The worst pecan prices in recent memory are being countered by one of the biggest crops in recent years.
Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist, said this year’s crop has been welcomed by all producers, especially those still recovering from Hurricane Michael in 2018.
Photo by Clint Thompson/Shows pecans being cleaned after harvest.
“I think it has (exceeded expectations) from a volume standpoint. It’s hard to say exactly how much it’s going to be but I’m still going to say around 120 million or 125 million pounds which is more than we expected in the middle of the summer,” Wells said. “It does look like a pretty big crop. That has been the saving grace in all this. With the price being down so much, the volume has certainly helped a lot of growers with that.”
Improved Production Season
Wells was hoping for between 80 million and 100 million pounds, back in early April. That would have been a substantial increase from 2019 crop that generated just 67 million pounds. But last year’s crop came on the heels of Hurricane Michael the prior year. A down year was expected.
Low Prices
A larger than expected crop is needed to combat extremely low prices that have forced some growers to store their pecans. The farmers are hoping for a market turnaround in doing so.
“Pretty much every big grower that I have talked to is storing a considerable amount. Most large growers I think seem to be storing maybe somewhere around a third of their crop, at least. It’s quite a bit,” Wells said.
On Farm Readiness Reviews (OFRR) are now available for Georgia produce farmers. Schedule your OFRR by clicking the button below to visit georgiaproducesafety.com or by contacting Maggie or Elizabeth.
An OFRR is not an inspection but a method of educating before regulating. The goal of an OFRR is to provide farmers with useful information so they can comply with the federal Food Safety Modernization Act. We’re here to help.
Photo by UF/IFAS photography/A new UF/IFAS app, similar to the one shown here, helps residents, farmers and ranchers identify and avoid toxic plants.”
Some livestock, pets and even children occasionally nibble on poisonous plants, presenting a potential pitfall to the animals and youth. Now, a new, free app designed by UF/IFAS researchers and Extension faculty helps you identify toxic plants.
Not only is this the first app to identify strictly Florida plants, it’s also the first to distinguish between toxic weeds.
“This app focuses on the most common and the most toxic plants in Florida, considering the plants and weeds that people, pets and livestock are most likely to encounter in landscapes and other places,” said Chris Marble, an assistant professor of environmental horticulture at the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka, Florida.
As a mobile web app, you view this online, UF/IFAS researchers said. It can be used on computers and mobile devices to compare the photos of the plants to the plant in question. Click here to access the app.
The app features 166 plant species and 455 photos, so each plant has more than one photo. Not everyone knows plant species, so the images should come in handy for people who lack experience with flora, Marble said.
Additionally, he said, “Many plants change their appearance as they age, which is one of the reasons we included so many photos of each plant.”
The app includes all sorts of plants — including invasives and weeds — such as those you’d find in landscapes, parks and farms.
“I think it’s important that this app contains weeds because so many of the reference sources that are online only cover toxic landscape or household plant species,” said Brent Sellers, an agronomy professor and director of the UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research and Education Center (RCREC), in Ona, Florida. “There are plenty of print references on toxic plants for livestock, but this would be the first app that I’m aware of.”
In addition to photos, the app supplies general toxicity levels of “low,” “medium,” “high” and “very high.”
For example, a plant such as oxalis can be toxic if consumed in very large quantities. Livestock might eat a lot of oxalis, for example. But the plant wouldn’t cause much harm otherwise, Marble said. By contrast, something like the seed from a sago palm is extremely toxic to dogs.
“It is common for young animals – especially heifers – to graze on poisonous plants,” Sellers said. “This is especially true in cases when they are brought in from a different area and put in pastures with toxic plants.”
But it’s also common for mature cows to graze toxic plants when desirable forage is scarce, Sellers said.
In addition to Marble and Sellers, other UF/IFAS faculty who helped design the app are Sandra Wilson, a UF/IFAS professor of environmental horticulture; Esen Momol, director of the Florida Friendly Landscaping ™ program – along with her staff – and the UF/IFAS Office of Information Technology, all of whom are based in Gainesville, Florida.
Annual renewal for the Georgia Agriculture Tax Exemption (GATE) program is open. Eligible farmers can renew their GATE card for 2021 online by visiting https://forms.agr.georgia.gov/GATE/.
GATE cardholders who are to renew in 2021 will automatically be placed on the new three-year renewal program and will receive their renewal invoice in 2024. All current cards will expire Dec. 31, 2020. Cardholders currently on two and three-year renewals will receive their 2021 cards with the new expiration date of Dec. 31, 2021, and do not need to renew or apply for the 2021 year.
