in South Florida
Drought-like conditions are worsening in certain areas of the Southeast, specifically in southern Florida and southern Alabama, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The majority of Florida is either abnormally dry, moderately dry, severely dry or extremely dry, as is the case for Lee, Hendry and Collier counties in South Florida. Most of central and south Florida is severely dry, …
Freeze Events ‘Bad Timing’ For Peaches
By Clint Thompson The impact on Georgia peaches from two March freeze events is still under review, though trees were negatively affected. There was no way they couldn’t have been, especially with the unseasonably warm temperatures in February. “It’s been bad as far as the cold. It’s not what we need, it’s what I was afraid was going to happen. …
Sneak Peek: April 2023 Specialty Crop Industry Magazine
The April issue of Specialty Crop Industry Magazine puts watermelons in the spotlight. There is new leadership in the National Watermelon Association. George Szczepanski talks about his new role as NWA executive director after succeeding Bob Morissey, who was in the role for nearly 20 years. Szczepanski inherits an organization amid a challenging era for growers, including high input costs …
Pecan Production: Fears of Oversupply on Minds of Growers
By Clint Thompson A 200-million pound production season is in the near future for Georgia’s pecan producers. That’s a belief shared by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells. It’s also a concern on the minds of growers in the Southeast. If the leading pecan-producing state expands that much in the next few years, due to more trees …
Cold Weather Events Impact Early Peach Varieties
By Clint Thompson Two sub-freezing weather events in recent weeks have impacted Georgia’s peach crop. Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Peach and Taylor counties, believes the early-maturing peaches were the varieties impacted the most by temperatures that dropped below 30 degrees Fahrenheit (F) in consecutive weeks. “It looks like our earlier stuff …