The flurry of last-minute regulations from the Trump administration includes a final rule concerning domestic hemp production. The Department of Agriculture published the final rule notice in the Federal Register Tuesday. The U.S. Hemp Growers Association says the final rule appears to address many of the concerns the organization expressed during a comment period.
Changes include allowing a producer a maximum of one negligent violation in a growing season, but the threshold for finding such negligence is moved from .5% to 1%. Alternative disposal for non-compliant plants will be outlined in a separate remediation techniques paper from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Disposal and remediation measures will be expanded.
Because there are not enough Drug Enforcement Administration registered laboratories to test all hemp in 2020 and 2021, non-DEA registered labs will be recognized for testing until Jan. 1, 2022. Sample collection is expanded to 30 days before harvest instead of the former 15 days.
(From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)
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 some mites; we’ve seen some worms but nothing that I would say was really causing damage to the crop. Another thing we’ve seen is nematodes. They do get nematodes, but again, we haven’t seen so far any clear evidence of damage caused by the nematodes,” he said. “They feed on the crop. We know that. They’re a host for root-knot.
“Hemp, these plants, they put on so much roots that I feel they can kind of overcome the damage.”
Hemp research is still in its infancy stages, not only at UF, but at universities across the Southeast. Desaeger believes as more hemp is produced across the state, diseases will become more prevalent.
“I think they will show up eventually. I think we just haven’t seen much because we just started growing it. It often takes a few seasons and few years for these diseases and pests to come in when you start a new crop. The more we start growing hemp, I’m sure the more issues that are going to be reported,” Desaeger said. “I (also) think we’ll start learning a lot more when we have growers start to plant it in their fields. Most of the stuff we’ve done is on station, research trials, not really out there in the real world if you know what I mean.”
A cold and rainy winter has been challenging so far for Alabama vegetable producers. Joe Kemble, Alabama Extension vegetable specialist, cautions growers that though it may be chillier, that does not eliminate certain diseases that can be problematic.
“I will say on the vegetable side, things are a bit slow. Weather’s been not exactly ideal. The rainfall we’ve been having, I would be concerned about things like Anthracnose, leaf blights; things that cause leaf blights on greens,” Kemble said. “I’d say be diligent and keep an eye out because the weather, unfortunately, yeah it’s cold but the afternoons warming up and still in these 45, 50, 60-degree days, that is warm enough for some of these diseases to keep moving around.
“The cold weather does not eliminate that problem, unfortunately.”
Yellowmargined Leaf Beetle
Farmers also need to be wary of potential insect problems even during cold weather conditions, specifically with the yellowmargined leaf beetle. Unlike some insects that prefer summer, or warm conditions, the yellowmargined leaf beetle likes cooler weather and will impact brassica crops.
“It’s fairly new to our area the last few years. They’re incredibly hard to kill. If you’re growing cabbage, they can hide very well in the heads,” Kemble said.
“It’s really hard to get sprays sometimes on them. You’d be harvesting and start finding all of these holes in leaves and things. Unfortunately, the yellow margined leaf beetle is pretty good at what it does in terms of holes and things like that.”
The Georgia Department of Agriculture will host the Georgia Virtual Produce Safety Alliance Training on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27 from 8 a.m. to noon. The two-day workshop covers the standardized curriculum designed by the Produce Safety Alliance, which meets the regulatory requirements of the Produce Safety Rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
Individuals who participate in this course are expected to gain a basic understanding of:
Requirements in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and how to meet them successfully;
Microorganisms relevant to produce safety and where they may be found on the farm;
How to identify microbial risks, practices that reduce risks, and how to begin implementing produce safety practices on the farm;
and Parts of a farm food safety plan and how to begin writing one. (ers.usda.gov/arms): ers.usda.gov/arms
Stormy Sparks’ message regarding whitefly management remains the same: If you’re done with the crop, get rid of that crop.
Sanitation remains the best defense against whitefly buildup in Southeast vegetable and cotton crops. Even watermelon producers, who don’t have to contend with whiteflies as much as cantaloupe and cucumber farmers, are encouraged to do their part in preventing potential infestations in other fields.
“Watermelons present a unique challenge because we’re dealing with so many more growers,” said Sparks, a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable specialist.
“If you look at it from strictly a financial standpoint this season, in many cases there’s no emphasis on whitefly management in watermelons. But if we don’t get rid of the crop, we can distribute them on watermelons and then they can build up in those crops that are left standing and move into cotton. That’s basically what happens.”
Sanitation is a key management strategy all farmers can implement when managing whiteflies. Once farmers are done harvesting their spring vegetables, they need to get rid of them.
Watermelons Left in the Field
But in many watermelon fields, watermelons are sometimes left in the field long after the final harvest. This can be largely attributed to “pinhookers” or people who buy the remaining watermelons in a field with the purpose of reselling them. However, this leaves a watermelon field susceptible to whitefly infestations since so much of the crop is left in a field for weeks, if not months.
“You can find fields in the fall that were planted in the spring,” Sparks said.
