ATHENS, GA – During the last week of September, pecan growers will receive a survey from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Information from this survey will be used to forecast pecan production for 2020.
“The pecan industry is an important part of U.S. agriculture, especially in southern states and it is crucial for us to have accurate data about this key sector of the economy,” said Anthony Prillaman, Directorof the NASS Southern Regional Field Office. “Around 2,600 producers from across the country, including more than 300 in Georgia will be contacted to accurately measure 2020 acreage and production for pecans. The data collected from this survey will help set pecan acreage and production estimates at both the state and U.S. level.”
As an alternative to mailing the survey back and to help save both time and money, growers will have the option to respond to the survey securely online. Growers who have not responded by Sept. 29 will be contacted for a telephone interview by a National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) enumerator. NASS safeguards the privacy of all respondentsand publishes only aggregate data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified.
Survey results will be published in the October Crop Production report, to be released on Oct. 13.These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass.usda.gov/publications. For more information call the NASS Southern Regional Field Office at (800) 253-4419.
University of Georgia picture shows Pawnee variety compared to Desirable and Stuart.
Some of Georgia’s pecan farmers will begin harvesting their crop during the week of Sept. 14, according to Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist.
Wells estimates that the Pawnee pecan, which is typically the first variety harvested in Georgia every year, is on track to be picked sometime this week.
“We’re usually harvesting Pawnee towards the end of September. But the crop is a couple of weeks early this year. They’re about ready now,” Wells said. “We’re already seeing shuck split going pretty well. Next week, we expect harvest to begin on those.”
Once Pawnee pecans are harvested, there is normally about a three-week gap before other varieties are harvested. Wells said the Pawnee variety has been the most planted variety in the state since 2012.
“There’s a fair amount of it, but a lot of it is young plantings,” Wells said.
The ability to harvest and sell pecans early has been an attractive selling point for producers to grow the Pawnee variety.
“Usually the earlier varieties are going to bring a better price; the earlier you can get to market, that’s generally the case. Pawnee has always been the highest value nut just because of being the first one to market,” Wells said.
Wells estimates that pecan maturity is a couple of weeks early compared to previous seasons.
“Just because our bud break was so early this year because of the conditions we had over the winter and spring. We had an early bud break and things have all moved along at that pace that it started out with. So, we’re a couple of weeks early,” Wells said.
Whiteflies are not just impacting vegetables and cotton this year. According to the University of Georgia Integrated Pest Management blog, whitefly populations are impacting blueberries in Georgia. Since harvest season ended, University of Georgia blueberry entomologist Ash Sial has fielded calls of whitefly infestations in major blueberry-producing counties in Georgia.
Photo by Lance Osborne/Associate Center Director Professor, IPM-Biological Control of Insects and Mites Mid-Florida Research and Education Center UF/IFAS
In the past, UGA blueberry experts have identified heavy infestations of Tetraleurodes ursorum Cockerell (Aleyrodidae: Hemiptera). Also referred to as the “bearberry whitefly,” it was first reported on the common bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) on Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder, Colorado.
Bearberry whiteflies are primarily postharvest feeders, and the prevalence of whitefly infestation in Georgia blueberries has significantly increased over the past couple of years. In most instances, infestations occur in small patches and do not seem to cause economic damage. However, if high level of infestations is observed throughout the field, insecticide treatment may be needed to control this pest.
Treatment Options
An application of Admire Pro (via drip irrigation), Assail (foliar spray application) or Movento (foliar spray application) will help with control. When using insecticides, always read and follow the label instructions. Because whiteflies are small and feed on underside of the leaves, spray coverage is extremely important to control them. Thus, using high spray volumes (~80-100 gallons per acre) is highly recommended to achieve the desired level of spray coverage to control whiteflies.
Bearberry whitefly pupae are oval, shiny black, about 0.7 mm (0.03 inch) long and 0.5 mm (0.02 inch) broad. Adults are about 1 mm (0.04 inch) long. The body from the above is blackish and covered with white mealy wax. The base and sides of the abdomen are white, the extreme base of wings yellow, and lower surface of the abdomen is light yellow with the last two segments gray. The eyes are black and completely divided, and the wings are white.
Eggs hatch to a mobile first instar, commonly known as crawlers. Once crawlers find a suitable location to feed and settle, they mature through a few stationary nymphal stages that feed to a final non-feeding nymphal instar, often called a pupa. The term pupa is a misnomer, a loose use of entomological nomenclature, because whiteflies do not truly develop through complete metamorphosis. Bearberry whiteflies colonize the underside of the blueberry leaves; the adults and eggs are commonly found on the lower surface of younger leaves whereas nymphal stages on somewhat older and mature leaves. Whiteflies have piercing-sucking (needle-like) mouthparts.
They feed by inserting mouthparts into plant tissue and sucking the flowing sap or phloem. While feeding, they excrete a sweet, sticky liquid referred to as “honeydew”. Sometimes, they reach such high populations that cover the lower surface of the leaves with nymphs, pupae, and their associated honeydew. The honeydew excreted by nymphs can collect dust, lead to growth of sooty mold, and attract ants.
