Citrus and Specialty Crop Expo Day One: ‘Agriculture Matters’ for Florida Sen. Collins

Clint ThompsonCitrus and Specialty Crop Expo, Florida

By Clint Thompson Florida Sen. Jay Collins’ presence at this year’s Citrus and Specialty Crop Expo emphasized the importance he’s placing on helping specialty crop producers to remain sustainable; now and into the future. Collins joined Florida Rep. Danny Alvarez in discussing agriculture and its impact in legislative issues during Wednesday’s general session of the Expo at the Florida State …

Vidalia Onion Committee is Seeking New Member Nominations

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Vidalia Onions

Vidalia, GA — The Vidalia® Onion Committee (VOC) is seeking nominations from industry producers to serve on the committee. The VOC elects eight new nominees annually as part of an annual process. Four members and four alternate seats are currently available on the committee. The VOC administers the federal marketing order locally and consists of eight producer members and their …

Meet UGA’s New Peach and Citrus Breeder

Clint ThompsonCitrus, Georgia, Peaches

By Clint Thompson The University of Georgia (UGA) turned to one of its own to man the newly created peach and citrus breeder position in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). Dario Chavez joined UGA in 2014 and has conducted peach research on the UGA Griffin Campus for the past 10 years. Chavez will expand his research to …

Pricing Produce Directly to Consumers: Farmers Urged to Know Costs

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Instead of taking what the broker or retailer feels like paying, small- and medium-sized farmers who sell directly to consumers should track costs, determine what they want to earn and set their own produce prices, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) experts say. Growers should base their prices on their costs, said Kim Morgan, a UF/IFAS …

How’s It Looking? Clemson Extension Agents Provide Crop Updates

Clint ThompsonSouth Carolina

Clemson Extension agents provide updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Statewide Tom Bilbo (Extension Entomologist) Coastal Region Anna Sara Hill Zack Snipes Midlands Rob Last Sarah Scott Pee Dee Christiana Huss Brittney King Upstate Andy Rollins We are having very large stinkbug populations in the Upstate, primarily …

Dragon Fruit Workshop Spurs Excitement, Collaboration for Robust Industry in Florida

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Dragon fruit is a heart-healthy superfood, low in calories and fueled with plenty of fiber and antioxidants – and it’s in high demand among consumers worldwide. An increasing number of consumers are growing this fruiting cactus vine in their home gardens and are finding new ways to include it as a key ingredient to main dishes, in desserts and drinks. …

Impact of Hurricane Debby on North Florida Citrus

Clint ThompsonCitrus, Florida

By Clint Thompson High wind speeds were prevalent when Hurricane Debby passed through the North Florida region last week. Perry, Florida, received the brunt of those winds. According to Lisa Strange, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension agent in Taylor County, wind speeds were recorded at 80 miles per hour. It led to some citrus trees …

Whitefly Roundup: Hot and Dry Conditions Could Lead to Heavy Buildup

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson The environmental conditions are ripe for whitefly buildup in the Southeast. They’ll continue to be if excessive rainfall remains absent for prolonged periods of time, believes Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension vegetable entomologist. “It depends on what happens with the weather, if we go hot and dry. We started building considerably recently. If it goes …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Hop Production Progressing in Florida

Clint ThompsonHops, Specialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Frank Giles One of the missions of land grant universities is helping farmers to learn better ways to produce their crops. But another is seeking alternative crops, which might help growers to diversify their business operations. Some alternative crops work; others don’t. Research efforts might pay off when a crop catches on. A recent of example of this is …

Hurricane Debby’s Impact on Georgia Pecans

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pecan

By Clint Thompson Hurricane Debby’s impact on Georgia’s pecan crop was not as severe as Idalia was the prior year. But it still affected trees with its high wind speeds and excessive rainfall, says Lenny Wells, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension pecan specialist. “That southern tier, starting around Lowndes County, Brooks, in there was hit pretty bad. Some of the …