AgNet DEMO

Category: Georgia

  • Knowing Nitrogen: How Much Should Pecan Producers Apply?

    UGA CAES photo/Shows pecan trees being planted.

    One of University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells’ points of emphasis this winter has been the need for growers to cut costs, not corners amid low prices.

    One way to do that is by considering how much nitrogen is needed and in what form. Wells provides insight for growers who need to save money every chance they get.

    “Nitrogen, depending on what you use, the cost can be variable,” said Wells during a winter production meeting. “I see a lot of people using 200 pounds an acre or more of nitrogen. I can tell you, from doing research on this myself and from reading the research that has been done for 100 years on pecans, in the Southeastern U.S., there’s not really benefit at all to applying more than 100 to 125 pounds of nitrogen per acre. If you’re applying more than that, you’re probably applying too much.”

    Nitrogen Forms

    Producers also must decide how to apply the nitrogen. There’s different dry nitrogen forms that farmers can use, including ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate and urea.

    “Ammonium nitrate has gotten expensive and hard to find because of some of the storage issues that are related to it now, the safety involved. Ammonium sulfate is a good source of nitrogen and urea; those three are about the only three we have used here,” Wells said.

    Based on a research study on the UGA Tifton campus the past six years, Wells has researched the different nitrogen forms and their impact on yield, percent kernel, nut count. There is no difference in all three. Wells’ recommendation is to proceed with the least expensive, which is Urea at $34.56 per acre at 100 pounds per acre. Ammonium sulfate costs around $63.09 per acre.

    Wells also recommends that growers split their nitrogen applications, applying 75% in April and an additional spray in June and late August if needed.

  • QLA Deadline: Pecan Producers Reminded to Sign Up

    UGA CAES photo: Uprooted pecan trees due to Hurricane Michael. 10-11-18

    University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells encourages producers to apply for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) program. The deadline for the USDA program, which provides assistance to farmers who suffered eligible losses due to natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, is Friday, March 5.

    Wells reminded growers of the program in the UGA Pecan Extension blog.

    Hurricane Michael

    Georgia producers were significantly impacted by Hurricane Michael in 2018. According to UGA Extension, pecans suffered $100 million in direct losses to the crop in 2018, $260 million in losses due to lost trees and $200 million in direct losses for future income.

    According to the USDA, the program will assist producers whose eligible crops suffered quality losses due to such natural disasters as qualifying drought, excessive moisture, flooding and hurricanes.

    Wells also noted that in addition to Hurricane Michael, pecan producers would also qualify for the 2019 season when hot and dry conditions late in the year led to losses in pecan quality.

    “The best documentation you can provide will be an invoice from your buyer with the price and percent kernel showing loss of quality and price along with another invoice from this buyer within the same time period for similar lots showing no quality loss or perhaps even a letter from the buyer verifying this quality-based loss,” Wells said in the UGA Pecan Extension blog.

    Click here for more information about the program.   

  • What’s Next? Georgia Producer Concerned About Future of American Farmer

    Georgia vegetable producer Sam Watson may not be a blueberry farmer, but he had a vested interest in the International Trade Commission’s recent decision regarding the impact of blueberry imports.

    Watson

    Watson, like his farming brethren, was disappointed that the ITC did not find that imports do have a significant injury to the domestic industry.

    “It’s just really frustrating and disheartening. We all know what’s happening,” Watson said. “I’m just afraid corporate America, these corporate farms and politics have played a big role in it.”

    The decision was made despite staggering statistical evidence of how the rise of imports in previous years from countries like Mexico has led to diminished prices.

    Another ITC Hearing

    Watson, managing partner of Chill C Farms in Colquitt County, Georgia, produces squash, zucchini, bell pepper, cabbage, eggplant and cucumbers. Squash and cucumbers are scheduled for a similar hearing with the ITC on April 8.

    The future of the American farmers is at stake with these hearings. With all of the competitive advantages that Mexico has, how can Southeast farmers compete? They can’t, says Watson.

    “When you go to talk about the regulatory side, the labor side, the subsidy side, the fact that they can just outright do it cheaper than we can … it doesn’t matter how much is coming because they’re just going to eventually put us out anyway. They can just do it cheaper,” Watson said.

