Weekly Field Update Clemson Extension agents provide updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Coastal Region Anna Sara Hill Zack Snipes Midlands Rob Last Pee Dee Brittney King Sponsored ContentNew Syngenta Varieties Offer Grower SolutionsFebruary 1, 2026Attribute® II Technology Adds More Flexibility and Strength to Sweet Corn Pest …
Disease Management Options for North Florida Watermelons
By Clint Thompson While disease incidences have been minimal so far in North Florida watermelons, growers would be wise to plan accordingly, says Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. Hochmuth said in his weekly email that only gummy stem blight has been observed in the Suwanee …
Sweet Turnaround: Bountiful Peach Crop for Georgia Producers
By Clint Thompson Mid-April arrived, and with it came a spring heat wave for the first time this year. The threat of freezing temperatures should be over, meaning peach growers can celebrate. “We should have plenty of peaches,” said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Peach and Taylor counties. “Now, our sales force …
Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Emerging Pest Can Damage Wide Range of Crops
By Maegan Beatty The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has categorized Thrips parvispinus as a quarantine-significant pest. Thrips are small insects belonging to the order Thysanoptera. They are typically about 1 to 4 millimeters long and can vary in color from yellow to brown or black. Thrips are located across the world and are …
Low Pecan Prices Don’t Figure to Increase Anytime Soon
By Clint Thompson The five-year average price for pecans, from 2019 to 2023 was $1.69 a pound, which was the market price growers received last year. It does not appear to be going up any time soon, explains Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist. “Average price last year across all varieties season long was $1.69. That’s a lot …
AFVGA Executive Director Voices Frustration About Lack of New Farm Bill
By Clint Thompson What was due at the end of last September is still not in place as the calendar hits mid-April. Who knows when a new farm bill will be in place? Blake Thaxton does not. The executive director of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association expressed his frustration about the piece of legislation that was scheduled to …
Staying on Top of Nematodes in Vegetables
By Frank Giles Nematodes can be a hidden yield robber. The soilborne pests can pack a pretty powerful punch despite their puny size. Nematodes have been problematic in Southeast vegetable crops for many years. Their management was complicated by the phaseout of methyl bromide. In 2018, the University of Georgia surveyed fields in 30 Georgia counties to measure the pest. …
Awaiting Approval: Georgia Senator Discusses Foreign Ownership of Land Bill
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s bill to restrict foreign ownership of land is an important piece of legislation impacting food and national security. SB420 seeks to limit property rights for certain foreign ‘agents’ and entities by prohibiting them from purchasing land used for farming or within a 10-mile radius of a military base or installation. It refers to those considered a …
Threat to Vegetables: UF/IFAS Experts Provide Tips to Manage Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
Eastern lubber grasshoppers are out in force throughout the Southeast, including some parts of Florida. They’re munching on landscape plants, citrus and vegetable crops, while gardeners and growers are trying to minimize the damage. These insects can be found from March to April to about October to November in North Florida and the state’s Gulf Coast. They can be economically …
North Florida Melons Setting Fruit
By Clint Thompson The earliest planted watermelons in North Florida are already setting fruit. That is what happens when plantings start in mid-to-late February, says Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. “The earliest planted ones, the ones that were planted the third week in February, those …


















