By Clint Thompson Last week’s brief cold snap is likely to have a lasting impact on Alabama’s vegetable crops. Joe Kemble, Alabama Extension vegetable specialist, expected farmers to start seeing cold damage this week, especially on warm-season vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. “I think there was enough hours below optimal temperatures for a lot of crops that you’re going to …
One Year and Counting for Florida Hemp
Tallahassee, Fla. — One year and counting. Thursday, April 27, marked the one-year anniversary of Florida’s state hemp program, overseen by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Of the anniversary, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Friedoffered the following statement: “Florida’s state hemp program is leading the way in creating great jobs, safe and useful products, and a bright future …
Quality, Quantity Good for Vidalia Onion Crop
The quality and quantity of this year’s Georgia’s Vidalia onion crop appears to be good, early in the harvest season, says Cliff Riner, crop production manager for G&R Farms in Glennville, Georgia. The weather is a big reason why. “So far, very good for our farm. We have had good sizing, and the quality has been real good, partly because …
Georgia Watermelon Plants Vulnerable to Diseases Following Excessive Rains
Georgia watermelon producers should be wary of potential diseases that could fester because of excessive rains on Saturday. Bhabesh Dutta, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension plant pathologist, says there are multiple diseases that could play a factor in the production season moving forward. “Apart from the physical nature of the storm, there’s a physical damage to the crop itself. Some …
Secret Weapon? AI Could Help Strawberry Farmers against Twospotted Spider Mite
Artificial intelligence (AI) maybe the secret weapon in strawberry farmers’ fight against the twospotted spider mite. University of Florida scientists have developed a smartphone application to detect the annual pest of Florida strawberries. If farmers could detect the pest quicker, they could utilize lower levels of chemicals that could otherwise harm the environment. For Example For a 50-acre farm, every …
Capitalize on Conservation Funding and Enhance Produce Safety
By Kristin Woods Conservation funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) can help growers implement good land stewardship practices in an economically sustainable way. While these practices may affect pathogen movement in the farm environment, they are not meant to reduce produce safety risk. Additional consideration must be given around how implementing specific practices …
Sneak Peek: May 2021 VSCNews Magazine
By Ashley Robinson The future of weed control is here. The May issue of VSCNews Magazine provides the inside scoop on all things weed control. First up, Yiannis Ampatzidis, an assistant professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) covers the future of precision weed control. …
Georgia Farmer: It’s Just a Mess Right Now
South Georgia vegetable farmer Bill Brim had a couple of days to survey the damage following more than seven inches of rainfall on Saturday. The Tifton, Georgia producer’s response was simple: “It’s just a mess right now.” Brim was one producer impacted by the excessive rainfall, high winds and some hail damage throughout Saturday in South Georgia. What started in …
Citrus Interest Growing in North Florida, South Georgia
Interest in citrus continues to spike in North Florida and South Georgia. Georgia acres have doubled over the past year. North Florida has increased by another 300 to 400 this spring, says farmer Kim Jones, who owns a citrus packing facility in Monticello, Florida. “We’re seeing a whole lot of acres being planted. It’s hard to get trees. We’ve had …
Impact: UF Study Focuses on How Soil Health Impacts Citrus, Other Tree Crops
How can changes in soil health impact citrus and other sub-tropical tree crops? That’s a question UF/IFAS researchers hope to answer in a four-year, $500,000 project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Specifically, they will examine how quickly soil health can change in Florida’s sub-tropical sandy soils and how changes in the soil’s …