Under the Microscope: Scab Resistance Remains Top Priority for UGA Pecan Breeder

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pecan

By Clint Thompson One trait remains the focus of the University of Georgia (UGA) pecan breeding program. As UGA pecan breeder Patrick Conner continues to study cultivars of the future, they must possess scab resistance on some level. “It has to have at least good resistance, if not excellent resistance, before we’ll go forward,” Conner said. “Good resistance to me …

Peach Producers Should Remain Timely with Fungicide Spray Applications

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Peaches

By Clint Thompson Southeast peach producers should remain timely with their fungicide applications amid the persistent rainy conditions being experienced across the region. Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist, highlighted a couple of diseases the growers should be concerned with. “I’m sure they’re on top of it, but with the amount of rain and some of …

Courtesy of UF/IFAS: Florida Blueberry Season Means Yummy Fruit for Consumers

Clint ThompsonBlueberries, Florida

Ready to pick your own blueberries or buy them at the grocery store? Florida’s blueberry season is here, so you’ll likely find a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) variety near you. When consumers travel to the supermarket, they will not find blueberries labeled as UF/IFAS varieties. Chances are, however, if you are buying Florida-grown blueberries, …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Farming Fulfills South Georgia Producer Jaime Patrick

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Specialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Clint Thompson It was a typical mid-summer scene in South Georgia: scorching temperatures, dusty fields and farm work in progress. For youngster Jaime Patrick, it was just another day at Patrick Farms in Omega, Georgia. “Working here on the farm in the summers, we were growing sweet potatoes at the time. We always had people walk behind the transplanter; …

Costly Input: UGA Extension Pecan Specialist Discusses Scab Spray Expenses

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pecan

By Clint Thompson Fungicide applications are one of the most important and costly expenses that pecan producers must make. If they can’t or won’t protect their crop from scab disease, yields will be drastically reduced. It is a message that Lenny Wells, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension pecan specialist, emphasized during the UGA Pecan School on March 20 in Perry, …

TriEst Ag Group: Partners in Profitability

Morgan AssafSponsored Content, Uncategorized

There is a lot of talk about sustainability and regeneration in agriculture these days. But what do those terms really mean? If you ask five people, you might get five different definitions. But for Josh Mays, Director of Agronomy for TriEst Ag Group, it all starts with profitability. Mays says “We should all be critical of how farming practices impact …

Alabama Extension Agent Highlights Current Weather Challenges Impacting Producers

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Weather conditions over the past month have challenged Alabama fruit and vegetable farmers. Excessive rain delayed growers from being able to get in the fields. Neil Kelly, Alabama regional Extension agent in Southeast Alabama, highlighted that challenge his producers have faced in recent weeks. “The biggest thing is just getting fields ready; getting ready to plant. We’ve …

UF/IFAS Research: Nitrogen Recommendations for Evergreen Blueberries Being Studied

Clint ThompsonBlueberries, Florida

By Clint Thompson Nitrogen recommendations for evergreen blueberry production in Florida are still a relative unknown for growers. Lauren Goldsby, graduate research assistant at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), hopes to provide some clarity with research at the UF/IFAS Citra location. “We’re aware that we can produce evergreen production in the state of Florida. …

Who’s Feeling Nutty? UF/IFAS Macadamia Research Needs Volunteer Producers

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson Macadamia nuts are currently being considered as an alternative crop for Florida production in the central and southern part of the state. Whether there is a future for the nut in the Sunshine State will be largely determined by the interest level from potential producers. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are …

UF Web-Based System Launches ‘Climate Indicators Tool’ to Help Producers

Clint ThompsonFlorida

A new University of Florida (UF)-developed web-based tool will help growers reduce risks that come with climate variability. It is called the “climate indicators tool,” the newest addition to AgroClimate, a web-based platform designed 15 years ago by Clyde Fraisse, a UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) professor of agricultural and biological engineering. Growers can use the new …