South Georgia blueberry producers need to be wary of mummy berry disease. University of Georgia Extension advises growers to initiate sprays for the disease to protect plants that are vulnerable. “Growers usually know around green tip, when new leaves are developing and then through bloom, they need to be putting out effective fungicides for control of mummy berry,” said Jonathan …
Nematodes: Hidden Enemies of Asian Vegetable Growers in Florida
By Mengyi Gu, Hung Xuan Bui and Johan Desaeger If you happen to travel around Wimauma, Florida, you will see many plastic tunnels and may wonder what they are. Asian farmers (mostly Vietnamese) are using those plastic tunnels to grow a wide variety of specialty Asian vegetable crops. There is a high demand for these vegetables from northern cities such …
Georgia Blueberry Growers to Vote on Continuation of Assessment
Georgia’s blueberry producers can vote until March 30 on the continuation of the Georgia Commission Blueberry Marketing Order. This allows for the assessment of blueberries produced in Georgia. Growers who annually produce and market 2,000 pounds or more of blueberries are eligible to vote. The current assessment amount is set at $5 per ton. Growers can vote and return the …
Pruning Practices: Blueberry Growers Reminded of Important Management Tactic
The time is now for some blueberry producers to prune their crop. Pruning is the process by which farmers selectively cut parts of their plant. This will sustain the overall health of the plant while enhancing its fruit quality. In a webinar on the Alabama Extension Commercial Horticulture Facebook page on Monday, Eric Schavey, Regional Extension agent in Northeast Alabama, …
American Blueberry Growers Alliance Statement on ITC Decision
WASHINGTON, February 11, 2021 – The American Blueberry Growers Alliance (ABGA) released the following statement regarding the outcome of Thursday’s International Trade Commission (ITC) verdict regarding the global safeguard investigation into imports of fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries: “The American Blueberry Growers Alliance (ABGA) is disappointed with the decision today by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to find that …
American Blueberry Growers Alliance Confident Ahead of ITC Decision
The American Blueberry Growers Alliance’s (ABGA) case has been made. The data supports its stance of serious injury regarding blueberry imports. It’s now up to the International Trade Committee (ITC) which will vote on Thursday to determine whether the domestic industry has been seriously injured. “We feel like we presented a good case. The numbers do not lie,” said Jerome …
March 2 is Deadline for Georgia Vegetable Growers to Vote on Assessment
Georgia vegetable growers have until March 2 to vote on a Georgia Vegetable Commission marketing order that allows the assessment of one cent per marketing unit of vegetables, which is described in the current marketing order. The order is applicable only to growers who produce at least 50 acres of the following crops: beans, bell pepper, specialty pepper, broccoli, beets, …
White Out: Florida Pearl Attracting Interest from Growers
It may be produced only in limited acreage this year, but the Florida Pearl strawberry is already a hot commodity. One of University of Florida (UF)/IFAS strawberry breeder Vance Whitaker’s newest releases is attracting attention from farmers due to its unique whiteish color and pineapple aroma. “There’s been a lot of media coverage of it. We’ve gotten a lot of …
Poor Pecan Season Worse for Some Growers
A difficult pecan season was challenging for all and painful for a few. Some farmers compensated for the extremely low prices that lingered all season with bountiful harvests. However, some producers were not as fortunate. They either had a short crop or marginal crop that were amplified by some of the lowest prices producers haven’t experienced in decades. Georgia pecan …
Enterprise Planning Budgets for Growers
By Kimberly L. Morgan and Tara Wade Wanna go fishin’? Have you ever wondered why we don’t ask who wants to go catching fish? Entrepreneurial adventures in farming may be compared to the distinction between fishing and catching any fish at all, regardless of hours spent throwing out a line, varying techniques, bait types, pole qualities and past experiences at …