AgNet DEMO

Category: Georgia

  • Citrus Farmer: Crop not a Cure-All but Definitely Money-Making Opportunity

    By Clint Thompson

    Pictured is Georgia citrus.

    A farmer in north Florida is excited about the potential of citrus in the South Georgia-North Florida region.

    Kim Jones, who owns a citrus packing facility in Monticello, Florida and is part-owner of a similar facility that will soon open in Tifton, Georgia, believes citrus will be the alternative crop producers are looking for to stabilize their farming operations.

    “Right now, the row crops are in terrible situation, (with) prices of course. Citrus has been on the radar for several years. We’ve had several friends doing it for several years in the panhandle,” said Jones, who also produces 30 acres of citrus. “We studied their program pretty close and sort of followed suit. It looks good. It’s definitely not a cure-all, but it’s definitely an opportunity for us to make additional money for our farms.”

    According to Danielle Sprague, University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) FAS Extension agent in Jefferson County, Florida, there is approximately 1,000 citrus acres across north Florida. There is also an estimated 1,000 acres in South Georgia, though that number is expected to double by the end of 2020.

    While production has skyrocketed recently, there is a concern of how all of the fruit will be sold once it’s ready to be harvested. Savelle estimates by the end of 2023, there will be 50 million pounds of citrus coming out of Georgia. Jones, who is one of eight part-owners of the Tifton facility, believes the packing houses will be key in getting fruit sent out to consumers.

    “The key is marketing. Our facility, we’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot go into schools out of Monticello. We’ve just this past year developed a retail business through Genuine Georgia out of Fort Valley (Georgia), and they’re helping us get into the retail side; mostly with small packages, two and three-pound packages of satsumas. That will be expanded greatly this year,” Jones said.

    He added that the facility in Monticello is designed to try to pull the fruit from North Florida and extreme South Georgia areas and can accommodate a couple million pounds of production in a year. The Tifton facility will be much bigger and can handle a million pounds per day of certain citrus. Jones estimates Tifton will open this upcoming season with an open house later this summer.

    “It started out with a small, small farmer with a few acres; here, I’ve got five acres I’m not utilizing, what can I do? Look at blueberries, look at blackberries, look at other produce, and all of a sudden it’s zeroed in on the citrus,” Jones said. “Now we’re seeing large-acreage farmers take corners of a pivot or a field here that’s isolated from their normal row cropping operation…acreage numbers are increasing quickly.”

  • UGA Extension Food Safety Specialist Addresses Issues Surrounding COVID-19

    As COVID-19 continues to impact and alter the southeastern produce industry and world, there is an increase in questions from growers, packers, and shippers of fresh produce. Some issues that have surfaced this week include:

    • How can the 6-foot rule apply to harvest and packing crews?
    • What do I do when employee housing meets US DOL guidelines but employees are less than 6 feet apart?
    • What do I do when an employee tests positive for COVID-19?

    University of Georgia Extension food safety specialist Laurel Dunn offers her take on the current pandemic.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJeNVZbcwo4&feature=youtu.be

    Visit the GFVGA Covid-19 Webpage for more information.

  • Georgia Pecan Crop Offering Hope for 2020 season

    By Clint Thompson

    It’s early in the pecan production season but University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells is encouraged by what he’s seen in South Georgia orchards.

    “There seems to be a lot of male flowers or catkins on the trees. Usually, that doesn’t guarantee you’re going to have a good crop but if you don’t see a lot of catkins like that, you aren’t going to have a good crop,” Wells said. “So far it looks promising.

    “There are a few varieties that I have seen a good crop of female flowers on already, which is great. It’s what we want to see. I really think we’ll come back with a pretty decent crop this year; I believe.”

    Hurricane Michael devastated Georgia’s pecan crop when it moved through the state in 2018 and left lingering effects on Georgia trees in 2019, which led to a down year of approximately 67 million pounds. The dry weather conditions late also had a negative impact. Wells is hoping to see between 80 and 100 million pounds this year.

    “There’s probably some who would say I’m being a little too optimistic,” Wells said. “I think that’s possible.”

    The warm weather in March has led to early bud break on trees this year.

    “I’d say it’s at least two weeks early, if not more. Everything’s really pushed out pretty far already. With that growers are starting to spray fungicides. A few people started this week. I would say we’re going to see a lot starting next week,” Wells said. “Certainly, by that time, everything will be pushed out pretty far. There will be a lot of foliage growth out there, certainly enough to get fungicide on to protect the leaves from scab.”

    Once foliage starts to appear, it leaves the trees vulnerable to scab disease pressure, especially if additional rains come in April and May.

    “I think from this point forward, the rains are going to be more critical than they were before. (The trees) are at a vulnerable stage where there’s tender foliage growth and scab likes to grow on that young tender growth,” Wells said.

    For additional pecan news, see Southeast AgNet.

  • Georgia Vegetable Growers Should Plan Ahead to Prepare for Harvest in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic

    By Andre Luiz Biscaia Ribeiro da Silva/UGA CAES News

    Eggplant is a vegetable grown in Georgia.

    Most vegetable crops in Georgia — such as bell pepper, specialty peppers, tomato, eggplant, cucumber, yellow squash, and zucchini — are currently being planted and will continue to be into early April. These crops should be harvested in May and June. However, in light of the current coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Georgia growers, who rely on seasonal workers, need to plan ahead to be prepared for the harvest.

    The indefinite closure of U.S. consulates and borders may cause a delay in the processing of agricultural workers’ visas (H-2A) or prevent them from entering the U.S.

    According to the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the number of agricultural workers entering the country on H-2A visas has increased dramatically since 2000. In 2019, 204,801 of all U.S. agricultural workers were workers on H-2A visas, and a significant portion of those workers help to keep the Georgia vegetable industry viable. In 2018, Georgia’s vegetable industry generated $1.13 billion in farm gate value and 13,900 jobs (Wolfe and Stubbs, 2018).

    As of March 26, there is an authorization to grant interview waivers for H-2 applicants whose visa expired within the last 48 hours, who have not previously received an H-2 visa or whose visa expired more than 48 months ago. This will speed the process for growers to get labor, however, planning ahead is still vital for timely harvest of spring crops.

    Estimating the number of workers required to harvest the planted acreage is the first step to ensure vegetables and fruits are out of the field in a timely manner. Furthermore, it is important to highlight that harvested products must be packed before reaching the consumer. Labor in the packing line is also a key point in this process.

    Overall, farms have different activities and crop management practices and, consequently, labor requirements vary widely. Producers should identify activities and periods of intense labor demand in their operations and try to stagger these periods, rather than coinciding labor peak needs.

    For more information, see UGA CAES Newswire.