The GATE program was created through legislation to offer qualified agriculture producers a sales tax exemption on agricultural equipment and production inputs. Qualified farmers and agricultural producers can apply to receive a certificate showing that they are eligible for this exemption. Farmers are required to present the current year GATE Card at the time of each purchase.
Producers needing assistance can contact the GATE program team at 855-FARMTAX or farmtax@agr.georgia.gov.
Graphic shows a drought outlook for the country for December.
According to the UGA Extension Climate and Agriculture blog, the NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center released the latest 30-day climate outlook on Monday. It shows that there is no strong trend towards warmer or colder conditions in December except in southern Florida.
Early December will be colder than normal. It is still expected to be warmer than normal in late December. Pam Knox, University of Georgia Extension Agricultural Climatologist, said the combination for the month as a whole could go either way, leading to a forecast of equal chances.
The precipitation is also for equal chances of near, above or below normal except for a slight tilt towards dry conditions in Alabama. The latest drought outlook shows a large part of eastern Georgia and adjacent areas of South Carolina and Florida with likely development of drought.
Cold temperatures this week in Florida were just what the doctor ordered for the state’s strawberry crop – especially since temperatures were not well below freezing.
Vance Whitaker, strawberry breeder at the University of Florida Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, said the cold weather Floridians experienced this week should aid in the development of the strawberry plants.
“If it gets nice and cold for a few nights, but without freezing, that’s great. It sweetens them up and firms them up. We’ve had pretty warm weather up to now. This is definitely a nice change,” Whitaker said.
“Definitely for the quality, it’s really good if it gets nice and cold. We don’t have to run water. Ultimately, that’s great for the quality of the berries, the flavor of the berries, the firmness and the shelf life and all that good stuff. It was a warm November. I’d say it was especially helpful in a year like this.”
This Year’s Crop
UF photo shows Vance Whitaker.
An estimated 10,000 acres of strawberries were planted this year. Florida is the country’s second largest producer of strawberries behind California. Whitaker likes how the strawberry plants are faring so far, though this year’s crop is still in its early stages.
“Everything’s looking very good in general. The transplant quality coming in was good. I’ve seen a lot of pretty fields, good stands of plants. I would say it’s been a great start,” Whitaker said.
Neopestalotiopsis Disease
There is somewhat concern about Neopestalotiopsis disease which has also been confirmed in Georgia strawberries. It is a disease Florida producers are familiar with.
“There is some (disease) around. Thankfully, it hasn’t been a super wet season so far, outside of that tropical storm (Eta). When that came through, those wet days got a little bit of that disease started,” Whitaker said.
“It’s definitely something the growers are worried about. But it’s not something that’s like an epidemic yet. They’re also much more familiar with what it is being such a new thing it is, than they were the last couple of years. I think they’ve got a lot more perspective on how to handle it than they did before as well.”
Photo by UGA CAES News. Shows Christmas trees for sale.
Alabama Christmas tree farms started with record-breaking sales during the Thanksgiving holidays, according to Jeremy Pickens, Alabama Assistant Extension Professor in Horticulture at Auburn University.
While bad weather on Sunday reduced some foot traffic, Pickens expects sales to pick back up.
“I think with the (coronavirus) pandemic, unfortunately, people are ready to get outside. What a great thing to go do,” Pickens said. “You can’t go to the movies or maybe you don’t want to be out in public. If you go out to a Christmas tree farm, everybody is spaced out pretty well. It’s a great time to be outside.”
Industry Trending Up?
Pickens estimates there are between 20 and 30 growers in Alabama. It is a far cry from decades earlier when there were an estimated two per county or more than 100 in the state. But with the advent of artificial trees, more families started to go that route.
However, Pickens believes that trend is changing.
“I’d say that consumers are moving more and more towards live trees, especially with the younger generations that are having kids now. They want to have those kind of memories, especially when going out to choosing and cutting your own tree,” Pickens said. “
Social media has really just blown up the industry. It’s really been a great marketing tool for these guys. People want to be out there at the farm with the kids and want to take pictures of them choosing trees and make those memories. I see it coming back strong.”
Pickens said this year has been a good season for growing Christmas trees.
“In the southeast, we primarily grow a different species. We don’t really grow the firs. We grow Leyland Cypress, Virginia Pine, Eastern Ridge Cedars; these are more adaptive to warm temperatures. It’s been a good year for growing this year,” Pickens said.
Ash Sial, Associate Professor in the University of Georgia in the Department of Entomology, is receiving reports of slug infestations in Georgia blueberries.
