By Clint Thompson Land values are high. So are the number of buyers hoping to purchase farmland in the Southeast. Producers have been more prone to sell their land amid the challenging agricultural landscape and the reality that children and grandchildren may not follow in their farming footsteps. While one can’t blame a farmer for selling patches of land for …
Florida Strawberry Grower Eyes Quick Warm Up
By Clint Thompson Temperatures were expected to increase dramatically for New Year’s weekend across the Southeast. That’s not an ideal scenario for Florida strawberry producers still recovering from sub-freezing temperatures over Christmas weekend. According to weather.com, temperatures were expected to reach the 80s in Plant City, Florida, on New Year’s Eve. Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, …
Florida Strawberry Producer: Quick Change in Temperature Would Not Be Great
By Clint Thompson Temperatures are expected to increase dramatically for New Year’s weekend across the Southeast. That’s not an ideal scenario for Florida strawberry producers still recovering from sub-freezing temperatures last weekend. According to weather.com, temperatures are expected to reach the 80s in Plant City, Florida, on Saturday. Matt Parke, farm manager of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, Florida, explains …
Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference to Highlight Issues Growers Are Facing
Registration is ongoing for the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference scheduled for Jan. 5-8, 2023, in Savannah, Georgia. The annual meeting brings together farmers and industry leaders from across the Southeast as well as provide educational sessions that cover commodities across the entire gamut of the specialty crop industry. These include blueberries, caneberries, citrus, muscadines, peaches, strawberries, vegetables, Vidalia …
Bacterial Spot Disease Intensifying, Spreading Across Florida Peppers, Tomatoes
Bacterial spot disease has been observed in multiple locations across South Florida. The weather has attributed to the disease increasing and intensifying in some vegetable crops. According to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, dense fog and isolated rain events led to disease development. Bacterial spot is moderate to high in tomatoes and peppers across south Florida. Bacterial spot …
Florida Specialty Crops Impacted by Frigid Weekend
By Clint Thompson Florida specialty crop producers are feeling the sting from a frigid weekend across the state. More time is needed to determine the long-term effect from temperatures dipping into the 20s (degrees Fahrenheit) in Plant City, Florida, where there is a lot of vulnerable strawberry production. Temperatures also dropped into the 30s further south in the Labelle/Immokalee areas, …
Freeze Effect: Sub-Freezing Temperatures Impact Southeast Specialty Crops
By Clint Thompson Consecutive nights of sub-freezing temperatures has Southeast specialty crop producers concerned moving forward this year. Vegetable growers are worried about potential injury to their fruit that were vulnerable in the ground. Strawberry farmers are concerned about wind damage to their crop. Georgia’s Vidalia onion producers are concerned now about the long-term ramifications for their young plantings that …
Recent Rains Help Alleviate Some Dry Conditions Across Southeast Region
The drought-like conditions are starting to dissipate across the Southeast thanks to recent rain events, according to Thursday’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Alabama’s driest conditions remain in the central and southern areas of the state. Moderate dry conditions are observed in Shelby, Talladega, Coosa, Chilton, Bibb and Perry counties in central Alabama, as well as in Wilcox, Butler, …
Severe Dry Conditions Still Present in Florida Panhandle
Recent rainfall has helped alleviate some of the drought-like conditions being felt across the Southeast, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The worse conditions remain concentrated in the Southeast Alabama, Southwest Georgia and Florida Panhandle area. A severe drought is being observed in Escambia County, Florida and stretches eastward to Hamilton and Suwanee counties in Florida and in Brooks and …
Looming Freeze in North Florida and Georgia Has Citrus Growers Concerned
Looming below-freezing temperatures in the cold-hardy citrus region have growers on high alert regarding their remaining crop. Forecasts call for temperatures to drop to the 20s in Tifton, Georgia, on Dec. 23, according to Weather.com. Growers will have to decide on how to handle their remaining fruit, said Kim Jones, citrus producer and packinghouse owner. Jones is president of the Cold Hardy …