By Clint Thompson One of AgNet Media’s signature events kicks off on Wednesday in Fort Myers, Florida. The two-day Citrus and Specialty Crop Expo, now in its 30th year, is one of the largest gatherings of industry leaders in South Florida. It attracts almost 1,000 attendees every year and will be held at the Lee Civic Center. The event educates …
Scouting for Fall Armyworms
By Clint Thompson Now is the time of year that fall armyworms make their presence known in Alabama. Eric Schavey, regional Extension agent in Northeast Alabama, said turf producers and some vegetable growers need to be mindful of the insects, which start to appear in late July and early August. “Fall armyworms, there’s some out. I haven’t seen any damage …
Whitefly Populations Increasing
By Clint Thompson University of Georgia Extension specialists are alerting specialty crop producers that whitefly pressure is on the rise in the Southeast. Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist, said populations have increased in recent weeks. While the increased activity is normal for this time of year, it still is a concern that growers should be …
Clemson Extension Agents Provide Crop Updates
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 reports, “We are in our lull period of production right now for the most part. Okra is coming in very strong in high volumes. It’s getting difficult to pick it all. Fall watermelons …
Peach Production: San Jose Scale Populations Down
By Clint Thompson Normally a persistent pest of peaches, San Jose scale has not been as impactful this year for growers in the Southeast. Brett Blaauw, assistant professor at the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said this is normally the peak time for scale pressure to increase in peach orchards. That has not been the …
UF/IFAS Scientist: Timing of Pre-Emergent Herbicide Applications is Key
By Clint Thompson Timing is everything for specialty crop growers implementing a pre-emergent herbicide program in their vegetable crops. Ramdas Kanissery, weed scientist and assistant professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), elaborates on the importance of ensuring the herbicide applications are made on time. “We have some herbicides available that can be used …
Scouting Below the Ground Critical in Florida Citrus
By Frank Giles Florida citrus growers faced another challenging season in 2022. Continuing impacts from HLB and inflated input prices forced some growers to scale back their production programs. According to Kendra McCorkle, an agronomic service representative for Syngenta, some growers had to make hard economic decisions. “This past season with spikes (in expenses) across everything, especially fertilizer and fuel, …
Peach Season Concludes in Georgia
By Clint Thompson Another peach season is in the books for most Georgia producers. After the late-season freeze event on March 13, growers were fortunate just to have a crop this year. Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources agent for Peach and Taylor counties, discussed how fortunate farmers were to have peaches at all when …
UF/IFAS Senior Vice President Speaks Out on New Florida Fertilizer Recommendations
Scott Angle, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), recently marked his second year on the job. From the beginning, he emphasized his commitment to updating fertilizer recommendations in the state. We asked Angle about new fertilizer recommendations being developed for five key crops and …
Neopestalotiopsis Concerns in Alabama
By Clint Thompson A new strawberry disease in Alabama was not as bad as it could have been. Farmers can thank the dry weather conditions that neopestalotiopsis fruit rot disease did not devastate more plants than it could have. Growers only have to look at Florida to see the devastation this disease can cause. “One problem that did develop is …