AgNet DEMO

Author: Clint

  • Cabbage, Broccoli and Other Cole Crop Diseases

    Clemson Cooperative Extension released some diseases that cole crop growers need to be on the look out for this spring.

    Black rot is one of the most serious diseases for cabbage growers.

    Cole crops, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower, are easily grown in South Carolina. Tips for growing healthy cole crops in the garden are available in HGIC 1301, Broccoli, HGIC 1326, Cauliflower and HGIC 1303, Cabbage & Chinese Cabbage. Several disease problems commonly affect these plants, especially when resistant varieties are not planted. Some of the more common problems are covered here, including root and stem rots of young plants, black rot, downy mildew and viruses.

    Pythium Damping-Off

    This disease commonly affects seeds and young transplants and is caused by the soil-borne fungus Pythium species. Infected seeds decay in the soil. Seedlings and young transplants will “damp-off” or rot at the soil line, before they eventually collapse and die.

    Prevention & Treatment: Cultural controls include planting on raised beds and providing good drainage. Start seeds in commercial potting soil, not in garden soil. Use new potting soil and new or thoroughly cleaned and dis-infested containers and trays. Wash used containers with soapy water to remove all traces of old soil mix, and then briefly submerse containers in a 10% bleach solution. Allow to dry before planting in containers.

    If disease has been severe enough in the past to warrant control, the biocontrol fungicide, Bacillus subtilis QST 713, can be used before or at the time of seeding. It can be used for treatment of seedlings in trays or young transplants in the garden.

    Downy Mildew

    This disease is caused by the fungus Peronospora parasitica and can attack both seedlings and mature vegetable plants. Infected plants develop a gray mold on the lower leaf surface. The upper leaf surface of infected plants first turns yellow and then may turn brown or necrotic. Leaves wither and die. Symptoms differ from powdery mildew in that the downy mildew fungus grows only on the lower surface of the leaf. Development of the disease is favored by moist conditions.

    Prevention & Treatment: Use varieties with resistance or tolerance to this disease. Rotate with crops other than cole crops or greens. Remove plant debris immediately after harvest. Use wide plant spacing to promote drying of leaves. Avoid wetting the leaves when watering.

    If disease becomes severe enough to warrant chemical control, chlorothalonil will give good control and copper fungicides will give fair control. Spray every 7 to 10 days after transplants are set. Make sure that the lower leaf surface is covered with fungicide. Do not apply copper when temperatures are above 90 °F. Wait 7 days after spraying before harvesting if using chlorothalonil or mancozeb.

    Alternaria Leaf Spot

    This disease is caused by the fungus, Alternaria species, and occurs during warm, moist conditions. On seedlings, the symptoms are small dark spots on the stem that can cause damping-off or stunting of the plant. On older plants, the bottom leaves are infected first with brown circular spots on the leaves. Spots have characteristic concentric rings (target spots). Infected leaves soon turn yellow and drop. Bright sunshine, frequent dews or showers, and temperatures between 60 and 90 °F favor disease development.

    Prevention & Treatment: Remove and destroy all crop debris immediately after harvest, since this disease overwinters on plant residue. It is easily spread by tools, wind, splashing water or insects. Seed treatment and rotation with crops other than cole crops or greens will also reduce disease. If disease is severe enough to warrant chemical control, chlorothalonil will give good control and copper fungicides will give fair to poor control. Spray every seven to 10 days after transplants are set. Wait 7 days after spraying before harvest if using chlorothalonil.

    For full story, see Clemson fact sheet.

    Clemson Cooperative Extension

  • Timing is Everything for Florida Farmer

    By Clint Thompson

    Timing is everything, and for Florida produce farmer Will Hyatt, it might be the key to a successful season.

    File photo shows picture of cantaloupes in a field. Will Hyatt has been harvesting his cantaloupes for more than a week.

    Hyatt, who farms bell peppers and cantaloupes in Lake Wales, Florida, has been picking melons for more than a week. He was fortunate not to have to deal with the challenge of marketing produce during the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

    “I think it was our good fortune to be far north to not have to deal with the front side of it. Our crops are typically planned for mid-to-late April, early May. We weren’t faced with tackling the upfront panic,” Hyatt said. “Really, because of the products that we’re growing and the sales outlets that we have, so far our season has been fairly good to us. I know a lot of people aren’t in the same boat. We’ve been very fortunate to align ourselves with the right labor providers and the right clients. It’s not been too bad for us.”

