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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “Growers”
Florida specialty crop farmer Matt Parke may still be a relative newbie when it comes to blackberry production. But he seems to have figured out a secret to blackberry success in Central Florida. “Here in Central Florida, we don’t get the chill hours required to make them flower good, so you’ve got to figure out how to trick them into …
Specialty crop producers are always looking for ways to increase their yields and boost the ability of their crops to resist pests, diseases and heat spurred by climate change. That’s particularly the case when you grow crops in a high-intensity production system, which farmers use to produce tomatoes in Florida. Such systems require a lot of water, nutrients and chemicals …
By Clint Thompson Those interested in attending next year’s Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) conference and trade show can mark their calendars for Feb. 5-7, 2025, in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The annual conference returns to South Alabama for another year, with registration slated to open on Nov. 1. Blake Thaxton, executive director of the AFVGA, talked about the …
By Clint Thompson The Citrus and Specialty Crop Expo, slated for Aug. 21-22 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, appeals to fruit and vegetable growers from across the Southeast, including those from Georgia, Alabama and North Florida. It will offer seminar sessions that highlight specialty crop production while also offering opportunities to discuss business with the many vendors that …
By Clint Thompson Gummy stem blight’s presence in North Florida watermelons this year was expensive to manage. It could be even costlier to growers’ sustainability in the future. “Are we going to start losing effectiveness of chemistry?” pondered Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. “That’s the …
By Clint Thompson An increased nut drop of one of Georgia’s older and more established pecan varieties will impact volume this year. But growers should know this is a common occurrence with Desirable varieties, says Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist. “There was a big drop of Desirables this year. Desirables always have a drop in June. This …
By Clint Thompson Sprayer management is an essential part of disease management for grape producers in the Southeast. As costly as fungicides can be, growers must be as efficient as possible with their spray applications, says Sarah Lowder, University of Georgia viticulture Extension specialist. “You can’t get good disease management if you don’t have good spray coverage,” Lowder said. “Where …
By Clint Thompson The farm bill is far from a finished product, but at least the process to finalize an important piece of legislation is underway. The House Agriculture Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee have passed frameworks of the bill. Chris Butts, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), discussed the current proposals in both frameworks …
Registration is currently under way for the 50th annual Agricultural Labor Relations Forum, scheduled for Aug. 28-30 at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resor Bonnet Creek in Orlando, Florida. The Florida Specialty Crop Foundation will present the forum, designed to educate agricultural employers, including growers, shippers, farm labor contractors, and other employers, on compliance with agricultural labor laws and sound relations …
By Clint Thompson Choosing the right hops variety means growers won’t have to be as concerned with root-knot nematode management. Johan Desaeger, assistant professor of entomology and nematology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discussed that benefit of hops production which continues to gain traction in Florida. “The hop …
