By Clint Thompson North Florida watermelon growers have been able to manage most disease pressure this year; except for gummy stem blight. It has been the one disease that has been extremely problematic for producers, says Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. “I’d say it’s more …
Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Snail Spreading in Southeast Region
By Maegan Beatty Bulimulus bonariensis, also called the peanut snail, is a non-native tree snail from the West Indies. As a detritivore, B. bonariensis was not considered an agricultural pest until around 2015 when peanut growers in the Florida Panhandle started seeing the snail in large numbers. The pest does not only affect peanuts; it can harm other southeastern crops …
Florida Tomato Conference Slated for Sept. 5
Florida tomato growers should mark their calendars for Thursday, Sept. 5. The annual Florida Tomato Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clewiston John Boy Auditorium in Clewiston, Florida. The event attracted nearly 300 attendees last year which led to it being moved to a larger location. The venue will provide a better learning experience …
Specialty Crop Industry Applauds Movement on Farm Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 11, 2024) – The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) has issued the following statement following the release of a farm bill framework by Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member (John) Boozman. “The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance commends Sen. Boozman for his contribution to moving the 2024 farm bill process forward today. The specialty crop industry plays …
Mini Melon Harvests Underway in Georgia
By Clint Thompson Watermelon harvests are underway in Georgia. It’s not the big, seedless melons, which are still a few days away. Mini melons were being harvested last week. Jaime Patrick, Patrick Family Farms in Omega, Georgia, said his mini melons were being harvested, starting on Thursday, June 6. “We’ll do 15 buses a day, something like that. It isn’t …
GFVGA Joins Lawsuit Against DOL
The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) has joined a coalition of producers and state attorneys general to file a lawsuit against the Department of Labor (DOL), challenging new rules proposed for the H-2A program. These new “Worker Protection Rules” are slated to go into effect in late June and will continue to make the H-2A process prohibitively expensive …
Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Managing San Jose Scale in Peaches
By Frank Giles San Jose scale is one of the more problematic pests peach growers in the Southeast must manage. Since the early 2000s, San Jose scale has emerged as a one of the region’s most common and damaging pests. Spread The scale is a prolific breeder. According to the University of Georgia (UGA), the female can produce about 10 …
Hot and Dry: Weather Conditions Favorable for Buildup of Whiteflies, Spider Mites
By Clint Thompson The current hot and dry weather conditions have one University of Georgia (UGA) entomologist concerned that whitefly and spider mite pressure will soon intensify in vegetable crops. Stormy Sparks, UGA Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist, talked about both insects during a vegetable training with Extension agents last week. “Right now, we’re worried about whiteflies building up. They’re very, …
Figuring Out the Right Hops “Recipe” in Florida
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center hosted a hops field day in early June. The event included a tour of the center’s hops yard and educational presentations on growing the crop. Much of the hops used in brewing beer is grown in Washington and Oregon. Shinsuke Agehara, UF/IFAS associate …
USTR, USDA Announce Appointments to Advisory Committee
WASHINGTON – The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have announced appointments to the newly established Seasonal and Perishable Agricultural Products Advisory Committee. Members from Georgia and Florida were selected to the committee, including Chris Butts, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and Mike Joyner, president of …



















