File photo shows strawberries after harvest. Howler fungicide works well in strawberries.
Howler fungicide from AgBiome Innovations is a product that harnesses the power of the plant microbiome to create a fungicide with multiple modes of action. It provides preventive, long-lasting activity on a broad spectrum of soilborne and foliar diseases and does the job for a number of specialty crops. For Florida and South Georgia growers specifically, it’s great for strawberries, onions, cucurbits and leafy greens. AgBiome Technical Service Manager Bond McInnes outlines some of the key diseases Howler works well on.
From the greenhouse through harvest, Howler fungicide can be used effectively at every phase of production. Learn more at agbiome.com.
You can taste it now. A refreshing scoop of vanilla ice cream or milkshake can be tasty and help cool you down in the sweltering Florida heat.
To meet growing consumer demand for vanilla, Alan Chambers, a UF/IFAS tropical plant geneticist, is studying which beans to grow in Florida, and when and where to grow them. Chambers also wants to help Florida farmers diversify the crops they can grow. He’s been testing various vanilla species in his labs and fields at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead, Florida.
Over the next year and a half, Chambers plans to deliver vanilla plants to much of southeast and southwest Florida, where residents, UF/IFAS scientists and Extension faculty will try to grow them.
All those growing vanilla plants will monitor them for growth and survivability, Chambers said.
“The coming winter will tell us a lot about how temperature impacts the vanilla vines,” he said. “Those participating in the study will be able to keep the plants. It’s bringing together some great people — from state Extension specialists to Extension agents to active members of our communities – for a common cause. We are also breeding new vanilla cultivars focusing on yield, bean length and flavor.”
Another impetus for Chambers’ research? The United States relies on Madagascar for the bean. Over 80% of the world’s vanilla is produced in that country, off the east coast of Africa. America is the biggest importer of vanilla beans from Madagascar, and once in America, those beans are further processed into vanilla extract. As a spice, it is the second most expensive and is the world’s most popular flavor.
Chambers is focusing the next step of his research in southern Florida. He and his research team plan to bring vanilla plants to the state’s southernmost counties – including Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Sarasota, Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Martin, Palm Beach and St. Lucie.
In addition to Extension agents in those counties trying to grow vanilla, scientists at the Southwest Florida, Indian River and Mid-Florida research and education centers will see if they can cultivate vanilla at on-site plots.
Twyla Leigh, director of UF/IFAS Extension Collier County and two of her agents will help grow the vanilla at the Extension campus in Naples and in residential backyards.
“This opportunity will test the possibility and conditions of growing a ‘value-added’ and potentially cost-effective/sustainable secondary crop for our small farmers in Collier County,” Leigh said.
“As a longtime orchid hobbyist and gardener, I am thrilled to be involved in this project that will benefit agriculture in Southwest Florida,” Leigh said. “I sent some cuttings to Dr. Chambers and, through DNA testing, learned the species of my vanilla plants was vanilla pompona. My first vanilla cuttings were gifted to me by my Master Gardener mother.”
Like Leigh, David Outerbridge, director of UF/IFAS Extension Lee County is a hobbyist gardener, and he takes a personal interest in growing vanilla.
“The potential to contribute to development and promotion of a new crop for Lee County and South Florida is phenomenal,” Outerbridge said.
Chambers is counting on residents’ help, too.
Some were selected to grow the vanilla plants based on their level of excitement and their support for his research. Some were picked based on their location, so UF/IFAS can spread out across counties.
“These people will grow the plants and become part of our community network of citizen scientists,” he said.
Chambers acknowledged the help of the UF/IFAS Dean for Extension and Dean for Research offices. Combined, the two offices funded the vanilla outreach program through a grant from the Support for Emerging Enterprise Development Integration Teams (SEEDIT) program.
According to the UGA Extension Viticulture Blog, North Carolina State small fruits Extension specialist Mark Hoffmann provided a webinar on the 2020 grape harvest. Click here for a link to the webinar.
The Citrus Expo and Vegetable & Specialty Crop Expo is coming to you this year! The popular annual event will be virtual to present information to growers that they need in a safe way against the backdrop of COVID-19.
On Aug. 19–20, the 2020 seminar program will debut online at VSCExpo.com at 9:30 a.m. Attendees will be able to enjoy videos of the research presentations from their computers or cell phones.
