Sneak Peek: May 2025 Specialty Crop Grower Magazine

Clint ThompsonSneak peek

The May issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine focuses on Grimmway Farms, one of the largest carrot producers in the world, with more than 40,000 acres planted every year. Jeff Huckaby, a fourth-generation farmer, joined Grimmway Farms in 1998. He discussed the company and its ability to keep the customer happy and supply carrots all year long. The key to …

‘Promising’ Southeastern Alabama Fruit, Vegetable Crops Growing in Dry Conditions

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Fruit and vegetable producers like weather conditions to be dry, so they can be the ones applying water. The current conditions impacting Southeast Alabama are preferred by growers who want to avoid disease buildup. “Honestly, in the fruit and vegetable world, we supply 90% of the crop’s need through irrigation, probably; if not close to 100%. We …

USDA to Issue $1.3 Billion to Specialty Crop Producers Through Second MASC Payment

Clint ThompsonUSDA

U.S. Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced on Tuesday a second round of payments coming this week for specialty crop producers through the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program, providing up to $1.3 billion in additional program assistance. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already delivered just under $900 million in first round payments to eligible …

North Florida Watermelon Update: Powdery Mildew Confirmation

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson Powdery mildew disease has been confirmed in watermelon in the Suwannee Valley region of North Florida. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, noted in a weekly email that as a result of having low disease incidence, growers should “keep things simple.” “Perhaps a …

Farming’s Future is Now: Harvest CROO Demonstrates Commercially Viable Automated Strawberry Harvester

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson What was once a dream is becoming a reality for Florida strawberry growers hoping to one day utilize automated strawberry harvesters. Harvest CROO, a company whose focus is developing a fully autonomous strawberry harvester, announced its automated harvest field trials have successfully demonstrated commercial viability. Gary Wishnatzki, co-founder and Wish Farms owner, discussed the breakthrough and its …

Dry Weather Preferred for Georgia Watermelon Producers

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson South Georgia’s dry weather conditions are not a bad thing for the region’s watermelon production. In fact, it is what specialty crop producers prefer. They want to be the ones applying the water, says Ty Torrance, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable agent for Colquitt, Tift and Worth counties. “As far as vegetables go for sure, we’d …

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a Florida Avocado Tree

Clint ThompsonAs Seen On Instagram, Florida

With Cinco de Mayo approaching, now’s the time to dig into guacamole and even plant the tree that produces it. Florida avocados offer a fresh, tropical twist on this fan-favorite fruit that stars in so many recipes. Did you know Florida avocados have less fat than the popular Hass variety, making them the lean, green star of your fiesta spread? …

Westward Bound: Georgia Citrus Association Learns New Varieties in Trip to California

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson and Nick Papagni The Georgia Citrus Association’s trip to California last week allowed the state’s industry leaders to look for opportunities to advance citrus in the cold-hardy citrus region. One of the focuses was learning about the different varieties produced in California that could have a potential future in the Southeast. Lindy Savelle, executive director of the …

Alabama Strawberry Grower Switching Nursery Sources: It’s a Business Decision

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson The impact of Neopestalotiopsis (Neo) in Jeremy Calvert’s strawberry production this year is leading the Alabama grower to consider other nursery sources next year. “We’re definitely looking at California nurseries. I truly hate it for those nurseries in Canada, because they’re family operations just like we are,” Calvert said. “I spent a couple of days in Plant …

Georgia Pecan Grower: No. 1 Issue is Capital

Clint ThompsonGeorgia, Pecan

By Clint Thompson The grower panel at this year’s Georgia Pecan Growers Association meeting in March allowed the state’s producers to address trending issues like low prices and potential export markets like India. One of the main topics highlighted were current concerns felt by growers. Low prices were one, and the lack of working capital was another. It was addressed …