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist Stormy Sparks paints an ominous picture of the potential devastation whiteflies will have on this year’s fall vegetable crop.
“We’re probably a month ahead of the last two years. This is going to be challenging fall for whiteflies,” Sparks said.
Vegetable producers across the Southeast have either planted or are currently planting their fall crop. Sparks insists that farmers use resistant varieties when possible to protect against whiteflies and the diseases they spread. Unfortunately, there is not many that are commercially available, except in tomatoes.
“Really, when you’re dealing with viruses, particularly the whitefly-transmitted viruses, the solution to the problem is resistant varieties. The problem is in many cases we don’t have that. The one where we do have it is Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl (virus),” Sparks said. “Fortunately, we have resistant varieties in tomatoes that are commercially available. In the fall you’ve got to have a resistant variety.”
In most cases, whitefly-transmitted viruses are just as devastating as the whiteflies themselves. There is no resistance in yellow squash. In snap beans, there are severe problems with Cucurbit Leaf Crumple Virus and Sida Golden Mosaic Virus.
“With leaf crumple virus right now, in squash; I’ve been planting squash for two months, the most recent planting I’ve probably got about 20% virus right now. If you look at it historically, you go from very low to about 20%. Once you get about 20%, give it about another week or two weeks, you’re typically looking at close to 100%,” Sparks said. “As far as viruses are concerned, at this point, it’s not as bad as I thought it would already be, but I still suspect it’s going to get very ugly in the near future. We did have virus detected in the spring crops late in the season; more than normal. Dr. (Josh) Freeman down in Quincy (Fla.), said in some of his tomato trials in the spring, at the end of the season he had as much as 30% Yellow Leaf Curl Virus. Normally, it’s going to be 5% or less.”
Proper Sanitation
Sparks insists growers practice proper sanitation to protect against future whitefly infestations. Once farmers are through harvesting their crop, they need to get rid of it. If plants are left in the field, they could potentially serve as hosts for whiteflies.
Problem This Year
This is the worst year for whiteflies since 2017. They are a greater problem this year due in large part to the mild winter. While colder temperatures do not eliminate whiteflies, they do kill off many of their wild hosts and slow population development in cultivated hosts. Warmer temperatures allowed for larger whitefly populations to overwinter and become mobile earlier this summer.
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 new viruses: cucurbit leaf crumple virus and cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus.
The H-2A application process had its challenges this spring in getting the farm workers needed from Mexico to Florida and Georgia. Veronica Nigh, economist with American Farm Bureau, believes the process should continue to improve next season amid the coronavirus pandemic, even if a vaccine is not in place.
Nigh
“A good deal of uncertainty was presented both to farmers and to workers early on (this year) because we really didn’t know what we were dealing with and how long it would be. Even though the administration worked hard to get the program to continue to be operable, there were some delays,” Nigh said. “The fact that we now know more about COVID-19 and were able to put procedures in place should make for a significant reduction in that uncertainty.”
Applications Processed Timely
According to a previous VSCNews article, H-2A applications during the third quarter, or when COVID-19 first impacted the U.S., were processed in a timely fashion, which happens when an application is resolved 30 days before the needed start date. For the period of April 1 through June 30, 96% of applications were processed in a “timely” manner.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the H-2A program allows U.S. employers who meet specific regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary agricultural jobs. Florida is the largest user of the H-2A program during the first three quarters of the year. It listed 28,005 certified positions. Georgia, another user of the program, listed a little more than 23,000 certified positions.
“Fair Amount of Challenges”
“There was a fair amount of challenges of actually physically getting some workers to the U.S., figuring out transportation. A lot of folks fly, and a lot of routes were closed down. Certainly, the airlines are learning more about (COVID-19) than they knew six months ago,” Nigh said.
“Same thing with how do we safely transport a group of people in an enclosed airspace like a van or a bus? What sort of spacing requirements are necessary in order to make that travel safe? Every day, every week we’re learning more about how this actually spreads and how to prevent that. One would expect next year will go even smoother than this year given that we continue to learn more even if we don’t have a vaccine at that point.”
Nigh said more than 90% of H-2A workers come from Mexico.
The deadline is this week for farmers and ranchers to apply for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to the coronavirus pandemic and are interested in applying to receive direct payment relief need to do so by Friday, Sept. 11.
According to VSCNews, more than 160 commodities are eligible for CFAP. These include certain non-specialty crops, livestock, dairy, wool, specialty crops, eggs, aquaculture and nursery crops and cut flowers.
According to https://www.farmers.gov/cfap, CFAP provides vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a 5%-or-greater price decline or who had losses due to market supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19 and face additional significant market costs. Many of the fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, watermelons and strawberries are covered under CFAP and were in production, especially in Florida, when the coronavirus struck in mid-March.
