Most North Florida Watermelon Plantings Expected to Start in March

Clint ThompsonExports/Imports, Florida

By Clint Thompson Most North Florida watermelon growers are on the cusp of another planting season. While some acres across the region are planted in late February, most are planted, beginning in March, explains Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida. “I think the majority of our …

A Closer Look: Florida Citrus Show’s Vegetable Seminars

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson The Florida Citrus Show is less than a month away. Southeast specialty crop producers, including from Florida, Georgia and Alabama, are invited to attend this year’s show, scheduled for March 13 in Fort Pierce, Florida. While citrus is a major component of the daylong show, there is a vegetable seminar program scheduled for those wanting to learn …

AI Technology Uses Less Herbicide to Kill Weeds

Clint ThompsonFlorida

Vegetable growers use herbicides to kill weeds to prevent crop loss. A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher is using artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce herbicide sprayed on crops. “We are building multiple AI-powered herbicide application units, each of which works in different ways,” said Nathan Boyd a UF/IFAS weed scientist and horticultural sciences professor …

Storm Survey: Florida Ag Sector Asked to Share Experiences from Winter Storm Enzo

Clint ThompsonFlorida

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is requesting farmers impacted by Winter Storm Enzo to complete the UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program (EIAP) survey on losses and damages. The storm brought sub-freezing temperatures and historic snowfall to North Florida between Jan. 20-22. It affected agricultural operations that were already impacted by hurricanes Debby, Helene and/or …

Watermelon Plantings ‘Highly Risky’ This Week in Suwanee Valley

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson The calendar says it’s the third week of February. In previous years that has meant watermelon planting time for some growers in the Suwanee Valley region of Florida. This week’s low temperatures, however, could halt some of that planting time. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in …

Savor the Taste: Pack in Nutrition During Florida Strawberry Season

Clint ThompsonFlorida

You can taste them now – sweet, succulent strawberries. February and March mark the peak time for Florida strawberry production, and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) experts point to several reasons consumers gobble up the juicy fruit. “Strawberries are tasty because they are sweet and slightly tangy. This comes from the sugars and acids in …

Attention Florida Blueberry Growers: Manage Flower Thrips, Anthracnose Fruit Rot

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Maegan Beatty Florida’s blueberry growers are embracing excellent crop conditions and a strong market with peak harvest expected in late February or early March, according to Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Blueberry Extension Coordinator. Producers must still be mindful, though, of the presence of flower thrips and anthracnose fruit rot impacting this …

Blackberry Production in Florida

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson Interest in blackberry production is on the rise in Florida. Zhanao Deng, professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, is tasked with helping grow the industry throughout the state. He is doing it in two ways. “We are trying to find the (existing) varieties that we can grow here …

Florida Citrus Show More Than a Month Away

Clint ThompsonFlorida

By Clint Thompson AgNet Media reminds citrus and specialty crop leaders across the Southeast that the Florida Citrus Show is a little more than a month away. The event is scheduled for Thursday, March 13, in Fort Pierce, Florida. The show will be hosted at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Indian River Research and Education …

Management Options for Neopestalotiopsis in Strawberry Fields

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Georgia

By Clint Thompson Southeast strawberry growers’ first line of defense against Neopestalotiopsis is to plant clean plants. For those producers that have the disease in their fields, there are management options available, according to Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist. “Depending on the amount of infection you have, if it’s a relatively low level, you can …