Whitefly Impact
Whiteflies migrate from winter vegetables to spring vegetables to agronomic crops, like cotton, to fall vegetables and back to winter vegetables. Whiteflies cause feeding injury issues in vegetables and transmit two viruses: cucurbit leaf crumple virus and cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus.
To be a farmer is to be an optimist. Farmers work long hours, deal with weather events, labor issues, trade issues and global pandemics that are beyond their control. The 2020 Florida blueberry harvest season was a tough one due to increased imports and the coronavirus pandemic. The government did provide some assistance to farmers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, which will help them continue forward into the coming 2021 season.
WINTER WEATHER
Florida blueberry growers have hedged and regrown their bushes for the year. Fall season into winter is a time for flower bud development, which gives the first indication of the crop to come. It is too early to tell what size crop Florida will produce. The Florida industry has been pretty stable in production numbers (~20 million pounds) the last few years due to some decent amount of cooler weather in the late fall and early winter.
During the last warm (no chill) winter, the state struggled to produced 15 million pounds. This winter, climate forecasters are calling for a La Niña weather cycle. La Niña events are predicted to produce warmer temperatures and less rainfall than on average. The Florida blueberry industry has been moving to more evergreen production, which warmer weather tends to favor in terms of crop timing. A warmer winter most likely will not have quite the negative effect on statewide volumes like it has in the past.
November tends to be the slowest month in blueberry production. Most growers take a vacation, work on getting their overhead irrigation ready for cold protection and replant new or existing ground. Things start to ramp back up in December as plant growth regulators are typically applied to stimulate the plants into flowering in January.
In January and February, growers battle cold weather events during pollination. This leads to the setting of their berries that will be harvested in the spring. The spring brings hope of good yields with excellent quality.
MEXICAN COMPETITION
The unknown challenge this spring will be the ever-increasing Mexican blueberry volume during the Florida harvest window.
Mexican blueberry production has increased dramatically over the last decade. This has led to reduced prices and returns to Florida growers. Many Florida blueberry farms have thrown in the towel the past several years. Others have turned from commercial to u-pick operations.
The American public is growing more aware of the increase in foreign food supply. As U.S. consumers become more aware of this, the #DemandAmericanGrown campaign will continue to gain traction. We as agricultural producers need to continue (or start if you have not already begun) to educate our fellow Americans on the importance of American agriculture.
What happens if our country were to become dependent on a foreign supply for food? We would be at the mercy of those who produce that food. This seems absurd to many Americans, as food is relatively abundant for most of our population. However, one only needs to look at socialist countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and others to see the effects of a short food supply.
America was built on its great agricultural history. If we want to continue to be a great country, we need to be committed to local agriculture. It is a matter of national security.
Ryan Atwood is co-owner of H&A Farms in Mt. Dora, Florida
With the 2020 pecan season in the books, growers in the Southeast are looking to write a new chapter in 2021, one they hope will have a better ending.
The story of this past season’s crop centered on devastatingly low prices and low morale among farmers still trying to recover from Hurricane Michael in 2018. The biggest question remains, what can be done to improve market prices? It starts with the potential export markets that need to be explored, especially since China currently remains a non-buyer.
UGA Extension Pecan Specialist
“Southeastern growers should be able to see now what their markets look like if we don’t have a large in-shell export market in play. It’s not a pretty sight,” University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells said. “I hope that we will see more efforts from some of the grower organizations in the state to take on and actively get involved in some of this export marketing work for in-shell nuts.
“I think whether we’re talking about China or South Korea or India, Turkey, even Egypt’s being talked about now; there’s a lot of places we need to be working on for in-shell export markets. That’s really where southeastern growers are going to benefit.”
Domestic Market Competition
Additional export options are needed considering the domestic market has increased competition from Mexico.
“I just really don’t see anything on the horizon that’s going to affect the volume of nuts coming in from Mexico. That competition for the domestic market is here to stay. There’s no question that Southeastern growers are at a disadvantage in that market,” Wells said.
According to the final Georgia Pecan Price Report released last week, growers are cleaning up orchards and preparing for the 2021 season. Growers are still bringing pecans onto the market. But the volume has dropped, and there is a wide range of quality.
Photo submitted by Natalia Peres/University of Florida: Shows the impact of Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot on Florida strawberries.
Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot has impacted Florida strawberry production the last three seasons. The disease has taken a discouraging development for Florida producers this year, however, says Natalia Peres, Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.
“What we’ve seen this season is different than what we’ve seen the past two seasons. We can’t really see that link with the nursery source as much anymore. What we see is that fields that mostly had the disease last season have it again this season, which indicates that, unfortunately, the pathogen survived in our fields between seasons,” Peres said.
Samples Taken
During the 2018-19 crop year, 12 samples of the disease were detected from five farms. They were attributed to the same nursery source in North Carolina. In 2019-20, 48 samples were detected from 20 farms with two nursery sources, though the disease quickly spread to other fields after severe weather.