Just a couple of weeks ago, Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced additional commodities would be covered under CFAP and the deadline to apply was extended to Sept. 11. It was also announced that producers with approved applications will receive their final payment.
Customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the Farmer Service Agency (FSA) county office at their local USDA Service Center.
One commodity that’s been at the center of unfair trade disputes by producers in Georgia and Florida was at the forefront of the federal agencies’ plan of action issued this week.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black
Georgia Ag Commissioner Gary Black was pleased to see the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) requesting the International Trade Commission to initiate a Section 201 global safeguard investigation into the extent to which increased imports of blueberries have caused serious injury to domestic blueberry growers.
“I was really encouraged by singling out some action on behalf of blueberry. We’ve had some real pressure from Mexico on blueberry. I think the awareness of that is shown through this plan, and I think policing and enforcing and guarding against illegal trade practices, particularly on blueberry, I think is a win for us,” Black said.
In a prior VSCNews story, Florida blueberry farmer Ryan Atwood believed Mexican imports this year contributed to a price drop for Southeast producers. The market dropped almost overnight, he said.
“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,” said Atwood in late April.
Section 201
A Section 201 investigation is part of the Trade Act of 1974. It allows the International Trade Commission to investigate where domestic producers have been harmed by imports. They have to be seriously injured, meaning that level of injury to their marketing opportunities. Typically, it must be completed within 120 days after filing.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) released the following statement after the Trump Administration released a 28-page report detailing how it would address threats that increased imports pose to American producers of seasonal and perishable fruits and vegetables. The report also requested a U.S. International Trade Commission investigation into blueberry imports from Mexico, which have long harmed blueberry farmers in Georgia.
“This is a positive step forward in addressing foreign unfair trade practices and the negative impact they have on our farmers. For far too long, Mexico’s unfair trade practices have caused significant harm to Georgia farmers, particularly blueberry growers. By requesting an investigation into these practices, President Trump and his Administration are reaffirming their commitment to put American farmers first by leveling the playing field.”
On August 20, 2020, Collins testified on Mexico’s unfair trade practices during a virtual hearing hosted by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC).
Collins testimony is cited on page 12 of the report:
Rep. Doug Collins (GA): “To provide an example of one commodity that is disastrously struck by Mexico’s practice, Mexico’s share of the U.S. blueberry market has gone up by 2,111 percent over the last 10 years. I didn’t make a mistake there. That’s 2,000 percent in 10 years.”Back in July, Collins and Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer urging the Administration to protect Georgia farmers from Mexico’s unfair trade practices as it works to implement the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Photo courtesy of M & T Farms, Lyons, GA, and Vidalia Onions.com
The annual Vidalia Onion Production Meeting will be held virtually this year on Friday, Sept. 11, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The topics that will be covered include variety trial review, flavor updates, nitrogen fertility management and onion disease management.
Everyone who wants to attend the meeting online will need to register before. Registered participants will receive a link the day before the meeting to log on.
One economist in the Southeast is encouraged by the plan to address the threat of increased foreign imports to U.S. producers of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Adam Rabinowitz, Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension economist, believes the hearings held in August for Florida and Georgia producers opened communications and led to a report released by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce, that could produce substantial change.
Adam Rabinowitz
“It’s really encouraging to see that these hearings were not just a one off if you will, that produced a report and ended up going nowhere and closing communications. That did not happen,” Rabinowitz said. “It actually opened up the doors for continuing communications in the outreach programs, but also it mentions formal channels for stakeholders to actually provide information on where they’re seeing seasonal imports coming into the U.S., including those from Mexico; explicitly listed there, as being hurtful to U.S. production and U.S. producers. Opening that communication, creating those channels certainly has to feel like a win for Southeast fruit and vegetable producers.”
USTR Press Release
Rabinowitz
According to the USTR press release, the public hearings allowed more than 60 witnesses to testify, in addition to more than 300 written submissions.
The plan’s highlights include, the USTR will request the International Trade Commission to initiate a Section 201 global safeguard investigation into the extent to which increased imports of blueberries have caused serious injury to domestic blueberry growers. The same 201 investigation could be implemented later this year for strawberries and bell peppers.
Section 201
“Section 201 is part of the Trade Act of 1974. It really allows the International Trade Commission to look at where domestic producers have been harmed by imports. They have to be seriously injured, meaning that level of injury to their marketing opportunities,” Rabinowitz said. “Typically, it must be completed within 120 days after filing. I don’t know if the initial report here was the day of filing, or if that’s going to follow.
“I think we can expect within the next 4 to 6 months to see not just the report from the International Trade Commission, but also the president has a limited time after that report comes to actually respond to that and either adopt remedies or make a decision from that. I think within the next 4 to 6 months we should see some activity that occurs, on the blueberry side at least.”
The plan also states that the USTR will pursue senior-level government-to-government discussions with Mexico over the next 90 days to address U.S. industry concerns regarding U.S. imports of Mexican strawberries, bell peppers and other seasonal and perishable products.
