By Clint Thompson Strawberry harvest season continues across South Florida. If the temperatures will increase and the weather stays consistently warm, the current harvests will increase in quantity, believes producer Matt Parke. “We are sitting on a heavy fruit load, but it’s green. It’s been so cool over here we haven’t come on to that February push yet,” Parke, farm …
Florida Peaches Running Behind Schedule
By Clint Thompson The Christmas freeze event brought much needed chill hours to Florida’s peach crop. But it still lags behind historical averages, according to Jose Chaparro, associate professor in the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). He said the crop this year will be delayed as a result. “We’re significantly behind. It looks like our bloom …
No Chill: Florida Peaches Will Be Delayed This Year
By Clint Thompson The Christmas freeze event brought much needed chill hours to Florida’s peach crop. But it still lags behind historical averages, according to Jose Chaparro, associate professor in the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). He said the crop this year will be delayed as a result. “We’re significantly behind. It looks like our …
Ecosystem Services Move Forward in Florida
By Frank Giles Farming has never been an easy profession, but the past few years have placed even bigger burdens on the job. The pandemic, supply-chain disruptions, inflation and extreme weather events have all placed additional challenges on profitability. Even before the pandemic, a group of growers in Florida began recognizing challenges to their sustainability was a larger discussion than …
Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference Offers Up Comprehensive Education Program
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 …
Multiple Days of Sub-Freezing Temps Devastating for Southeast Specialty Crops
By Clint Thompson Specialty crop producers can usually stomach one day of sub-freezing temperatures. But four days? That was not the ideal scenario for growers across the Southeast this past weekend. It was disastrous for vegetable farmers, citrus growers and potentially strawberry producers. Prolonged temperatures in 20s over parts of the region, including South Georgia and North Florida, have been …
Farm Land’s Value is Like a ‘Gold Rush’ in the Southeast
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 …