Southeast watermelon growers delivered a flavorful crop this year that yielded a sweet price at the market, said Mark Arney, executive director of the National Watermelon Promotion Board.  “We’re happy, we’re happy for the guys. Obviously, the guys that didn’t have a crop, it doesn’t matter how hot the market is, they’re not going to make money. We feel terrible …
Commissioner Fried Pleads for Secretary Perdue Expand CFAP to Include More Commodities
Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wrote to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Tuesday, once again asking the USDA to expand eligibility for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to include additional agricultural commodities. On July 9, the USDA announced expanded CFAP eligibility that included many impacted Florida crops, but aquaculture and horticulture commodities were not …
Auburn Economist Skeptical About Upcoming Trade Hearings
Two hearings on Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 with the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office will provide growers from Georgia and Florida the chance to voice their concerns over unfair trade. However, one economist is skeptical about the potential impact these hearings will have. Adam Rabinowitz, Associate Professor and Extension Economist at Auburn University, points to the lack of coverage for …
Management of Thrips in Tomatoes
By Xavier Martini and Joe Funderburk Thrips are important pests of tomatoes for two reasons. First, they damage fruit directly by egg-laying or feeding (Figure 1). More importantly, some species also vector tospoviruses that include tomato spotted wilt virus, groundnut ringspot virus and tomato chlorotic spot virus. These tospoviruses can considerably decrease the crop yield if thrips are not controlled. …
Protecting Peppers From Anthracnose
By Pam Roberts Anthracnose is a serious disease problem that can occur throughout pepper-growing regions worldwide. Extensive outbreaks of the disease have developed on bell and other specialty peppers types, such as hot peppers. The disease is more common when both the inoculum and warm weather combined with frequent rains occur. Fruit infections cause significant losses of either mature (red, …
Technology to Improve Vegetable Production
By Yiannis Ampatzidis Vegetable growers face a variety of challenges, including pest and diseases, labor shortages and climate change. How can new advancements in technology help growers address these challenges? Can technology improve crops, reduce production costs and protect the environment? How can technological innovations be incorporated into traditional farming to improve production practices? In the last few decades, several …
Sneak Peek: August 2020 VSCNews Magazine
By Ashley Robinson The August issue of VSCNews magazine equips growers with the latest information and strategies to develop a sound fumigation system. With the loss of methyl bromide, many growers have struggled to maintain consistent soilborne pathogen and pest control with fumigants that are currently available. Gary Vallad, Johan Desaeger, Joe Noling and Nathan Boyd of the University of …
Scientists to Study Crippling Tomato Disease to Lay Groundwork for Prevention
By: Brad Buck, 813-757-2224 (office); 352-875-2641 (cell); bradbuck@ufl.edu A destructive disease known as bacterial spot can ruin tomatoes anywhere it strikes. That’s why University of Florida scientists want to understand how the pathogen that causes the disease spreads and evolves on farms. A couple of quick statistics illustrate the importance of tomatoes to Florida’s agricultural economic sector: Fresh market tomatoes …
What to Look for With Corn Earworm
According to a University of Florida/IFAS blog, the corn earworm is especially concerning to corn and tomato growers. It causes serious damage when it feeds on corn silk and kernels and tomato fruit. In corn, eggs are laid on silk and the caterpillar hatches and feeds on silk and kernels. In tomato, eggs are laid on leaves, flowers or fruit. …
North Carolina Farmer of the Year is James Lamb
According to the Sunbelt Expo website, this year’s North Carolina Farmer of the Year is James Lamb. Lamb is now eligible for the Swisher Sweets Farmer of the Year award and $15,000 cash prize given to the overall winner, who will be named at this year’s Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia on Oct. 20-22. Lamb was nominated as North …