    Not All Are As Fortunate

    Unfortunately, not all Florida farmers were as lucky. Paul Allen, president of R.C. Hatton Farms in Belle Glade, Florida and chairman of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, said he had to leave 2 million pounds of green beans and about 5 million pounds of cabbage in the field in this April 7 VSCNews story. All because of the lack of a foodservice market due to restaurants closing in mid-March amid COVID-19.  

    Hyatt’s harvest window for cantaloupes will last until the first week of June. High temperatures in Florida helped ripen his cantaloupes but also impacted the pepper’s production.

    “The temperatures have helped bring the cantaloupes on a little quicker but it’s also made the pepper a little more challenging from a fruit set standpoint,” Hyatt said.

    “We can be glad or mad at any kind of weather,” Hyatt joked.

  • UGA Research Aimed at Helping Hemp Varieties Adapt Better to Southeast

    Pictured is a hemp field that UGA’s Jason Wallace and Matthew Johnson studied hemp at.

    By Clint Thompson

    Georgia farmers can begin growing industrial hemp this year. Many Georgia growers are enthusiastic about the new opportunity. But most varieties have not been selected for Georgia’s climate. There is little information about which ones will do well.

    University of Georgia scientists are hoping their research will help hemp producers profit for many years to come. UGA scientist Jason Wallace and student Matthew Johnson are studying the genetics of different varieties. They hope to improve them to better adapt to the Southeast region.

    “The first step is finding something that actually works [in Georgia] and survives,” says Wallace, a member of UGA’s Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. “Once we have that, the next goal is to ask, ‘How do we make this better? What do we want to change to make it more profitable, less likely to go over the legal limits [of THC], and require fewer inputs?’”

    Breeding Trials

    UGA grew a collection of 60 hemp varieties in several locations around the state last year. They scored how well each did to identify the best varieties and began breeding trials to produce even better ones.

    Johnson, a graduate student in UGA’s Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Genomics, believes many of hemp’s traits need to be improved if it is to be adapted to growing conditions in the Southeast.

    “During these past 100 years when this crop’s been pushed off for legal reasons, the most advanced work that has ever happened in plant genetics and in fruit cultivar development happened,” Johnson said. “Corn has gone from maybe 20 to 30 bushels an acre to yields of 200 to 300 bushels per acre.  Hemp has had no improvement [for large-scale production]…. You need to make it a plant that can be harvested with a machine and stay within legal limits…. Those are more long-term goals and do need to be approached from the genetics research.”

    Wallace is confident that hemp research can be accelerated with the technology he and Johnson have access to.

    “With the technology we have now, you can develop tools in just 2 or 3 years that took corn or wheat 30 or 40 just because the technology has come so far, so fast,” he said.

    Challenging Research

    Hemp research is still a challenge since the crop has been illegal for decades. With limited prior studies in genetics, Johnson has had to develop and validate a lot of the foundational data on his own.

    “There aren’t a lot of well-known protocols,” he says. “If I want to know how to do something in corn, I can call up 100 different researchers and they can tell me how to do [it]. If I want to know how to cross two hemp plants together, I have to figure that out. Not much is set up. I’ve had to figure out how to make my plants produce pollen, how to cross them, how to control them. I’ve (also) had to figure out what nutrients to use.”

    Despite those challenges, Johnson is excited about the crop’s potential.

    “To be honest, this [industrial hemp] is what got me interested in agriculture genetics in the first place. I’ve been studying this crop for 10 years, since I was in high school. To be in this position and to be able to do this research is a dream come true.”

    Although industrial hemp is the same species as marijuana, it lacks the high concentrations of a chemical–tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC–required to give people a high.

  • Florida Farm to You Commodities Page Adds Interactive Map, Transportation Options

    Tallahassee, Fla. – The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has added several exciting new features to the Florida Farm To You commodities exchange that the Department launched on April 9.

    commissioner
    Nikki Fried
    Florida Agriculture Commissioner

    Designed to connect farmers with buyers, consumers, and food banks during COVID-19, the page has been visited more than 334,000 times, with more than 310 listings of farm-fresh items for purchase, and is part of the #KeepFloridaGrowing effort launched by FDACS. The new features include an interactive map and a new commodities transportation option.  

    Interactive Map: The Florida Farm to You page now features an interactive map in which users can enter their address, city, or ZIP code to find growers near them. The map includes icons indicating what commodities are nearby, such as fresh produce, dairy, meat, seafood, honey, and more.