    The USITC is currently seeking input for two additional investigations regarding the impact of imported cucumbers and squashes on the U.S. seasonal markets. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) requested the investigations in a letter. The USITC will hold a public virtual hearing regarding the investigations on April 8 at 9:30 a.m.

  • $15 Minimum Wage? Potential Increase Would Impact Southeast Producers

    Image source: The Pajaronian

    The Biden Administration’s push for a $15 minimum wage would have significant ramifications for farmers who utilize the H-2A program.

    Veronica Nigh, economist with American Farm Bureau, discusses the financial impact a higher minimum wage would have on Southeast vegetable and specialty crop producers.

    “The H-2A program stipulates you have to pay the highest wage of (either) the state minimum wage, the federal minimum wage, the AEWR (Adverse Effect Wage Rate) or the prevailing wage, which is something that we see more often in the northwest corner of the U.S. If we were to see a federal minimum wage go to $15 per hour, currently the H-2A (rate) in the southeast is $11.81 and in Florida it’s $12.08; if you had to pay the higher of AEWR or the federal minimum wage, it’s going to go up,” Nigh said.

    Trickle-Down Effect

    An increased minimum wage would have a trickle-down effect on a farmer’s workforce.

    “If you’re paying your minimum wage employees a higher rate then all other wages for anyone more skilled than that are also going to go up. There is a concern that increasing minimum wage would be an inflation rate for all wages,” Nigh said. “It’s not unconnected to other wages.”

    Other Requirements

    This does not even consider producers’ other requirements. These include housing, transportation and meals that they must account for when utilizing the program.

    Florida has already approved legislation that would increase its minimum wage to $15. But that threshold won’t be met until 2026.

    What remains in question is whether the legislation regarding a $15 federal minimum wage will be passed at all? And in how quick of a timeframe?

    “Look back 10 years ago. The AEWR in 2012 was $9.39 in Alabama. Today, it’s $11.81. Over that 10-year period, it went up $2.42, which would be less than what it would go up if the minimum wage would go up to $15,” Nigh said. “If an increase in the minimum wage would be put forward, how quickly it would go into effect and reach its full level is really important. Currently, federal minimum wage is $7.25. If that were to go up to $15, it’s obviously more than twice as much what it is now. How many years it takes to phase that in would be important.”

    H-2A workers just received a bump in pay for the upcoming production season.

  • Rapid Response: New UGA Test for Fusarium Wilt a Major Help for Watermelon Producers

    UGA CAES photo: UGA plant pathology graduate student Owen Hudson (left) and research scientist Emran Ali (right) helped develop a faster protocol for detecting Fusarium wilt disease through a PCR assay.

    University of Georgia scientists have developed a rapid test to determine the presence of fusarium wilt in watermelons.

    This test produces much faster and more efficient results and will facilitate research for breeders who are researching new varieties. They can produce options that have resistance to the disease.

    Emran Ali, head of the Plant Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Georgia Tifton campus, said in the UGA CAES Newswire that the process takes about three hours to diagnose races, which is a major upgrade since traditional bioassays can take more than a month.

    “At the microscopic level, you can diagnose Fusarium, but you can’t differentiate the races,” said Ali in the UGA CAES Newswire. “Traditional bioassay methods have been used for this, but it takes weeks to grow watermelon plants and evaluate the disease, and watermelon cultivars used for the bioassay can be difficult to source. This method is not only inefficient, it is also sometimes inaccurate.”

    Huge Help for Farmers

    Fusarium wilt symptoms can appear at any growth stage.

    Georgia is a consistent national leader in watermelon production. The crop’s farm gate value was $180 million in 2019. If farmers know the specific race of fusarium wilt that’s in their field, they can make the right management decisions. So far, four races of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (FON) have been identified. Some commercial watermelon varieties are resistant to races zero and one, but not races two and three.

    “Resistant watermelon varieties are effective against some races but not others,” said Ali in the UGA CAES Newswire. “If you quickly diagnose, growers can have more time in advance to know what’s going on in their fields. It’s good to know what’s going on. Watermelon varieties resistant to races zero and one are available, so you may grow resistant varieties to control disease caused by these races. Other races are more destructive and more difficult to control.”

