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In this month’s sneak peek, the April issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine highlights Florida fourth-generation farmer BJ Wilkerson and how his farming family seeks to solve the sustainability puzzle. Wilkerson is based in Gilchrist County, grows watermelon and attributes long-term sustainability to multiple factors like crop diversification, crop rotation and grafting watermelon plants to combat fusarium wilt disease. The …

More than two million landowners rented out 348 million acres of farmland, according to the results of the 2024 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey, released this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Of these acres, 79% are owned by non-farming landlords. Non-operating landlords include entities who rent out agricultural land …

By Frank Giles and Clint Thompson The freeze that struck Florida in late January and early February brought the coldest air to the state in more than a decade. Freezing temperatures caused significant damage to specialty crops across the state. In many areas, the frigid temperatures held for hours, exacerbated by high winds that thwarted freeze-protection efforts many growers tried …

In this month’s sneak peek, the March issue of Specialty Crop Grower Magazine highlights the recent deep freeze event in January and February that devastated various fruits and vegetables in Florida. Freezing temperatures caused significant damage to specialty crops across the state. Those crops included citrus, blueberries, strawberries, tomatoes, green beans and watermelons. Florida Ag Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced preliminary …

As growers surveyed fields and groves after the freeze in late January and early February, it was clear the damage had been catastrophic in many cases. That was confirmed by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson with the first estimate of damage released on Feb 20.  Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) preliminary estimates of losses to Florida …

By Clint Thompson Extreme drought conditions in North Florida have led to advisories issued for water conservation. It’s a key development for growers who are preparing to plant watermelons in the Suwanee Valley Region. But the biggest concern is the current dry conditions could only worsen over the next couple of months. “I think the biggest concern is that we’re …