As COVID-19 continues to impact and alter the southeastern produce industry and world, there is an increase in questions from growers, packers, and shippers of fresh produce. Some issues that have surfaced this week include: How can the 6-foot rule apply to harvest and packing crews? What do I do when employee housing meets US DOL guidelines but employees are …
Georgia Pecan Crop Offering Hope for 2020 season
By Clint Thompson It’s early in the pecan production season but University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells is encouraged by what he’s seen in South Georgia orchards. “There seems to be a lot of male flowers or catkins on the trees. Usually, that doesn’t guarantee you’re going to have a good crop but if you don’t see …
Crop Insurance Hurricane Endorsement Offered
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) has announced a new crop insurance endorsement, Hurricane Insurance Protection – Wind Index (HIP-WI). HIP-WI covers a portion of the deductible of the underlying crop insurance policy when a county, or adjacent county, is within the area of sustained hurricane-force winds. HIP-WI provides coverage for 70 different crops, including all citrus, insured under …
Florida Farmer: It’s a Very Tough Situation
By Clint Thompson Every day the coronavirus lingers in the United States means more business that is not coming the way of Florida farmers, including Sam Accursio. Restaurants remain closed. So many citizens are unemployed. Fruit and vegetables are not being consumed as much like they were. Accursio produces pickle and cucumber, green beans and yellow and green squash on …
Managing Mite Populations in Blueberries
By Ashley Robinson Several mite species have been reported as pests of Florida blueberries. According to Oscar Liburd, professor of entomology at the University of Florida (UF), southern red mites and false spider mites are especially high on growers’ radars this year. Â SOUTHERN RED MITES Currently, there is little known about the management of southern red mites in southern …
Heroes in our Food System COVID-19 Pandemic
By Kristin Woods, Alabama Extension With Alabama’s production season getting into full swing, it is important to know that our growers and industry leaders are making sure that safety is not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, there is no indication that it is infectious through food or food packaging. The highly trained food system …
Late Blight Disease Discovered at UF Research Farm
By Clint Thompson Potato and tomato producers in Florida need to be wary of the discovery of Phytophthroa infestans, the causual agent for potato and tomato late blight. Gary England, RSA/Director for the Hastings Ag Extension Center in Hastings, Florida, confirmed that samples collected from the Extension Center site tested positive. He scouted the rest of the affected portion of …
Hoop Houses Benefit Organic Vegetable Production
By Clint Thompson Hoop houses help protect vegetables from rain-induced diseases while providing organic growers the opportunity to produce a crop throughout the year, according to Elizabeth Little, University of Georgia associate professor and Extension plant pathologist. BETTER QUALITY, LESS SPACEHoop houses, also known as high tunnels, are types of greenhouses that help organic growers produce high-quality crops if managed …
Watermelon weed control: Understanding the options
By A.S. Culpepper and J.C. Vance Watermelon production is fascinating, diverse and complex as are the weed management programs currently available. The first step to success is ensuring no weeds are emerged when planting. Tillage, cover crops and/or herbicides offer effective options. Tillage, commonly used, includes numerous options from preparing the land to plowing row middles. For weed control, deep …
Vegetable Fumigation: Part Science, Part Art and Part Experience
By A.S. Culpepper Vegetable growers continue to face a tremendous number of production challenges; fumigation is no exception. With the loss of methyl bromide and Paladin, current sustainable systems for producing multiple crops on a single mulch installation often include finding the optimum combination of 1,3-dichloropropene (Telone II), chloropicrin and/or metam sodium (Vapam, Sectagon, etc.). However, fumigant selection is only …