Pumpkin Popularity: North Georgia Farmer Reflects on Fall Crop

Web AdminGeorgia, Pumpkins

By Clint Thompson An increase in pumpkin acreage has netted Drew Echols income he hadn’t largely counted on prior to 2020. But as demand for the fall-based crop has increased in recent years, so has Echols’ acreage. He produced about 50 acres in 2020, 120 in ’21, 150 in ’22 and has peaked at 175 this season. “I don’t know …

Thrips Update: Populations Vary in Central, Southern Florida

Web AdminFlorida, Pests

Thrips pressure is low across central and southern Florida, according to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline. Scouts are observing low numbers in pepper in central Florida, with thrips only found in the bloom. Dak Seal, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences entomologist at the Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida, reports low …

$3.2 M USDA Grant: CAES Leads Research to Improve Organic Onion Production

Web AdminOnion, Research

A team of researchers from the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) is partnering with colleagues from Texas A&M University to find more effective production practices for organic onion growers in the southern United States where short-day onions — those that bulb with 11 to 12 hours of sunlight each day — are primarily grown. …

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Imports Battering the U.S. Blueberry Industry

Web AdminBlueberries

By A. Malek Hammami and Zhengfei Guan The United States is a major blueberry producer. The value of production in 2021 reached $1.1 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS). USDA statistics show that total U.S. blueberry production in 2022 was 622 million pounds. The Pacific Northwest states of Oregon and Washington lead in …

Peach Producers Beware: Disease Spray Applications a Must Next Year

Web AdminPeaches

By Clint Thompson The lack of fungicide applications for peach diseases last season means growers should be mindful of sprays heading into next spring. Once the freeze events in March wiped out most of Georgia’s crop, it also stopped many producers from applying their normal fungicide sprays. But they should be ready to combat potential disease buildup next spring, according …

Clemson Extension Agents Provide Updates

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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 Zack Snipes Midlands Rob Last Pee Dee Brittney King Upstate Andy Rollins Sponsored ContentNew Syngenta Varieties Offer Grower SolutionsFebruary 1, 2026Attribute® II Technology Adds More Flexibility and Strength to Sweet Corn Pest ManagementJanuary 1, 2026Nuseed …

Brewers, Craft Beer Enthusiasts Reap Flavor of UF Hops Research

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As you watch workers use chainsaws to cut down the bines of hop cones for this year’s fall harvest, you can almost sense the craft beer the hops will eventually produce. Last week, scientists at the University of Florida (UF) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC), hosted about 50 brewers from across the state for the Fall Hops Field …

It Is Time to Talk About Quality

Web AdminAgriculture Research, Blueberries

By Gerardo H. Nunez Long gone are the days when blueberries were a seasonal product. Nowadays, blueberries are available at the grocery store year-round thanks to innovations in plant breeding and a flood of imported fruit. This is changing the scenario for blueberry growers in the Southeast. Suddenly, growing fruit for the early spring market is not enough. The market …

Optimistic First Forecast for Florida Citrus

Web AdminCitrus, Citrus Crop Forecast

The bad news is that severe weather warnings caused the annual citrus crop luncheon to be cancelled at Putnam Ranch in Zolfo Springs, Florida. The good news is that the Florida citrus crop forecast is up in all categories. Bill Curtis, agricultural statistics administrator with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, presented the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) …

Alabama Pumpkin Farmer: Best Crop We’ve Ever Had

Web AdminAlabama

By Clint Thompson Pumpkins are not meant to be consistently produced in the South. So, when Alabama farmer John Aplin experiences a bountiful harvest like this season, all he can do is thank the Good Lord above. “I know in bad years when we’ve got tons of rain, I know what happened and why they went south. On a good …