Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot is devastating strawberry fields in Georgia and Alabama. In an effort to reduce the pathogen’s spread, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension is encouraging strawberry producers to make sure farm equipment is clean before moving from field to field. According to the UGA Extension strawberry blog, washing equipment with soap and water after use in a field with …
Getting Bugs to Work for You: Biodiversity in Action
By Jason Schmidt, Carmen Blubaugh and William Snyder Before large monoculture agriculture became commonplace, farms had a bit of everything — from a vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, to a chicken coop and a honeybee hive, to a natural forest and even a lake or creek. These farms had rich and vibrant plant and animal life, healthy soils and …
Fungicide Sprays Vary for Various Pecan Varieties
By Clint Thompson It’s that time of year when Georgia pecan producers need to start protecting their trees against fungal diseases, including scab. According to the University of Georgia Extension pecan blog, sprays vary among the different cultivars and their specific level of resistance. Low Input Cultivars Those that are considered low input cultivars include Avalon, Elliot, Excel, Kanza, Lakota …
Alert: Florida Watermelon Producers Wary of Increased Disease Pressure
Rainfall over the weekend in north Florida has watermelon producers wary of potential diseases that could potentially occur. Bob Hochmuth, UF/IFAS Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, cautions farmers to look for any new symptoms that could occur. “Most of our fungicides are in fact preventative. Trying to play catch-up with a preventative fungicide after a disease has …
Rainy Forecast: Florida to Receive Heavy Rains This Weekend
Florida is on track to receive heavy rainfall thunderstorm activity through this weekend, says Gary England, UF/IFAS Extension Agent Emeritus. In his email, England alerted producers that the main precipitation accumulation is expected Saturday through early next week, mainly Monday and Tuesday. Most of north and north central Florida could receive at least two inches of rainfall with some locations …
February Freeze: Event Left Mark on Alabama Peach Crop
An Alabama freeze event has left its mark on the state’s peach crop. But it’s not the Alabama freeze event you might be thinking of. Edgar Vinson, assistant research professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University, believes the freezing temperatures experienced in February when the trees were dormant did more damage than the late-season freeze …
Georgia Strawberry Farmer: Disease Wiped Out This Year’s Crop
Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot is not just impacting Florida strawberry producers. It has quickly made its way north. Just ask Georgia strawberry farmer Bill Brim. “It just wiped (my strawberries) out. As a matter of fact, we sprayed it with roundup (Wednesday),” Brim said. Brim’s strawberry production equated to 12 acres. “It’s a pile of money, too, the plants; about $60,000 …
Farming’s Future: How Will Technology Impact the Industry?
What does the technological future look like for vegetable and specialty crop producers? In an era where they compete in a global marketplace against rising imports, producers can no longer rely on cheap land or labor; they must compete on the basis of technology and innovation. What does that future look like? Come find out at the Ag Tech Expo, hosted …
Weekly Update: Clemson Extension Agents Provide Crop Updates
Clemson Extension agents provide updates in the The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state. Weekly Field Update-4/12/21 Statewide Dr. Matt Cutulle reports, “I am starting to see some goosegrass popping due to soil temperatures being 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Goosegrass will typically be problematic in more compacted areas of the field. …
Whitefly Infestations Surge Across South Florida Region
According to the most recent South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, whitefly pressure continues to build across the region, with populations reaching high numbers. This is especially true in older cucurbit and fruiting vegetables at or close to harvest. Whiteflies feed on various hosts but the crop that’s proven to be most vulnerable is older tomato fields that should have …