According to an Alabama Extension blog, new pesticides have been approved for use on hemp production in Alabama.
The Alabama Cooperative Extension Service worked with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) to release an approved pesticide list for use on hemp in Alabama. Several more products have been recently approved for legal application to hemp. It is the sole responsibility of the grower to verify processor requirements for chemical applications on hemp.
Photo courtesy of Treadwell Farms/Shows hemp plants ready to be planted.
One of the first commercial hemp growers in Florida believes the industry is primed for growth in the Sunshine State.
“All of the skills and experience and ability to make what you need, to observe and adapt to your environment, those are crucial skills to being successful with the crop and Florida farmers are going to know how to grow plants in Florida and crops in Florida better than anybody else,” said Jammie Treadwell, co-owner of Treadwell Farms in Eustis, Florida. “We always encourage farmers that, they know more than they think they do and they’re going to come with new and innovative ideas for the hemp industry that aren’t new and innovative to them.”
Photo courtesy of Treadwell Farms/Shows co-owner Jammie Treadwell standing in front of a hemp field.
Treadwell said the first of her greenhouse-grown seedlings went into the field last week, more than a year after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the State Hemp Program into law. The signing in 2019 allowed the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to regulate a state hemp program.
Since Treadwell Farms produces hemp in a greenhouse setting, Jammie is confident they will be able to produce a crop in three, if not, four different growing cycles over the course of the year. Supplemental lighting allows hemp to grow during the winter months.
“We’re starting small this first season, just because we want to make sure everybody has a good season and that they have their infrastructure dialed in, that they can get a handle on things before they expand. For us, we are approved for just over 4 acres. I know compared to some farmers out there that’s pretty small, but we can go multiple cycles,” Treadwell said.
Working with Other Farmers
Her farm also assists other growers in the Central Florida region with germinating seeds and rooted cuttings. The healthier the plant is going into the ground and more acclimated it is to the environment equates to a better chance for success.
Another reason for optimism about the crop’s future in Florida is the constant flow of information being shared among farmers who want to see hemp sustainable.
“We’re working with other farmers in our community as each one of them has something to add. We’re working with large vegetable growers. They have ideas that they’re sharing with us. We’re working with other nursery men and women. We’re working with citrus growers,” Treadwell said. “My family has a peach grove, we have citrus. All of those crops have ideas and skills and techniques that can be applied to this new crop. One of the things we’ve really been trying to create is a community among these different farmers to share ideas. That’s the great thing about Ag, most people are willing to help each other.”
Alabama hemp is at a stage in the growing season when it is vulnerable to caterpillar damage, says Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist. She said a lot of the hemp in the state is starting to flower, which is when it is most susceptible.
“We’re gearing up for corn earworm for caterpillars. A lot of the hemp int he state is starting to flower and that’s really when it’s vulnerable to caterpillar damage. We’re waiting on some boll worm flights and scouting the flowering of the hemp plants, especially pretty regularly to make sure there aren’t any small caterpillars so we can get rid of them before they get too big,” Kesheimer said.
The caterpillars feed on the buds and can cause significant yield loss just because they eat a lot as they grow. As they are chewing on it, they are also opening up that plant and some pathogens can get in and you could end up with bud rot.
“The other issue is because they’re caterpillars and just walking stomachs, they’re going to be eating and defecating on the plant. Then you have reduced quality if you’re growing raw flower and it’s covered in caterpillar poop,” Kesheimer said. “I’m telling growers to scout and check and make sure they don’t have any caterpillars especially as they go into flower.”
The other concern right now for Alabama hemp producers is the dry weather. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, various parts of the state are classified as abnormally dry, specifically along the Alabama-Georgia border in Barbour, Dale and Henry Counties. Kesheimer is confident that Alabama could receive significant showers soon.
“It got real dry, real quick. It was a shock to the ground, the plants, everybody because it hadn’t been too hot all summer. Then (last) week it was pretty miserable,” Kesheimer said. “I think there is some (plants) stressed out there,” Kesheimer said. “They need water, depending on what stage they’re in. I think we’re headed for some storms. It’s cloudy where I am right now. That certainly should help.”
Hot and dry temperatures are not necessarily a bad thing for Georgia’s hemp producers, according to Tim Coolong, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist. What the crop will not do well in is when the soil is wet.
Tim Coolong
“Every single grower that I’ve met with is irrigating their hemp anyway. Actually, a little bit drier is probably fine, because if they do need some water, they will irrigate,” Coolong said. “The only negative thing is some people are planting pretty late because they’re just getting their licenses. Some of the heat we’re having may make it a little bit harder to establish plants. Just like planting fall vegetables, if you’re planting and it’s 95 degrees out, sometimes it helps to have a little bit of a shower to cool things down.”
