The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference was just what the doctor ordered for growers yearning to reconnect with fellow farmers and look ahead to the upcoming season. “We are pleased with the continued attendance for this event,” said Drew Echols, Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) president. “After our virtual event in 2021, it was encouraging to see our …
Alabama Extension Offering Peach Insect, Disease Management Chart
Alabama Extension is offering a Peach Insect and Disease Management Chart for peach producers. The tool is a resource growers can carry with them and help manage insects during certain tree cycles. It includes the most common insect pests, including scale, European red mite, lesser peachtree borer and thrips. It also includes what management options growers have for prevention of …
Harvests, Sanitation Key to Preventing Yeast Rot in Blueberries
By Clint Thompson Timely harvests and sanitation practices are two ways blueberry growers can avoid yeast rot becoming a major problem in 2022. The disease devastated South Georgia’s rabbiteye blueberries in 2020. Phil Harmon, professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Florida, says there’s not a viable chemical option for farmers to implement. Management will have to involve …
Hops Future in North Carolina? N.C. State Researcher Optimistic
By Clint Thompson The potential of new high-yielding hops varieties has N.C. State Associate Professor and Extension specialist Jeanine Davis optimistic about the crop’s future in North Carolina. “The growers are very excited because these yields are as high, and in some cases, higher than yields we’re often seeing in say Michigan and New York,” Davis said. “I think if …
Better Now Than Later: Vidalia Onions Should Recover After Wind Damage
By Clint Thompson High wind speeds a week ago bruised some of Georgia’s Vidalia onion plants. Fortunately, it happened now as opposed to two months later closer to harvest. That’s the feeling shared by Chris Tyson, University of Georgia Extension Area Onion Agent at the Vidalia Onion & Vegetable Research Center in Lyons, Georgia. “That bruising where the onions got …
UGA Extension Pecan Production Meeting Sites Announced
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension has announced upcoming pecan production meeting sites for January through March. All meetings are slated to be lunch meetings unless noted otherwise. Here is a list of the scheduled meetings: Jan. 27, Cook County; Feb. 1, Laurens County; Feb. 3, Grady County; Feb. 8, Appling County; Feb. 15, Peach County; Feb. 16, Pierce County/Ware County; …
Ideal Weather Last Week for North Alabama Production
By Clint Thompson Colder temperatures and additional rainfall were just what the doctor ordered last week for North Alabama specialty crop producers. Temperatures in Guntersville, Alabama where Alabama Regional Extension agent Eric Schavey works, were as high as 79 degrees on Jan. 1. But rain helped dropped temperatures to the 30s and 40s this week. This week’s wet weather also …
Insecticide Rotation Key in Long-Term Management of Whiteflies
By Clint Thompson Insecticide rotation when managing whiteflies remains key to long-term success in the Southeast. It has to be if growers want to avoid insecticide resistance developing. Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist, believes farmers have improved in recent years in protecting their insecticides for the future. “The same chemistries that we rely on, primarily …
Proper Pollination of Watermelon Helps Prevent Hollow Heart
By Clint Thompson A common condition of watermelons can be rectified with a couple of pollination adjustments from producers. Gordon Johnson, an assistant professor and Extension specialist in fruits and vegetables at the University of Delaware, said proper pollination can help nullify any development of hollow heart. “Our research pretty much proves that inadequate pollen will lead to higher incidences …
Blueberry Management Tips for January
January remains a busy time of year for Florida blueberry farmers managing this year’s crop. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) reminds growers that it is essential to monitor for disease development, especially with Botrytis flower blight. Once bloom occurs, growers need to monitor for the disease during cool and wet periods. Producers need to …