    Transportation Option: Similar to farmers listing their products, transportation companies can now list their refrigerated and non-refrigerated truck services on the Florida Farm to You page. By filling out the simple online form, transportation companies can be contacted by farmers and ranchers looking for options to have their commodities transported from their farms.

    “Our new Florida Farm to You page has successfully connected Florida’s farmers with buyers, food banks, and consumers in their communities,” said Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Now, we’ve made the page even more user-friendly by adding an interactive, searchable map, and we’re adding functionality to help agriculture producers find transportation for their crops from their fields. As COVID-19 creates unprecedented challenges, we remain committed to doing everything we can to support both our farmers and consumers in need.”

    The additions were the result of feedback from Florida Farm to You page users, as well as from transportation companies eager to help agriculture producers. Transportation companies with vehicles suitable for the transportation of agricultural commodities are encouraged to sign up on the page and share information including location, truck sizes, travel radius, and availability.

    For more information, see the Florida Farm to You website.


  • North Carolina Growers Await Decision on Hemp Licensing

    Pictured is a field of industrial hemp.

    By Ashley Robinson

    North Carolina is still operating under the state’s pilot program, just as it has since 2017 when the program started. If you want to grow hemp, you will need to apply for a license from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS). However, that will all change soon.

    “Something is going to have to happen by Nov. 1,” says Jeanine Davis, Extension specialist and researcher in the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University.

    The state’s pilot program expires October 31, 2020, which leaves two options moving forward: North Carolina can submit a state plan to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for approval, in which case the (NCDA&CS) would continue to regulate hemp licensing; or the state can go under the USDA’s plan, which would mean that growers would apply for a license directly from the USDA.

    Davis said a final decision hasn’t been made yet, but growers are waiting in anticipation.

    N.C. Hemp Pilot Program Sees Success

    Since the state’s pilot program began in 2017, hemp has proven to be a successful and exciting crop for North Carolina.

    “We can grow beautiful hemp all across North Carolina,” says Davis. “It takes some time and experience to learn how to grow it. But we see good crops being produced all across the state.”

    According to Davis, the issues growers have seen haven’t been in crop production but rather in areas such as financing and markets.

    “Hemp is unique because we’re all learning it together. We didn’t have established markets or a lot of information to draw on. So our markets are developing right along with the growers,” Davis said.

    She advises new growers to focus on efficiency.

    “In our first couple of years, if you were able to grow good hemp, you could probably sell it. But this year, you’re really going to have to concentrate on being a very efficient grower and doing things well.”

    In the first couple of years, growers had to rely on hand labor because of the lack of appropriate equipment to grow and harvest hemp. Now, growers need a specialty, niche market lined up that will pay high enough prices to cover those labor costs. If not, growers are going to have to mechanize and increase efficiency to stay competitive.

    Overall, Davis is excited about what hemp means for agriculture in the state.

    “It’s a very exciting time to be in agriculture. I love seeing a new crop such as hemp that has been embraced by so many. It’s been interesting to see this crop develop and to see it engage people of all ages and all walks of life,” Davis said.

  • Florida Blueberry Farmer: I’m a Fan of Having Our Own Domestic Supply of Food

    By Clint Thompson

    Blueberry prices have not improved much, and Mexican imports may be a reason why, says Florida farmer Ryan Atwood.

    Pictured are highbush blueberries.

    “I don’t think (prices have) move the needle much. Part of it is this Mexico deal. Mexico brought another 5 million pounds in last week. Mexico just keeps putting more and more fruit on our window, even Georgia’s window now,” Atwood said. “Normally, they would fall off by this time of year, but they’re going strong still for some reason.”

    Atwood believes being dependent on other countries for food is a dangerous precedent, especially since farmers like himself are more than capable of producing crops.

    “I’m a fan of having our own domestic supply of food. I think it’s a security issue for our country. We’ve got to grow our own food. You saw what happened 10 or 12 years ago when we used to import all that oil and then we got own domestic supply going again. Other countries are going to be able to control you if they control your food supply,” Atwood said. “I just don’t see where it’s in our best interest to allow these foreign competitors into our market when we have a domestic supply of fruit.”

    Industry Leader

    Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida, is one of the state’s blueberry leaders. He farms 56 acres of blueberries, manages another 350 acres and is part-owner of the largest packing house in the Southeast United States.

    Unfortunately, Atwood’s blueberry crop this year was harvested at an inopportune time. He started picking high volumes of blueberries around March 18 when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the country. The market dropped almost overnight.

    “I think it went from about $5.50 a pound, which is a really great price to you couldn’t hardly move the fruit; you would be lucky to sell it at all, like within two days,” Atwood said.