Some of the topics University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers are planning to speak about in the vegetable and specialty crop program include:
Emerging technology for vegetables
New strawberry varieties for Florida
Cover crops and fumigants for weed control in vegetables
Mexican competition and the Florida fruit and vegetable industry
Fumigant alternatives for nematode management in vegetable and specialty crops
Tomato brown rugose fruit virus and resistance-breaking tospoviruses in tomatoes
To view the complete seminar schedule, including speakers and topics, click here.
Those who attend the seminars as they debut online will be eligible to win one of four $200 gift cards from Bass Pro Shops. Additionally, those who view the seminars will have the opportunity to earn continuing education units (CEUs) toward the Florida restricted-use pesticide license and the Certified Crop Adviser designation. Stay tuned to find out how many CEUs will be available for each.
In addition to the vegetable and specialty crop seminar program, growers can take advantage of a full citrus seminar program. Both educational sessions contain a wealth of information relevant to all growers and industry members.
Special Thanks
Special thanks to the UF/IFAS researchers who have worked hard to plan and prepare the citrus, vegetable and specialty crop seminars.
AgNet Media Inc. is also excited to offer the third annual general session at the virtual event. We invite all growers to attend the general session where topics of broad interest and impacting all types of growers will be addressed.
During the general session, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Director of Cannabis Holly Bell will update on the state’s hemp program. Bell’s hemp talk was a hit at last year’s Expo, and we are excited to welcome her back to the event. She’ll discuss how the Florida hemp program is becoming the role model for the country.
Additionally, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association President Mike Joyner will speak on the impacts of imports from Mexico.
This year’s Citrus and Vegetable & Specialty Crop Expo offers plenty of flexibility since the seminar videos will remain online through the end of this year. It will be easier than ever to get the critical information you need. Those interested need to preregister to gain access to the programs. There is no cost to register.
Southeast watermelon growers delivered a flavorful crop this year that yielded a sweet price at the market, said Mark Arney, executive director of the National Watermelon Promotion Board.
Photo taken by Clint Thompson/Shows watermelons for sale at the Farmers Market in Cordele, Georgia.
“We’re happy, we’re happy for the guys. Obviously, the guys that didn’t have a crop, it doesn’t matter how hot the market is, they’re not going to make money. We feel terrible for those guys,” Arney said. “The crop has been excellent quality, that’s helped.”
High Prices
Carr Hussey, a watermelon farmer in Florida and Alabama and chairman of the board of the Florida Watermelon Association, said in early July that prices were averaging 22 cents per pound. It was a huge increase from the 14 cents growers had grown accustomed to in previous seasons.
Watermelons were in high demand due in large part to the short supply. Georgia acreage decreased almost 4,000 acres this year. Imports from Mexico were down 10% overall for the season, according to Arney. Because of weather-related issues, Georgia’s crop did not start until 7 to 10 days later than normal.
Typically, Georgia and North Florida harvest watermelons at about the same time, which could lead to a surplus on Memorial Day weekend. That did not happen this year, however.
There were even fears of a shortage at various times during the growing season.
“You had a combination of the lateness of Georgia, of the Mexican crop being down around 10% overall for the season and the flavor being exceptional. All of those things brought a situation where you did have a shortage,” said Arney, who’s concerned about the current impact that Hurricane Isaias will have on watermelon production along the Atlantic Coast. “Who knows, there may even be more of a shortage (now) with the weather. Watermelons like rain, but too much rain means the guys can’t get into the fields if they’re using these school buses to harvest. They have to wait until things dry out. That could delay as well.”
Little Impact From COVID-19
While COVID-19 impacted the food service industry, as restaurants closed in response to the pandemic, watermelons were not one of commodities that felt the brunt of the impact.
“The first couple of weeks it was panic time. We saw some pretty big slumps. Then all of a sudden, things started taking off. It was like, wow, what’s going on. Well, No. 1, flavor has been really good. I had one grower describe it as a vintage year. He’s been in the watermelon business forever and said, ‘I can’t remember a crop with this good of a flavor.’ That certainly helped,” Arney said. “I think produce in general is up because so many people are sheltered and can’t go to restaurants even though there’s been a little bit of openings. But because so many people are not eating in restaurants; they’ve got to eat, so they’re going to either order online or go to the grocery store. Watermelon’s a great bargain. It’s healthy.
“Watermelon’s an excellent source of Vitamin C and it’s also probably one of the better bargains, if not the best bargain for fruits at costs per serving, which is around 17 cents.”
Jacob Barney, invasive plant expert at Virginia Tech University, giving one of several reasons why we should not plant seeds that show up at our door unsolicited from unknown sources.
