By Clint Thompson Karla Thompson is a lawyer by training and farmer by marriage. That combination makes her one of the Southeast’s leading advocates for growers. “I think with advocacy work it really helps because I understand the misperceptions and ideas that people have about the ag industry because I had them myself,” Thompson says. “Before I got involved in …
UGA Specialist Cautions Strawberry Growers Against Neopestalotiopsis
By Clint Thompson Neopestalotiopsis has been confirmed in Florida strawberries this season. Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist, cautions growers to be on the lookout for the disease. “It mimics just about every disease that we’ve ever known in strawberries. People are looking at some of these things and wondering, ‘Is this it?’ I tell them …
Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference to Highlight Issues Growers Are Facing
Registration is ongoing for the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference scheduled for Jan. 5-8, 2023, in Savannah, Georgia. The annual meeting brings together farmers and industry leaders from across the Southeast as well as provide educational sessions that cover commodities across the entire gamut of the specialty crop industry. These include blueberries, caneberries, citrus, muscadines, peaches, strawberries, vegetables, Vidalia …
Florida Strawberry Growers Preparing for Freeze
By Clint Thompson Florida’s strawberry crop could be damaged by the sub-freezing temperatures in the forecast for this weekend. Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida, discusses the scenario he and other producers are facing with potential temperatures in the 20s scheduled for Friday night and Saturday night. “We’re going to be running water, but it’s …
Looming Sub-Freezing Should Help Growers in Managing Whitefly Populations
By Clint Thompson The upcoming below-freezing temperatures should help South Georgia specialty crop producers trying to manage the growing whitefly population. Ty Torrance, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable agent for Colquitt, Tift and Worth counties, discusses why warmer weather is not good for farmers with vegetables vulnerable to whitefly damage. “There’s still some whiteflies around, not near the populations …
Christmas Tree Growers Optimistic About Industry’s Future
It wasn’t long ago that Christmas tree growers were worried about the long-term future of their industry. But today that worry has transformed into renewed optimism, according to Gary Crawford with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Marsha Gray, executive director of the Real Christmas Tree Board, says, ”The industry met the demand in 2021 and will do so again …
Looming Freeze in North Florida and Georgia Has Citrus Growers Concerned
Looming below-freezing temperatures in the cold-hardy citrus region have growers on high alert regarding their remaining crop. Forecasts call for temperatures to drop to the 20s in Tifton, Georgia, on Dec. 23, according to Weather.com. Growers will have to decide on how to handle their remaining fruit, said Kim Jones, citrus producer and packinghouse owner. Jones is president of the Cold Hardy …
Cold-Hardy Citrus Growers Face Tough Call With Possible Freeze
Looming below-freezing temperatures in the cold-hardy citrus region have growers on high alert regarding their remaining crop. Forecasts call for temperatures to drop to the 20s in Tifton, Georgia, on Dec. 23, according to Weather.com. Growers will have to decide on how to handle their remaining fruit, said Kim Jones, citrus producer and packinghouse owner. Jones is president of the Cold Hardy …
Input Costs Remain Concern of Watermelon Growers
By Clint Thompson Watermelon growers in the Suwanee Valley Region are gearing up for the upcoming season. Their main challenge to a successful season is the obstacle that concerned them all of last year – high input costs. It is a subject that Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in …
USDA Invites Growers to Respond Online to 2022 Census of Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has mailed survey codes to all known agriculture producers across the 50 states with an invitation to respond online to the 2022 Census of Agriculture at agcounts.usda.gov. The ag census is the nation’s only comprehensive and impartial agriculture data for every state, county and territory. By completing the survey, producers across the nation can …