    Atwood believes prices can improve but various components will have to factor in growers’ favor.

    “I could see Georgia coming off their peak and North Carolina have some early damage, and I think two weeks from now could get interesting. That’s me just guessing,” Atwood said. “If Mexico actually does stop putting fruit over here, at some point they will fall off. If North Carolina’s early crop is not there and Georgia is over its peak, I could see the market tightening up a little bit.

    “I won’t have any fruit in here, but I could see it being good for somebody.”

  • Freezing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Extends Shelf Life

    University of Georgia pic/Label your food prior to freezing and include the date it was packaged.

    By Clint Thompson

    Not all freshly picked fruits and vegetables are meant to be eaten right away. Freezing them will extend their shelf life.

    If fresh produce is properly frozen, much of the flavor that consumers savor and nutritional value that is constantly promoted will be retained.

    Elizabeth Andress, a faculty member in the University of Georgia College of Family Consumer Sciences, wrote in a news story that extreme cold temperatures stop the growth of microorganisms. It also slows changes that lead to spoilage. But it will not sterilize the food.

    “It’s important to use good sanitary practices when preparing and packaging food for the freezer,” said Andress, director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation. “When thawing the food, it’s important to use good temperature control to prevent the surviving bacteria and molds from becoming a problem on warming food. Fortunately, most vegetables can be cooked right from the frozen state. If you need to thaw foods before using them, inside the cold refrigerator is the safest way to do so.”  

    For additional tips on thawing and using frozen foods, visit nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/thawing.html.

    Package the Food for Best Protection in the Freezer

    Before placing food directly in the freezer, there is an important step to consider. Plastic bags are the most frequently used packaging material for freezing food items. Although plastic freezer containers or glass canning/freezing jars will work as well.

    No matter what you use, the packaging materials must be durable, leakproof and easy to seal with airtight sealing surfaces.

    “Don’t use paper cartons, like milk boxes,” Andress said. “Many plastic containers foods are packaged in for purchase, like yogurt, dips and sour cream. They do not provide characteristics for preserving quality in the freezer. Some materials may let air and moisture through them which is not good. Freezer-weight plastic bags, freezer foil and coated freezer paper are good for odd shaped foods.”

    To read the full story, see news story.

  • Recent Rains Helping Alleviate Parts of Florida’s Drought

    By Clint Thompson

    This week’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor is expected to show improvement to Florida’s current drought conditions. That’s the belief of David Zierden, a state climatologist at Florida State University’s Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies.

    “I anticipate the drought monitor will show improvement, especially in north Florida. Right now, it seems the driest part of the state is down in southwest Florida, around the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Naples area. That’s looking to be the driest part of the state right now, after these recent rains,” Zierden said. “Now that we’ve been in this cycle of one storm after another and bringing frontal and low-pressure systems that bring rains to the state, we’re at least holding our own if not easing the drought situation.”

    Record Heat In March

    According to last week’s U.S. Drought Monitor, the central and southern parts of Florida were either in moderate drought or severe drought. It’s a continuation from March when there was little rainfall and extreme temperatures.

    “Especially the month of March was record-setting warm here in the state of Florida, like 7.1 degrees warmer than normal for March. For a state-wide average, it was definitely a record. On top of that, much of the peninsula, basically from Gainesville south, only received a few hundredths or a few tenths of an inch of rain during March. That’s what really accelerated the onset of drought quickly and pretty dramatically,” Zierden said.

    Water Shortage in SW Florida

    The drought has been so bad in the southwest part of the state that, according to a press release, the Southwest Florida Water Management District issued a Phase I Water Shortage for the District’s central and southern regions on Tuesday. This includes Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties.

    The primary purpose for a Phase I water shortage is to alert the public that watering restrictions could be forthcoming.

    A Phase I water shortage order does not change allowable watering schedules, however it does prohibit “wasteful and unnecessary” water use.

     Zierden said the recent rains should ease the state into the summer thunderstorm rainy season.

    “These rains in April have really been important and help make this transition into the summer rainy season much easier than it would have been if we would have had a dry April,” Zierden said.

  • What if Someone Has COVID-19 on the Farm?

    Workers work out in a field picking produce.

    Article written by Mark Hoffmann (mark.hoffmann@ncsu.edu) and Chip Simmons (odsimmon@ncsu.edu); NC State University

    The following describes actions a grower should take if there is a positive COVID-19 case is on the farm:

    Preparation and Prevention:

    Have an emergency plan for how you will (1) care and (2) isolate COVID-19 infected workers. Identify the nearest healthcare facility that provides free or low-cost care to uninsured people.

