Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Keeping Competitive in the Modern Marketplace

Clint ThompsonSpecialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Frank Giles Specialty crop farms across the Southeast have faced myriad challenges over the past few decades, but many farms have embraced new market opportunities and enjoyed growth. One of those operations is L&M. The farm was founded in 1964 by Joe McGee in Johnston County, North Carolina. In the years since its founding, L&M has grown into a …

El Niño Helps Alleviate Dry Conditions Across SE

Clint ThompsonAlabama, Drought, Florida, Georgia

By Clint Thompson The El Niño weather pattern this winter has helped alleviate most of the dry conditions across the Southeast (SE). According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, abnormally dry conditions are mostly present in areas across North Alabama and North Georgia. Abnormal and moderate conditions are also observed along the west coast of Florida. Dry conditions stretch as far …

Georgia Vegetable Producer: We Can’t Give Up

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Sam Watson wears multiple hats in his role as a Georgia vegetable producer. Not only does Watson farm in Colquitt County, he also serves as president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association along with being a state senator. Watson is in position to implore legislative leaders to provide assistance against the numerous obstacles challenging the …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Next Generation of Ag Leaders Speak Out on Issues

Clint ThompsonFlorida Ag Expo, Specialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Frank Giles The Florida Ag Expo held at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center has become a much-anticipated event every November. The Expo draws specialty crop growers from across Florida and beyond. The latest Expo featured a panel discussion of alumni from the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association’s Emerging Leader Development Program (ELDP). The program provides a year-long …

El Niño Impact: What Blueberry Diseases are Most Concerning for Growers This Year?

Clint ThompsonBlueberries, Florida, Weather

By Clint Thompson The excessive wet weather associated with El Niño this winter has provided ideal conditions for blueberry diseases to pop up. Phil Harmon, professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), highlighted the two disease concerns growers should be wary of heading into harvest season. They are botrytis gray …

Drought Conditions Diminishing Across SE

Clint ThompsonDrought

Drought-like conditions are all but nonexistent in most areas across the Southeast (SE), according to Thursday’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Persistent winter rains have provided much needed moisture across the central and southern areas of Georgia and Alabama and across northern Florida. The west coast of Florida still shows dry conditions, starting with abnormally dry conditions in parts …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Tick Talk

Clint ThompsonSpecialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Lauri M. Baker As temperatures cool over the winter, you may be ready to breathe a sigh of relief as you enjoy a break from the summer’s constant annoyance of pests like mosquitos and ticks. But think again. An age-old belief is that ticks die off in winter months. Unfortunately, this is a myth. While your chance of tick …

Alabama Extension to Host Two Irrigation Workshops in February

Clint ThompsonAlabama, Irrigation

AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is offering two irrigation field days in February. The workshops are designed to provide support to farmers as they implement precision agriculture technologies to strengthen preplanting, in-season and harvest management strategies. Brenda Ortiz, an Alabama Extension precision agriculture specialist, said the topics will allow producers to make plans for irrigation use …

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Resistance Management Key to Diamondback Moth Control

Clint ThompsonSpecialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Frank Giles For brassica growers, the diamondback moth reigns as the biggest pest problem they must fight. This is particularly true where the crops are produced year-round, like in Georgia. The pest is estimated to cause as much as $5 billion in crop losses every year worldwide. In the Southeast, cabbage, broccoli and collards are the preferred hosts of …