Southeast vegetable growers didn’t need another obstacle to overcome this spring. This latest challenge might be their toughest yet. Growers and industry leaders have confirmed a major pallet shortage across the country. Pallets are instrumental in a grower’s ability to ship their product from the farm to the store. Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers …
Georgia Farmer: It’s Just a Mess Right Now
South Georgia vegetable farmer Bill Brim had a couple of days to survey the damage following more than seven inches of rainfall on Saturday. The Tifton, Georgia producer’s response was simple: “It’s just a mess right now.” Brim was one producer impacted by the excessive rainfall, high winds and some hail damage throughout Saturday in South Georgia. What started in …
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. …
South Carolina Farmers Excited for 2021 Growing Season
COLUMBIA — Who wouldn’t love juicy red strawberries, sweet watermelons, refreshing cucumbers, ripe peaches, fresh butter beans or vibrant basil? It’s that time of year again in South Carolina. Specialty crop farmers are growing and harvesting fresh food to feed their communities across the state. “Our farmers worked hard to sustain us through the pandemic, and in 2021, I hope …
Chilly Outcome: Cold Temperatures Damage Some South Georgia Crops
Cold temperatures and a late-season frost could lead some South Georgia vegetable producers to replant some of their crops, namely watermelons and cantaloupes. Bill Brim, part owner of Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, Georgia, said his plants survived most of last weekend’s temperature drop, other than some cantaloupe plants in Worth County. “Cantaloupes got burnt a little bit in some …
How Sweet it is: Refractometers Help Melon Producers Determine Maturity
Watermelon plantings are under way across the Southeast, but it’s never too early to start thinking about harvest. While maturity levels in seeded melons can be determined by thumping the melon or observing its appearance, seedless melons are not as simple. Joe Kemble, Alabama Extension vegetable specialist, recommends producers to utilize a refractometer to determine the brix or sweetness levels …
Sneak Peek: April 2021 VSCNews Magazine
The April issue of VSCNews magazine explores biodiversity, conservation funding, watermelons and a variety of other topics. First up, an article by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor Oscar Liburd and postdoctoral research associate Lorena Lopez, discusses how to control sweetpotato whiteflies with biological control agents like predatory mites in squash production. Conservation funding from the …
Resistant Varieties Key Against Anthracnose
It is never too early to start thinking about cucurbit disease management in Alabama. In the case of anthracnose, producers who are planting their crops are best served by utilizing resistant varieties, according to Ed Sikora, professor and Extension plant pathologist in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University. “I was just looking through the Southeast Handbook …
War of Deception: Consumer Awareness Key in Support of American Farmers
In the ongoing war between supporting local farmers against the influx of imports, American farmers need consumers to fight back. The significance of where food originates may never be more important than it is right now. With imports continuing to flood markets for various commodities, the end result is farmers contemplating selling their land. Others are wondering what else can …
Effectively Managing Pests While Protecting Pollinators
By Sylvia Willis, Amy Vu and Jamie Ellis Pollinators play an important role in the production of crops around the nation. Different crops rely on different techniques for pollination. Corn, for example, uses wind to carry pollen to female flowers, whereas watermelon depends on pollinators to deliver pollen. Pollinators include insects, birds and bats. Many fruits and vegetables result directly …