    Promote Social Distancing, Protection and Hygiene

    Educate yourself and workers about hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette and emergency responses (Spanish and English).

    Social distancing between farm workers can encompass differences in work flow as well as potentially impacting worker responsibilities. All of this information should be captured in an emergency plan. To protect your work force as well as yourself, the implementation of social distancing and other safety measures is highly recommended.

    Provide weekly supplies to each farmworker to fight COVID-19, such as alcohol-based hand sanitizer (if available), disinfectants and lined trash cans. Hand washing is a key to preventing the spread of COVID-19, and growers should always provide adequate hand wash facilities, stocked with soap and disposable towels for hand drying.

    Active Prevention

    Screen arriving workers for symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

    Clean and Sanitize your farm: COVID-19 and small produce farms. In addition to routine cleaning and sanitation, it is recommended that if there is a COVID-19 positive on the farm, all common touch surfaces, such as door knobs, bathrooms, touchscreens, etc. be disinfected with a dilute bleach solution (1,000 ppm – 5 tablespoons / gal water) or a disinfectant listed in the EPA List N: Disinfectants for Use against SARS-COV-2. (SARS-COV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19.)

    If a worker has symptoms or is confirmed COVID-19

    This worker should stop working immediately.

    If there is an onsite room designated for ill workers, suspect COVID-19 cases should be directed to that room at the time of symptom onset until appropriate isolation plans can be carried out.

    Contact your local health department as required by OSHA.

    Arrange for ill workers to be evaluated by a medical provider.

    Make sure every worker has enough food and water as they will be quarantined and unable to leave the farm.

    Frequently check on the ill worker in isolation to monitor for worsening symptoms. About 20% of infected people will develop severe respiratory symptoms that may require hospitalization.

    Instruct workers who have had close contact with a COVID-19 patient to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, or shortness of breath) for 14 days. Those exposed should be separated from non-exposed workers for 14 days (e.g. sleep in a separate room, work in a separate area, use a separate bathroom and cooking facility). Workers can continue to work unless they have tested positive for COVID-19 or are exhibiting any symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.) according to the FDA – see these guidelines. If they develop symptoms of COVID-19, they should immediately be quarantined and you should contact your local health department.

    Additional steps such as deep cleaning of facilities or complete closure of the business are not mandatory, but can be taken if the business owner believes it is safer for all workers and customers.

    Failure to provide separate housing for infected workers could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious harm to the uninfected workers, which violates the Migrant Housing Act of North Carolina that requires housing providers to immediately provide safe housing.

    It is unlawful for employers and migrant housing providers to retaliate/take any adverse employment action against any worker who files a complaint or otherwise asserts their right to safe working and/or migrant housing conditions in NC under the NC Retaliation Employment Discrimination Act.

  • Coronavirus Pandemic affects UF/IFAS Research Programs

    By Clint Thompson

    The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on agricultural research programs at the University of Florida/IFAS. Some research has been halted since quarantine and social distancing rules were put in place in early March.

    Shinsuke Agehara
    Florida Ag Expo 2019 held at the at Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC)    .

    “It is definitely having an impact on our research. We are slowing down many of the projects because there’s not a safe way to continue in them. We are reviewing case by case, options request for being able to continue research. This is a university-wide directive, so we are following university policy,” said Jeanna Mastrodicasa, University of Florida associate vice president for agriculture and natural resources. “We’re just really trying to make sure we’re maintaining things as best as they can be maintained.”

    Financial Implications

    She said that several hundred research projects have been affected this year. The financial impact is staggering.

    “Based on the financial implications, I think the initial projection of the University of Florida is $33 million in losses. This is just based off all the revenues and refunds and things already. That was from a few weeks ago at a trustee’s meeting,” Mastrodicasa said. “We’re just trying to keep track of all the different financial implications, but it’s going to be big.

    “We are doing our best to work with sponsors of our research to make sure they know the status. Everybody’s in this weird holding pattern right now. We’re just not sure how long it’ll be. Probably the biggest impact for IFAS that’s unique is a lot of our work is on an annual basis because it’s a planting cycle. So, we’re going to be 12 months instead of just two or three months behind in some cases.”

    According to the UF/IFAS website, IFAS provides research and development for Florida’s agricultural, natural resources and related food industries. It made value-added contributions of $123.2 billion to the gross domestic product of the state economy in 2013.