Photo submitted by Natalia Peres/University of Florida: Shows the impact of Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot on Florida strawberries.
There have been over 60 samples from 20 farms detected thus far this growing season, mostly from fields that had the disease the prior year.
“What is really new is the aggressiveness of the disease we’re seeing in Florida. In general, this group of fungi is considered a weak pathogen. It’s more likely to be secondary and attack plants that are under some stress. But that’s definitely not the case of what we’ve seen in Florida,” Peres said.
The disease is spread by water and can explode during prolonged periods of wetness. This is especially evident early in the season when farmers apply irrigation to get the plants established. It was also true this season when Tropical Storm Eta impacted Florida in early November.
Disease Symptoms
Neopestalotiopsis causes leaf spots on strawberry plants. It develops quickly and produces spores on the leaves. It can cause severe leaf spotting and fruit rot under favorable weather conditions.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to detect because of other similar leaf spot diseases that growers must contend with like leaf scorch, leaf blotch and Cercospora leaf spot.
“There are other leaf spots that may be confused with this one. We were getting a lot of samples in the clinic at the time and right now this season. Every leaf spot, growers are worried it could be this one. Usually, our growers are not really concerned about common leaf spots they see in the spring just because they’re much more easily controlled and not as aggressive,” Peres said.
(Washington, D.C., January 15, 2021) U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue issued a statement today applauding the Department of Labor’s final rule modernizing the H-2A visa program:
Perdue
“This final rule streamlining and modernizing the H-2A visa process will go a long way in ensuring American farmers have access to a stable and skilled workforce, all while removing unnecessary bureaucratic processes. USDA’s goal is to help farmers navigate the complex H-2A program that is administered by Department of Labor, Department of Homeland Security, and the State Department so hiring a farm worker is an easier process,” said Secretary Perdue. “These modernizations make the Federal government more responsive to our customers, ensuring American agriculture continues to lead the world for years to come.”
Background: The final rule will streamline the H-2A application process by mandating electronic filing of job orders and applications. These elements are designed to bring the H-2A application process into the digital era, by harnessing the power of the FLAG electronic filing system to share information with other federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security while also sharing information with the State Workforce systems and domestic farmworkers.
Additionally, the final rule will provide additional flexibilities to cut down on unnecessary burdens on the agricultural employers that use the program. These flexibilities include the ability to stagger the entry of workers into the country over a 120-day period and allowing agricultural employers the flexibility to file a single application for different dates of need instead of multiple applications.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2021—The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today the final rule regulating the production of hemp in the United States. The final rule incorporates modifications to regulations established under the interim final rule (IFR) published in October 2019. The modifications are based on public comments following the publication of the IFR and lessons learned during the 2020 growing season. The final rule is available for viewing in the Federal Register and will be effective on March 22, 2021.
“With the publication of this final rule, USDA brings to a close a full and transparent rule-making process that started with a hemp listening session in March 2019,” said USDA Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Greg Ibach. “USDA staff have taken the information you have provided through three comment periods and from your experiences over a growing season to develop regulations that meet Congressional intent while providing a fair, consistent, science-based process for states, tribes and individual producers. USDA staff will continue to conduct education and outreach to help industry achieve compliance with the requirements.”
Key provisions of the final rule include licensing requirements; record-keeping requirements for maintaining information about the land where hemp is produced; procedures for testing the THC concentration levels for hemp; procedures for disposing of non-compliant plants; compliance provisions; and procedures for handling violations.
Background:
On Oct. 31, 2019, USDA published the IFR that provided specific details on the process and criteria for review of plans USDA receives from states and Indian tribes regarding the production of hemp and established a plan to monitor and regulate the production of hemp in those states or Indian tribes that do not have an approved state or Tribal plan.
The IFR was effective immediately after publication in the Federal Register and provided a 60-day public comment period. On Dec. 17, 2019, USDA extended the comment period until Jan. 29, 2020, to allow stakeholders additional time to provide feedback. USDA re-opened the comment period for 30 days, from Sept. 8 to Oct. 8, 2020 seeking additional comments from all stakeholders, especially those who were subject to the regulatory requirements of the IFR during the 2020 production cycle. In all, USDA received about 5,900 comments.
On Feb. 27, 2020, USDA announced the delay of enforcement of the requirement for labs to be registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the requirement that producers use a DEA-registered reverse distributor or law enforcement to dispose of non-compliant plants under certain circumstances until Oct. 31, 2021, or the final rule is published, whichever comes first. This delay has been further extended in the final rule to December 2022.
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) directed USDA to issue regulations and guidance to implement a program for the commercial production of hemp in the United States. The authority for hemp production provided in the 2014 Farm Bill was extended until January 1, 2022, by the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021, and Other Extensions Act (Pub. L. 116-260) (2021 Continuing Appropriations Act) allowing states and institutions of higher education to continue to grow or cultivate industrial hemp at certified and registered locations within the state for research and education purposes under the authorities of the 2014 Farm Bill.
More information about the provisions of the final rule is available on the Hemp Production web page on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) website.