According to the UGA IPM blog, slugs generally lay between 3 and 40 small transparent eggs at one time. Each slug can lay up to 400 per year. The slugs can contaminate the harvested fruit once harvest season approaches. They can reduce the quality by leaving slime trails on the fruit.
When do Producers Need to Monitor?
Sial
The best time to monitor for slug infestations is in early spring around March. Farmers can place small amounts of slug bait near a potential slug habitat. Habitats are the consistently wet and moist areas in the field. Check periodically for activity. Tolerance levels vary according to the end product usage and processor.
Slugs and snails rarely cause economic damage in blueberries. Treatment is necessary to control them. Several slug baits are registered for use in blueberries. The most widely used and effective are baits with metaldehyde.
It’s important to bait prior to harvest. This is common if slugs are known to be present.
Preventative Strategies
Preventative strategies are helpful for achieving long-term management.
Trellis the blueberry plants to keep branches from touching the ground. This practice reduces the number of slugs gaining access to the plant.
Mow or completely eliminate the vegetation in the plant row and between the berry rows. This can reduce slug habitat.
Keep crates and pallets away from damp soil and grass. It prevents migration of slugs into and under crates taken to the field before harvest.
Use geese as predators to control slug populations.
Eliminate consistently wet/moist spots in the field with good drainage. This reduces favorable habitat for slugs.
Slugs are soft-bodied mollusks. They do not have a shell. They can be as small as 0.25 inches to 10 inches longs. Their color can vary from yellow to green to brown to black. Some may even have spots or colored patterns.
It is getting late in the pecan harvest season. Prices remain low for farmers across the Southeast.
According to the USDA Pecan Report, some producers are storing pecans they would normally export in hopes of getting a better price after the new year. Farmers and homeowners who are trying to sell now are still encountering decreased prices.
Photo by Clint Thompson/Shows pecans being cleaned after harvested.
“Export and retail gift quality pecans are still being pursued by buyers for holiday sales, but the Asian markets have not been wide open as in past years. Growers are hoping for a change in that area soon,” according to the press release.
Growers are busy finishing up going over the orchards for a second or third time if needed. They are taking samples and having them graded for sale.
Prices for Georgia Pecans
Prices paid to Georgia growers (late afternoon Tuesday, November 24, 2020 through late afternoon Tuesday, December 1, 2020). These were at buyers delivery point or F.O.B.; also, the orchard including direct sales to end users, cents per pound in-shell of generally good quality. These prices are for lots of 20,000 pounds or less unless otherwise stated.
Cape Fear (deliveries light) meat yield 49-52% 113-136
Curtiss (deliveries insufficient to establish market)
Desirables (deliveries light) meat yield 48-52% 113-136,yard tree lots 80-100
Elliott (deliveries very light) yard tree lots 90-100
Farley (deliveries very light) yard tree lots70-80
Moneymakers (deliveries very light) yard tree lots 40
Native/Seedlings (deliveries light) yard tree lots 40-50 occasional lower
Schley (deliverieslight) yard tree lots 70-85
Stuarts (deliveries light) meat yield 46-52% 104-125, yard tree lots 50-75 mostly 70-75 few high as 90
Sumner (deliverieslight) meat yield 51-53% 118-138, yard tree lots 70-80
Alabama Extension’s message to potential hemp producers back in March was, “Know what you’re getting into.”
Nothing has changed nine months and one harvest season later. Following the state’s second commercial production season, the take-home message remains the same for hemp growers already planning for next year’s crop.
“It sounds like some people got burned. They planted a lot of plants and someone said, ‘Yeah I’ll buy that at the end of the year.’ Then they reneged and didn’t,” said Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Katelyn Kesheimer.
“I’m surprised that people are still getting into this without thinking it through. You need a plan from day one and day one is going to be filling out that application, all the way to (knowing) how will that product be harvested from your field and where is it going to go and what money are you going to recoup from that? I think the long-term thought process, or lack thereof, still surprises me.”
Know Who You’re Dealing With
Kesheimer met with hemp growers over the past month to discuss challenges that producers are facing and will encounter moving forward into 2021. With the industry still in its infancy, Kesheimer cautions growers about doing business with the wrong people, which unfortunately happened this year.
“There’s also some folks that are problem children in the industry. They’re selling seed without a dealer license. They’re putting plants that are not good out there. They don’t come from reputable sources,” Kesheimer said.
“I think a lot of it is, it’s such a new industry and there’s all this dollar signs attached to it, so shady players got involved. I had one grower tell me they bought some seed, had poor germination and they called the seed dealer back, and I say seed dealer in quotes, and the phone was disconnected.”