The University of Florida/IFAS will host a vegetable growers meeting on Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon. It will be a virtual meeting and feature talks from Extension agents and specialists.
Extension agent Craig Fey will discuss fundamentals of weed management and focus on principles such as exclusion, prevention, cultural and chemical strategies.
UF/IFAS weed scientist Ramdas Kanissery will talk about managing difficult weeds in vegetables. Nathan Boyd, UF/IFAS weed scientist, will talk about weed management programs for plasticulture vegetables, focusing on cover crops, fumigants and herbicides. Calvin Odero, UF/IFAS Associate Professor in agronomy with a specialty in weed science, will focus on weed management in sweet corn.
Yiannis Amptazidis, UF/IFAS Assistant Professor in Precision Agriculture and Smart Machines, will present smart technologies for precision weed management in vegetables.
There will also be time to for scientists to discuss upcoming research as well.
Those interested in attending can RSVP by calling 239-658-3400 or email Zoe Watson at zshobert@ufl.edu.
Clewiston, FL— Judy Sanchez, Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at U.S. Sugar, issued the following statement on the company’s motion to dismiss filed in response to a baseless lawsuit brought against sugarcane farmers:
Sanchez
“Publicly available air quality monitoring data maintained by the state of Florida has shown, and continues to show, that the Glades communities have some of the best air quality in the state. This is a science-based fact, supported by actual data. The hypothetical, preliminary model included in the Plaintiffs’ second amended complaint is a nonsensical misrepresentation of reality and is a disservice to our community. This is unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected, given the historical playbook of those who willingly ignore data and use baseless claims to attack our communities.
“As farmers, we rely on proven science and data to inform our daily growing and harvesting decisions. Just as important, we live in this community and take very serious our responsibility to be good neighbors and stewards of our environment. That is a commitment we will never waver on or compromise.”
UGA Extension photo/Stubby root-knot nematode on onion plants in 2017.
The time is now to soil sample for nematodes, says Pablo Navia, Adama Technical Development Leader for East Region.
“This is the best time since populations of nematodes are really high right now in the soil. There’s still some roots that they are feeding on. This is the best time to sample,” Navia said. “It’s a good way to know what enemy you’re dealing with next season.”
Navia said growers need to coordinate with the Extension agents in their county to take samples and arrange to take their samples to the appropriate lab.
“Each state’s Extension agent will know where to send the sample. Each university will have their lab and you can send the sample to their lab,” Navia said.
Navia recommends that producers take between 4 and 8 samples in a field, which will provide growers a good representation of the entire field.
There are different types of nematodes that impact vegetables, with root-knot nematodes being the most widespread and can cause the most damage. Nematodes are especially troubling because of the wide range of potential hosts. In addition to vegetables, nematodes cause problems in cotton, peanut and tobacco plants.
“It’s one of the most damaging pests out there,” Navia said. “It’s as important as a soil-borne disease or a foliar disease. There are many diseases that can affect a particular crop. But nematodes will make everything worse. If you have nematodes, then you have high chances of losing your crop.”
Soil sampling better prepares growers for the following season and will help them know if numbers are beyond threshold and if further action is warranted.
“If you have root-knot nematode and you find one nematode in your sample, that means you may be in trouble next season. Nematodes, like stubby root for example, the threshold is 200. Depending on the crop, like the citrus nematode, the threshold is 1,000,” Navia said. “It really depends on the species.”
Due to the cancellation of the 2020 Sunbelt Ag Expo show, plans for the selection of the 2020 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Winner have been amended. Originally, this year’s judging tour was planned for August 10-14. Due to current health concerns, the tour has been postponed indefinitely. 2020 State Winners will be recognized, and an overall winner will be announced at the 2021 Sunbelt Ag Expo. A new class of state winners will not be selected in 2021.
“We have considered virtual options for the judging tour and the awards ceremony, but the Farmer of the Year program is not a virtual event. The program is about so much more – the interaction amongst our 10 state winners, and the 265 winners that have been awarded over the last 30 years cannot be replaced. To have a Farmer of the Year class not be able to experience the in-person judging tour, the trip to South Georgia and the Sunbelt Ag Expo is not an option in our book,” said Chip Blalock, Sunbelt Ag Expo Executive Director.
The Sunbelt Ag Expo looks forward to welcoming visitors and the 2020 Farmer of the year class in 2021 as it showcases the latest in farming technology, October 19-21. Visit www.sunbeltexpo.com for more information.
