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University of Georgia Extension reminds growers and industry experts that the Vidalia Onion Crop and Disease Update meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 23, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center in Lyons, Georgia. Some of the featured topics include an update on this year’s crop; a walk-through in the variety trials being …
By Clint Thompson Chill hours are looking strong for peach trees in the Southeast. That optimistic outlook should continue over the next month, according to Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agriculture and natural resources agent for Peach and Taylor counties. “I looked at chill hours (early December) and especially what’s projected through February, it looks good,” Cook said. …
By Sabrina Halverson The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is upping its investment in specialty crops for 2024 with key announcements in the areas of research and trade. USDA is investing $70.2 million in the Specialty Crop Research Initiative to support 21 research and Extension projects. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small announced the funding and described the kinds …
By Clint Thompson Citrus production in the Southeast has spiked due to increased warmer temperatures in recent years. This is reflected in the new U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The updated hardiness zones show a region that is more conducive to growing crops than it has been in prior years. The concern over colder temperatures has dissipated …
By Clint Thompson North Florida watermelon producers should be wary of increased potential for fusarium wilt disease with planting season looming. The current El Niño weather pattern is offering cooler temperatures and wetter conditions, says Nick Dufalt, a plant pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “I think being cooler always promotes fusarium wilt. Having …
By Clint Thompson Rainfall is important this time of year for pecan production in the Southeast. On the heels of another harvest season, trees can use the rain during the winter months – just like what occurred across the region on Tuesday – to sustain high production during the following season. Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Extension pecan specialist, speaks …
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is hosting the second annual Spray Drone End-User Conference on Feb. 26-29 at The Lodge at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The first conference was held virtually in 2023, with 220 people in attendance. This year, Steve Li, an Alabama Extension weed scientist, and his team are offering the conference …
By Julien Beuzelin and Anna Mészáros Maggots feeding on silks, kernels and sometimes the cob of sweet corn ears harvested in Florida represent the greatest insect pest threat to the state’s fresh market sweet corn industry. These maggots are the larvae of three fly species known as corn silk flies. What to Look For Although the maggots of the three …
By Calvin Odero Weed management is essential in sweet corn production to maximize yield and quality. Effective weed management practices minimize competition for nutrients, water and sunlight and help prevent diseases and pests that often thrive in weed-infested fields. Sweet corn weed management programs in South Florida are mainly comprised of chemical weed control, which includes pre-emergent herbicides applied after …
By Clint Thompson Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is imploring the Department of Labor (DOL) to explain the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) and pause the scheduled increases producers are saddled with this year. In a letter addressed to Julie Su, Deputy Secretary of Labor, and Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, Carr stressed that the DOL’s updated rule would have …