According to the US Drought Monitor, various parts of the state include areas that are classified as abnormally dry. It is especially concerning for middle Georgia and east Georgia along the coast.
It is a critical point for hemp producers since hemp is expected to begin flowering in early August. Coolong said the handful of growers that are still planting are in danger of producing a crop with reduced yields.
“Hemp for the most part, when you get below 14 hours of day length will start to flower. That’s right about now when we start getting below that threshold. Most of the plants will start flowering around the first week of August,” Coolong said. “The idea is if you plant too late, you’ll have this relatively small plant that could start flowering. Your yield would be lower than if you planted in late May or June when you can build a larger frame on a plant.”
Clemson Extension agents provided updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state.
Statewide
Dr. Matt Cutulle reports, “It is always good to control goosegrass even if it is past the critical period for competition with the crop. Lack of late-season control made hand-harvesting tomatoes difficult. Also, there will be a huge deposit of goosegrass seeds into the soil seed bank for next year unless the seeds are destroyed after the harvest.”
Coastal
Wilting of hemp is very common and often sporadic throughout fields. Photo from Zack Snipes
Zack Snipes reports, “We experienced a nice hot week of weather in the Lowcountry. Most crops are finishing up with the heat and recent rains. On later season tomato I have seen bacterial leaf spot on the fruit which makes fruit unmarketable. I am seeing this on the second cluster of fruit set and not on the first or third clusters. Hemp seems to be off to the races and looking pretty good so far. There are within every hemp field occasional wilted, stunted and yellowed plants. These plants always have a weak root system and most of the time have girdling and interveinal discoloration. Peppers and eggplants are loving this heat and are producing in high volumes.”
Midlands
Justin Ballew reports, “Last week was hot and mostly dry, though we did have some scattered thunderstorms come through over the weekend. Field prep for fall crops continues. We’ve had some fall tomatoes, peppers, and brassicas transplanted already and more to come this week. Everything is growing pretty fast right now and we’re still picking spring crops. Keep an eye out for spider mites, as they love the hot, dry weather we’ve had lately.”
Sarah Scott reports, “We are still ahead of schedule on peach varieties being harvested. Early August Prince and August Prince are being picked now which is over a week earlier than usual. The fruit quality is still good with slightly smaller than ideal fruit. With the extreme heat and lack of rain in the past week, summer crops like tomatoes and cucumbers are looking rough. Bell peppers are doing well.”
Pee Dee
Bruce McLean reports, “Sweet potatoes are looking good. Establishment seems to be very good for the most part. Long green cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, peas, okra, and sweet corn are harvesting well. Condition is good to very good. Sweet corn will be wrapping up shortly. Blueberries are pretty much finished, with only a few remaining fruit on Powderblue. Fruit condition is fair to good. Muscadines are coming along nicely and appear to have an excellent crop. Fresh muscadines should be beginning harvest soon, with wine/juice grapes still a few weeks from harvest. Be on the lookout for Grape root borer moths. They are starting to emerge. They were being caught in traps placed in vineyards in Marion and Horry counties.”
Tony Melton reports, “Harvested first crop of processing peppers. Continuing to pick and plant pickles. Processing greens are over for the spring crop. Harvesting the first crop of processing and seed peas and planting fall crop. Getting processing tomatoes out of the field as quickly as the plant can take them. Things are drying out, hope we don’t go into drought with the heat.”
Upstate
Kerrie Roach reports, “Spotty rain and high temperatures have left many small growers scrambling for irrigation options throughout the Upstate. Peaches and nectarines are still being harvested. Blueberries are just about finished, and farmers’ market produce is starting to wind down with the heat. Apples should begin next week with early varieties like ‘Ginger Gold’ and ‘Golden Supreme’.”
Andy Rollins reports, “Plenty of early blight, bacterial spot/speck on tomatoes this season, but some of the more troublesome problems have been various tomato virus problems. When diagnosing virus problems it is important to get lab verification because herbicide injury can look very similar when just going by visual symptoms. If you suspect herbicide drift from a neighboring farm. Look for damage to other broadleaf plants in the area in between the suspected source and the damaged plants. Follow the wind direction. You should have more severe damage on the leading edge. Also, herbicide residual from a previous crop like sunflowers can also give you herbicide damage that you did to yourself. Read and follow all pesticide label directions. There are plant back restrictions on some herbicides so be careful. If this is the case the damage should be fairly consistent/uniform throughout the area that was planted in the other crop.
