AFVGA Cautiously Watching Farm Bill Process

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Like other specialty crop organizations, the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) is pleased to see movement being made on the farm bill. With the House Agriculture Committee and Senate Agriculture Committee passing frameworks of a bill, the AFVGA is eyeing both leadership members to see what is next, says Blake Thaxton, executive director of the …

Tomato Diseases Impacting Alabama Crop

Clint ThompsonAlabama, Tomatoes

By Clint Thompson The ongoing drought is slowing disease pressure among Alabama vegetables, says Ed Sikora, professor and Extension plant pathologist in the department of entomology and plant pathology at Auburn University. But that doesn’t mean disease pressure is quiet across all vegetables, especially tomatoes. Sikora outlined what tomato diseases are present across the state and what can be done …

APHIS Protects Domestic Fruit Production, Deregulates Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus in Fruit for Consumption

Clint ThompsonTomatoes, USDA

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is updating and issuing a Federal Order designed to continue protecting the domestic pepper and tomato industries while safely deregulating tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV)-positive tomatoes and peppers for consumption. Under the new Federal Order, APHIS will maintain its strong safeguards for imported and domestic …

South Georgia Watermelon Harvests Underway

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Watermelon

By Clint Thompson Watermelon harvests are underway across South Georgia. One crop scout attributes an uptick in disease pressure in watermelons this year to the increased rainfall experienced throughout the region in the spring. Tim Flanders, who scouts watermelon fields in the Tifton, Georgia, area, also said producers experienced some diseases sooner in the production season than normal. “We’ve got …

GFVGA Lawsuit: We’ve Got to Do Everything We Can to Protect Labor For Future

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson The current lawsuit against the Department of Labor (DOL) is a last resort for Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), a plaintiff in a case that is challenging new worker rules proposed for the H-2A program. Chris Butts, executive director of the GFVGA, explains his organization’s position in joining a lawsuit against the DOL. This is …

Fusarium Wilt Management: Grafting, Right Cultivar More Important Than Fungicides

Clint ThompsonSouth Carolina, Watermelon

Research has shown that grafting or choosing the right watermelon cultivar is more important than fungicide applications in managing fusarium wilt, according to one Clemson scientist. Plant pathologist Tony Keinath reported in his experiment at the Coastal Research and Education Center in Charleston, South Carolina, Cracker Jack had more diseased plants (5.8%) than Fascination (0.2%). Twelve of the 13 diseased …

AFVGA Executive Director Discusses Current Season

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Fruit and vegetable season is wide open across Alabama. Crops are being harvested and sold in counties all over the state. Blake Thaxton, executive director of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA), discussed the current situation facing his state’s specialty crop producers. “It’s wide-open peach season. The peach crop seems to be doing well, definitely …

Snail’s Pace: Impact Being Seen in Georgia Vegetables

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Snails are already impacting citrus in Florida. Georgia vegetables experts are concerned their crops could be next. Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist, talked about the dangers that snails pose to all vegetable crops in South Georgia. “It’s a growing concern, absolutely,” Sparks said. “We’ve got some in the squash fields over in …

From Hops to Pellets: UF/IFAS Scientists Meeting Craft Brewer Demand

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Many craft brewers prefer to make their product using hops pellets because of several advantages they provide over whole cone hops. To address a request by Tampa Bay-area craft brewers, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are converting the crop they grow into pellets. “Brewers use several forms of hops to make beer, including pellets, …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: The Last Word

Clint ThompsonSouth Carolina

Promotion and Protection of South Carolina Peaches Swaying in the balmy breezes coming off of the Atlantic Ocean are the trees South Carolina is known for — not palmetto trees, but peach trees. While Georgia may be known as the Peach State, South Carolina is actually the nation’s second-largest peach producer after California. South Carolina harvests more than 200 million …