N.C. Forest Service Reminds Property Owners to be Prepared for Wildfires

Clint ThompsonNorth Carolina

RALEIGH – Now is the time for North Carolinians to act on wildfire mitigation practices and Firewise principles. By taking appropriate action, residents can help protect their homes and communities from wildfires by creating a defensible space while reducing risk. “Even though we’re still a few weeks from the official start of spring wildfire season, now is the time for …

Compared to Previous Years: Chill Hours High in Georgia

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Chill hours have not been a problem this year for Georgia’s fruit farmers. They have experienced a sufficient amount of chill hours to help produce this year’s crop, especially compared to previous years. According to the University of Georgia Weather Network, Tifton, Georgia, received 729.25 chill hours from Oct. 1, 2024 to Feb. 2, 2025. That’s compared …

Mind Your Melon

Specialty Crop Grower Magazine: Will the New Administration Roll Back New EPA Rules?

Clint ThompsonSpecialty Crop Grower Magazine

By Frank Giles It has become standard practice when new presidential administrations of opposing political parties come to office that a raft of executive orders are signed to undo actions of the previous administration. People in various sectors often look to these executive orders to roll back regulations that might be burdensome to their businesses. That’s true in agriculture, and …

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 …

South Carolina Small Fruit Growers Meeting Scheduled for Feb. 13

Clint ThompsonSouth Carolina

South Carolina producers should be mindful that a small fruit growers meeting will be held on Thursday, Feb. 13 at the Sandhills Research and Education Center in Columbia, South Carolina. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m. It will cost $20 at the door online through the link below. Clemson Extension Commercial Horticulture Extension Agent Andy …

Alabama Extension Set to Host 2025 Spray Drone End-User Conference

Clint ThompsonAlabama

Alabama Cooperating Extension is set to host its third annual Spray Drone End-User Conference, scheduled for March 23-26 at the Mobile Convention Center in Mobile, Alabama. Online registration is available on the Alabama Extension website at www.aces.edu/go/DroneConference. There are two registration fees based on attendance preferences. Registration for in-person attendance is $400 but will increase to $500 after Jan. 31. …

Making Sense of Future Pesticide Applications

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Stanley Culpepper, University of Georgia Extension weed scientist, believes 2025 will be a pivotal year for specialty crop growers attempting to navigate the regulations surrounding pesticide implementation. It’s what he has highlighted during county grower meetings and what he stressed during the recent Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference. “Everyone of us in the future, as we …

Tolerance is Key: Squash’s Impact by Whitefly-Transmitted Viruses

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson Whitefly-transmitted viruses were a major focus during the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah earlier this month. Squash remains the most vulnerable cucurbit to whiteflies and the viruses they transmit. Cucumber is still the least vulnerable. Some growers utilize yellow squash as a major part of their crop profile. It is not feasible for them …

Neopestalotiopsis Discussed at SE Regional

Clint ThompsonGeorgia

By Clint Thompson A main topic discussed at the recent Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference centered on Neopestalotiopsis (neo) disease in strawberry plants. One of the panelists believes the disease’s impact this year is directly linked to where growers obtained their plants. Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension fruit disease specialist, discussed the disease’s presence in Georgia fields …

Tri-State Fruit and Vegetable Conference Scheduled for Jan. 28

Clint ThompsonFlorida, Uncategorized

The 2025 Tri-State Fruit & Vegetable Conference is open to fruit and vegetable growers across the Florida Panhandle, as well as the southern regions of Alabama and Georgia. The conference is slated for Tuesday, Jan. 28, at the Jackson County Extension Peanut Hall Auditorium (2741 Penn Ave, Marianna, Fla.). The meeting will begin with registration at 7:15 am (CST) and …