    The new molecular detection method allows differentiation of the different races of the pathogen.

    Disease Symptoms

    Fusarium wilt symptoms can appear at any growth stage. If they appear at the seedling stage, the plants will not make it to vines. Plants infected with the fusarium wilt pathogen will eventually die if the infection is severe. The plant can produce fruit if the infection is weak, but when it begins using the energy necessary to produce fruit, the plant will likely decline and slowly die.

    Click here for more information from the UGA CAES Newswire story.

  • Looming Deadline: GFVGA Survey Due Friday

    The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) wants Ag workers protected during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As vaccinations continue to be administered across the country, the GFVGA is emphasizing the importance of essential Ag workers.

    This includes family, full-time employees and seasonal employees comprised of domestic, migrant and H-2A employees.

    GFVGA is administering a survey that will help inform local Georgia health districts about the essential Ag worker presence they will have during the upcoming spring season.

    The deadline to complete the survey is Friday.

    The GFVGA wants vaccines available at the earliest possible date and needs help from producers and industry leaders.

    Most of the decisions about how the vaccinations will be distributed will be made at the local level by the Georgia health department staff and district director as well as local hospitals and pharmacies.

    Participation in this brief survey is critical. For more information, contact the GFVGA office at (706) 845-8200.

  • Georgia Watermelon Producer: We’re Not Panicking Yet

    Watermelons being researched on the UGA Tifton Campus. 6–6-17

    Georgia watermelon producers are not concerned about how excessive rains in February will impact their plantings in March – not yet anyway.

    Dick Minor, with Minor Produce Inc. in Andersonville, Georgia, says Georgia watermelon farmers are still weeks away from needing to get in the field to plant this year’s crop.

    “We’re still a couple of weeks at the earliest and really three weeks from impacting us. If it keeps like this for three or four more weeks, then it’s an issue,” Minor said. “Normally, watermelons in South Georgia are not planted, maybe a few before March 10, but most of them are started around the 15th or 20th of March. I don’t think it’s an impact yet.”

    According to the University of Georgia Weather Network, Moultrie, Georgia received 15.99 inches of rain from Jan. 1 to Feb. 23, compared to just 6.96 in 2020 and 6.61 in 2019. It is similar in Tifton, Georgia where it recorded 15.77 inches during that same timeframe, compared to 7.57 in 2020 and 5.85 in 2019.

     “We would be doing stuff to get fields ready, but it’s not to the point it’s really critical right this minute. Now, if it stays like this for a couple of weeks, it will be. But we’ve got a lot of equipment, we can get things ready in a hurry,” Minor said. “We’re not behind planting. All the plants are in the greenhouse so they’re doing fine. We’re not panicking yet. But if it stays like this a couple more weeks we will be.”

    What Does 2021 Look Like?

    According to Samantha Kilgore, executive director of the Georgia Watermelon Association, acreage was projected to decrease to about 19,000 acres last year. But most of those who produced a crop enjoyed a bountiful harvest and strong prices throughout the season. Farmers are hoping for a repeat in 2021.  

    “We think it’s going to be like normal acres. It’s all going to depend on what else is going on in the world, especially COVID,” Minor said. “If all these restaurants and food service start opening back up, it’ll be good. If a lot of the places up north stay shut down, it probably won’t be as good. We didn’t expect it to be a great market year last year and it was. There’s just no telling. There’s really no way to predict.”

  • Pecan Promotions: USDA Seeks Nominees for Board

    georgia pecan

    Southeast pecan producers interested in serving on the American Pecan Promotion Board can submit a nomination no later than March 26.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking nominations for the board under the Pecan Promotion, Research, and Information Order.

    The board will be comprised of 17 members; 10 producers and seven importers. The producers will be divided between three regions: three from the Eastern Region; three from the Central Region; and four from the Western Region. 

    Each member’s term will begin when USDA approves the nominations.

