Hemp plant diseases are present in University of Florida (UF)/IFAS research trials. But their impact has been minimal so far, says Johan Desaeger, Assistant Professor of Entomology and Nematology at the UF Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. “So far, honestly, we haven’t seen too much in our trials here. We’ve seen some fungal diseases some leaf spot. We’ve seen …
COVID Forces Farmers to Consider Alternate Marketing Opportunities
COVID-19 altered the marketing plans of Southeast vegetable and specialty crop producers in 2020. Restaurants closed, which crippled certain sectors of the fruit and vegetable industry. Farmers must continue to adjust as a new season approaches while the pandemic continues. Jessie Boswell, Alabama Regional Extension agent, who specializes in commercial horticulture and farm and agribusiness management, believes the pandemic’s …
States See Changes in U.S. Citrus Forecast
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) dropped another 2 million boxes from the January forecast for Florida’s orange crop but added 200,000 boxes to the state’s grapefruit projection. ORANGESFlorida’s total orange crop is now forecast at 54 million boxes, down 4 percent from 56 million boxes in December. The orange reduction was in the non-Valencia …
Friday Deadline for Alabama Farmers Following Zeta
The deadline is Friday for Alabama vegetable and specialty crop farmers seeking financial assistance from Hurricane Zeta. Producers who suffered losses related to Hurricane Zeta need to submit an application to the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation for assistance from a Hurricane Relief Fund by this week. According to the alfafarmers.org, the relief fund is designed to help offset farmer losses …
Georgia Blueberry Commission to Receive Nominations
The Georgia Blueberry Commission is taking nominations for a person to fill the unexpired term of Russ Goodman. The deadline for applications is Jan. 31, 2021. If interested, a person must be a grower of blueberries in Georgia and must be willing to commit to meetings and activities of the Blueberry Commission. The term will end the Summer of 2023. …
Peach Varieties Susceptible to Bacterial Spot Disease
Susceptible peach varieties make bacterial spot disease a problem that continues to linger for growers in the Southeast. That was a message that Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension plant pathologist, presented during last week’s Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. “A lot of the varieties that people really want the fruit from are susceptible. Unfortunately, that’s the reality. …
Citrus Variety Success a Game of Risk vs. Reward
Trial and error is expected on the way to picking winners for the Florida market.
UGA Climatologist: This Year’s La Nina Weather Pattern is Rare
A La Nina weather pattern is usually characterized by warmer temperatures and drier conditions. So far this winter, however, it has been a lot cooler with more rain than originally predicted in the Southeast. Pam Knox, University of Georgia Extension Agricultural Climatologist, explains why this year’s La Nina is acting abnormally. “It’s not unprecedented to have a La Nina like …
Three New Peach Cultivars from the USDA
A new year means a new set of peach cultivars for producers to choose from for the upcoming season. According to UGA Extension peach blog, the USDA at Byron, Georgia has released a trio of “Joy” peach cultivars, named ‘Crimson Joy’ (early mid-season), ‘Liberty Joy’ (mid-season), and ‘Rich Joy’ (late season). The three main-season cultivars have self-fertile showy pink flowers …
Latest Pecan Prices
According to the USDA Federal-State Market News Service, pecan prices remain low throughout Georgia. Growers are picking up what is left in the orchards and bringing in what they have not put into cold storage. Rain and wet orchards have left some areas with excess moisture and damage from rot. Growers are working those lots harder to clean them out …