By Clint Thompson Various factors have contributed to a difficult watermelon season for Southeast producers. But it has been a challenge, says Carr Hussey, a watermelon farmer in Florida, Georgia and Alabama and chairman of the board of the Florida Watermelon Association (FWA). “From the beginning it’s been a downhill slide. These guys are actually probably selling stuff below production …
Sneak Peek: July 2022 Specialty Crop Industry Magazine
The July issue of Specialty Crop Industry Magazine highlights the changing landscape in agriculture and the need for policy reform, specifically pertaining to increased imports. Zhengfei Guan, an associate professor, and Kuan-Ming Huang, a postdoctoral research associate, both at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, Florida, discusses …
Extreme Heat Sweltering Watermelon Crop
By Clint Thompson Extreme heat the past couple of weeks should lead to an early end for watermelon harvests across the Southeast. Especially with temperatures this week eclipsing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, watermelons ripen quicker, leading to fields being done earlier than expected. “Everything is based on growing degree days. We accumulate a lot more growing degree days when it’s 100 …
Alabama Diseases Update: What to Watch for
By Clint Thompson Alabama Extension reminds specialty crop producers that Alabama diseases are prevalent and widespread across the state. Ed Sikora, professor and Extension plant pathologist in the department of entomology and plant pathology at Auburn University, highlighted three Alabama diseases that growers should be wary of, especially during the current hot and dry conditions. “One is powdery mildew. I’m …
Clemson Extension Agents Provide Weekly Crop Updates
Clemson Extension agents provide crop updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Coastal Region Rob Last reports, “Pests and diseases are beginning to increase in the area. Powdery mildew is apparent in cucurbit crops. The most efficacious treatments are Vivando and Gatten. Rotation is critical to protect these …
Drought Worsens in Georgia
The drought in Georgia intensified over the past week, while there are only sporadic locations of abnormally dry conditions in Alabama and Florida, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Georgia’s dry conditions encompass most of the southern region of the state and stretch as far north as Franklin and Hart counties in Northeast Georgia. Multiple areas are even observing moderately …
Bumper Pecan Crop in 2022?
By Clint Thompson Hurricane Michael’s impact on the pecan industry in the Southeast still impacts pecan crop producers almost four years later. Samantha McLeod, executive director of the Georgia Pecan Growers Association, explains how the storm disrupted the trees’ bearing process. It led to a bumper crop in 2020. Another is expected this season. “We are anticipating a bumper crop …
Tomato Season Update
By Clint Thompson Tomato season has all but finished for the year in Florida, while South Georgia’s season is beginning to ramp up. Michael Schadler, manager of the Florida Tomato Committee and executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Exchange, discusses the current production and market facing Southeast producers. “The South and Central Florida season is effectively over. North Florida and …
Field Surveys for Resistance-Breaking Viruses in Tomatoes
By Ozgur Batuman and Salih Yilmaz Florida is the leading state in the United States for the production of fresh market tomatoes. In recent years, the emergence of novel tomato-infecting virus species and resistance-breaking variants worldwide has raised concern for the tomato industry. More than 300 virus and virus-like pathogens have been reported to infect tomatoes, which collectively limits their …
Mechanical Harvest Technologies for Strawberries
By Yiannis Ampatzidis Vegetable growers face several serious challenges with respect to farm labor. The number of domestic farmworkers has decreased substantially. In some cases, growers are unable to fully harvest their marketable fruit. A high percentage of the remaining domestic workers are not legally authorized to work in the United States. The costs to recruit temporary foreign agricultural guest …