Excessive rainfall in January and so far in February has vegetable producers playing catch-up in preparing for the upcoming season. “We’re way behind as far as laying new plastic for the spring and everything,” said Bill Brim, part owner of Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, Georgia on Friday. “We probably still like about 600 acres of plastic to lay. We …
American Blueberry Growers Alliance Confident Ahead of ITC Decision
The American Blueberry Growers Alliance’s (ABGA) case has been made. The data supports its stance of serious injury regarding blueberry imports. It’s now up to the International Trade Committee (ITC) which will vote on Thursday to determine whether the domestic industry has been seriously injured. “We feel like we presented a good case. The numbers do not lie,” said Jerome …
GDA Announces Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) announces the competitive solicitation process to award the 2021 Specialty Crop Block Grant. The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) funds projects that “enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops.” Please see the specific listing of all eligible and ineligible crops at https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp/specialty-crop. These include fruits and tree nuts, vegetables and horticulture crops. “The goal of …
Bacterial Wilt: Disease Challenging Blueberry Producers
A blueberry disease that has impacted the Florida industry since 2016 was found in Georgia for the first time in 2020. While there is no cure for bacterial wilt, producers can apply preventative measures to slow down the disease’s progression. “In Florida, they seem to be having increasing problems with it year after year, probably because the bacteria spreads so …
Looking Ahead: How to Compensate for Low Pecan Prices?
As disappointing and disheartening last year’s pecan season was for Southeast producers, 2021 has the potential to be worse – if producers don’t take action or if prices don’t improve. It was a bountiful crop for Georgia with yields projected at 135 million pounds. But considering that pecan trees are alternate bearing (if they produce a good crop one year, …
Vidalia Onion Crop and Disease Update
The 2021 Vidalia Onion Crop and Disease Update will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 17. It will be held virtually this year from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. University of Georgia (UGA) Extension scientists will provide an update on disease management recommendations to onion producers and industry experts. The speakers include Chris Tyson, area onion agent, and Bhabesh Dutta, UGA …
Chill Hours Continue to Increase for Alabama Peaches
Alabama peach trees continue to receive high chill hours to help make a crop this upcoming spring. According to the Alabama Extension, chill hours remain high at various locations throughout Alabama. As of early Friday morning, there were 678 standard chill hours at the Auburn University Turf Unit in Auburn, Alabama, compared to 617 last year. There were 860 chill hours …
Current Research and Applications for Blueberry Irrigation Scheduling
By Ashley Robinson Recent work by researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) has targeted developing more robust smart irrigation scheduling methods for blueberries. Two main methods have been the development of a smart irrigation scheduling app and utilizing an unmanned aerial system (UAS). Wesley Porter, associate professor and Extension precision agriculture and irrigation specialist at UGA, discussed these new …
Breaking Ground: UGA Establishes New Pecan Research and Demo Plot
The University of Georgia (UGA) broke ground on Wednesday at the UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center for a new 5-acre pecan research and demonstration plot. The planted trees will highlight research that focuses on new and current varieties and be used as a location for producer demonstrations as well as other research projects. Virtual Production Meeting The University …
Alarming Ant Issue: Pest Impacted Hemp in 2020
Commercial hemp production has taken off in the Southeast. A key takeaway from the different production sites in Georgia and Alabama in 2020 was the alarming number of ant problems reported on production. “A lot of times it was fire ants, but it wasn’t exclusively fire ants. There were some other types of ants as well,” said Tim Coolong, associate …