    A producer or importer who has produced or imported more than 50,000 pounds of in-shell pecans (25,000 pounds of shelled pecans) on average for four fiscal periods is eligible to serve. Producers who produce pecans in more than one region may seek nomination only in the region in which they produce the majority of their crop.

    Nominations for producer member seats will be submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture by the American Pecan Council, the 17-member federal marketing order governing body. If you are interested in serving as a producer member, please submit your nominations to info@americanpecan.com. You may also contact Jeff Smutny at (817) 916-0020.   

    For more information about the program, visit the AMS American Pecan Promotion Board webpage or contact USDA Promotion and Economics Division Deputy Director, Patricia Petrella, at (301) 337-5295 or Patricia.Petrella@usda.gov.

  • ‘Protect Your Peach’: GDA Launches New Campaign

    Georgia Department of Agriculture

    ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Agriculture wants Georgians to ‘Protect the Peach.’

    The new campaign is implemented to help inform rural Georgians about the best ways to protect their communities amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

    GDA’s Georgia Grown program has partnered with Georgia Farm Bureau, the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service and state commodity groups to promote the campaign.

    “This is a great example of partners coming together with one message all working towards a unified goal,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black in a press release. “Agriculture is critical infrastructure in Georgia, and we want to make sure that our essential workers are well informed, especially once we move into phase 1B of the vaccination plan.”

    The campaign ties agriculture commodities together with information to learn more about the vaccine that is supported by a targeted social media campaign using the hashtag #ProtectYourPeach.

    The commodities that are highlighted throughout the campaign include dairy, beef, peach, peanut, poultry, vegetable and forestry.

  • Wage Increase: H-2A Workers Receiving Bump in Hourly Rate

    usmca
    Workers pick potatoes in this 2019 photo.

    Southeast producers who utilize the H-2A program finally know what the minimum wage is they must pay in 2021. The USDA Farm Labor Survey revealed that wage rates for H-2A labor are increasing at an average rate of 4.5% or $0.63 per hour across the country. For the Southeast, though, those levels are much lower.

    Florida’s wages will increase by 3.2% from 2020 to 2021. Georgia and Alabama will go up by just 0.9%.

    “I think growers, no matter what part of the country you’re from, when you say on a day-to-day basis, what’s one of your biggest concerns, it’s finding labor,” said Veronica Nigh, economist with American Farm Bureau. “That’s been the case for several years. I think the fact that we keep seeing the wage rate go up is indicative of that strong demand for farm labor.”

    The average H-2A wage rate for Florida is $12.08 per hour. The rate is $11.81 for Georgia and Alabama. The rates are much lower than states like California ($16.05), Oregon ($16.34), Washington ($16.34) and Texas ($13.03). According to American Farm Bureau, the average wage rate for field and livestock workers was $14.62 in 2020, an increase of 4.5% from $13.99 in 2019.

    “When you need hands, you need hands. If you can squeeze out the money from the budget then that’s what folks seem to be doing. Overall, nationally, we’re up about 4.5% this year compared to last,” Nigh said. “In the Southeast, that wasn’t as big of an increase; only a 10 cents per hour increase, which is a little less than 1%. That’s good from a grower’s perspective for sure. Still, getting at around $12 per hour is still quite a hefty wage rate to be paying.”

    Expensive Five-Year Increase

    While the wage increase is relatively small for states in the Southeast, a look at the past five years paints a different picture. From 2016 to 2021, Georgia and Alabama have experienced an 11% hike in the wage rate, while Florida has increased 9%, according to the USDA Farm Labor Survey.

    Nigh said in August that Florida was the largest user of the program during the year’s first three quarters with 28,005 certified positions. Georgia had listed more than 23,000 certified positions.

    “Lets say conservatively 1.5 million workers are needed per year and we’re looking at 275,000 positions were certified in 2020. That’s only 18% of the workforce,” Nigh said. “You look at long-term trends and the number of workers that are employed in agriculture, it’s been somewhere between 1.5 and 2 million workers, despite the fact that we’ve seen quite a bit of mechanization over the last couple of decades. If H-2A is only less than 20% of the workforce right now, one would assume we’re just going to keep seeing that (rate) go up and up.”