The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will soon be sending pecan producers a survey to forecast pecan production for the upcoming season. Growers will have the option to respond to the survey online. Producers who have not responded by Sept. 29 will be contacted for a telephone interview by a NASS representative. Survey results will be published on Oct. …
Valor Watermelon: Syngenta Variety Pays Tribute to Veterans
By Clint Thompson Syngenta’s newest watermelon variety pays tribute to veterans while providing growers a product for the upcoming season with some disease resistance. Valor should quickly become a highly sought-after variety for growers in the Southeast. It has a dark red, crispy flesh with a rind thickness that allows it to be transported from farm to the market without …
FFVA Convention: Timely Issues at Forefront of Three-Day Event
By Clint Thompson This week’s Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) convention was filled with timely topics and educational insight into how to help the vegetable and specialty crop growers remain sustainable. Maybe most importantly, though, it was three days of reunion with friends and colleagues within the industry, says Mike Joyner, FFVA President. “People are just so ready to …
Fumigation a StopGap Measure for Fusarium Wilt, Nematodes in Tomatoes
By Clint Thompson Fumigation remains a key component of a Florida tomato grower’s management program for nematodes and fusarium wilt disease. It is just not the silver bullet. Gary Vallad, professor of Plant Pathology at the UF/IFAS GCREC, stresses that fumigation programs that producers implement are just a stopgap measure until resistant varieties are developed. “This is something we’ve been …
Georgia Pecan Producer: Spray Like We’re Going to Have Terrible Scab Every Year
By Clint Thompson It was better safe than sorry for one Georgia pecan producer. In a year filled with wet weather, scab disease has been a major problem for pecan farmers. But Eric Cohen was prepared and is expected to reap the fruits of his labor during harvest season. “I’ve been real fortunate. I’ve been on an intensive spray program,” …
Asian Citrus Psyllid Management Key for Georgia Producers
By Clint Thompson The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is not yet well established in Georgia. University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist Jonathan Oliver wants to keep that way. The psyllid vectors citrus greening disease (HLB), which has decimated Florida’s citrus production. Oliver encourages producers to scout their orchards regularly to avoid a similar fate happening in …
FFVA President: We Just Want Fair Trade
By Clint Thompson The audience may change but the message remains the same for Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) President Mike Joyner. Imports are taking a toll on Florida’s vegetable and specialty crop producers. The future of his growers’ livelihoods is in jeopardy if immediate action is not taken. Joyner’s message was shared this week during the annual FFVA …
Calculating Calcium: Georgia Onions Could Benefit From Additional Application
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s onion crop can benefit from additional calcium applications. That’s the messaged relayed by Tim Coolong, associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Coolong presented information during a recent UGA Extension Vidalia Onion meeting. Since Georgia’s onion crop is grown on sandy soils, calcium can be at lower levels than they …
Artificial Intelligence: Could Be Secret Weapon for Florida Tomato Producers
By Clint Thompson The Florida tomato industry struggles to stay afloat amid rising imports and a decreasing labor force. Artificial iIntelligence (AI) may be the secret weapon to help Florida growers combat these significant challenges, says Nathan Boyd, Associate Center Director of the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center and Professor of Horticulture and Weed Science. “Production wise, it’s …
Rubio Blasts White House for Ignoring Harm to Fruit, Vegetable Producers
Miami, FL — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement after White House Director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, touted artificially low fruit and vegetable prices that harm American growers: “In an effort to defend the White House from criticism over the impacts of historic and worsening inflation, President Biden’s top economic advisor shockingly welcomed artificially low …