Unlike both of these other situations, virus problems may come from your seed source, the greenhouse where plants were grown or from weeds in the field. Pokeweed is commonly a source, as are many other broadleaf weeds. Thrips, aphids, and whiteflies are all known to vector viruses into plants. Symptoms are what you see below with “shoestring” looking leaves, leaves with distorted veins, and mosaic yellow and green coloration. There are many viruses that infect plants. Each of them can show different symptoms and also they can each look different on other plants as well. It’s even possible for a healthy-looking plant with no symptoms to be infected with several viruses.”
Alabama hemp producers need to plant their crop now to ensure it is in the ground and growing by the July 31 deadline. According to the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI), if you are a first-time outdoor grower and do not have green plants up and growing by July 31, ADAI will need to know why and what immediate plans you have to grow as this delayed planting will affect your crop in 2020.
Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, estimates that if growers plant their seed by the second or third week in July, they should be okay with the plant emerging by the end of the month.
“If you’re planting from seed, which a lot of people are, then you have to have them up and emerged by July 31. My guess would be if it got held up further, they might make some exceptions for people who were approved really late,” Kesheimer said. “But if you were approved in May and you don’t have seed or green plants by the end of July, they’re probably not going to cut you any slack.”
All growers will also be required to respond to an emailed status report request as to growing activities by Aug. 1. At the time of the status report, if you determine that you will not be growing for 2020, you will receive a certified letter voiding your 2020 grower license.
This will nullify your grow status for the rest of the season but in no way will negatively impact your ability to apply for and obtain future grower licenses in Alabama.
Georgia’s hemp crop is still being planted across the state. According to Tim Coolong, associate professor in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the recent rainfall could impact the crop both positively and negatively.
“Hemp doesn’t like it overly wet. In parts of the state, if there’s standing water in fields or if it’s saturated, that could lead to some problems,” Coolong said. “But if it’s a grower that just happened to plant, a little bit of rain could help those plants acclimate to going in the ground versus being dry and 100 degrees.”
Hemp is expected to be planted during the next several weeks, though Coolong said the Georgia Department Agriculture would issue permits throughout the summer.
“With that said, if you plant much later than that, your chances of success decrease. If you were to plant in, let’s say September, your plants are going to flower immediately and you’re going to have problems. Even if a grower were able to get a license very late in the year, planting in the field in the traditional manner wouldn’t work very well for them,” Coolong said.
Tim Coolong comments on importance of planting hemp during the summer.
Early Assessment of Crop
He added that fields he is visited so far this summer have looked pretty good and credits the cooler temperatures.
“Up until recently, it’s been a little cooler than typical; at least it seems that way, particularly in the produce world, it was a little cooler this spring. It allowed the hemp plants that were put in to adapt to the transplant shock a little bit better,” Coolong said.
Hemp interest in Georgia was expected to be high this year since it marked the first time growers could produce the crop commercially. But that interest waned some amid the current coronavirus pandemic.
“During the winter we had a lot of people express interest. I think as we got closer to the production season, a lot of those individuals may have been holding off or cut back on the acreage they were going to put in. It certainly seemed throughout the winter, there’s a lot of interest. But as people started looking into it I think, especially with the pandemic and things being uncertain right now, I think a lot of them held off,” Coolong said. “With that said, there’s still a fair number of growers approved out there.”
Applications to grow hemp in Alabama this year are “slowly but surely” moving forward, says Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist.
Katelyn Kesheimer
“I got approved for a couple and I’m still waiting on a couple more to get some plants in the ground. It’s a little bit later than I would have liked. We are making progress,” Kesheimer said. “Slowly but surely. I hope to have all of my approvals for my research done and approved by the end of the month so I can have plants in the ground within two weeks at the latest.”
Green Plants By July 31
Kesheimer said farmers need to have green hemp plants up and out of the ground by July 31. She estimates that if growers plant their seed by the second or third week in July, they should be fine as far as the plant emerging by the end of the month.
“If you’re planting from seed, which a lot of people are, then you have to have them up and emerged by July 31. My guess would be if it got held up further, they might make some exceptions for people who were approved really late,” Kesheimer said. “But if you were approved in May and you don’t have seed or green plants by the end of July, they’re probably not going to cut you any slack.”
According to the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI), if you are a first-time outdoor grower and do not have green plants up and growing by that date, ADAI will need to know why and what immediate plans you have to grow as this delayed planting will affect your crop in 2020.
All growers will also be required to respond to an emailed status report request as to growing activities by Aug. 1.
Ant damage on young hemp plants remains a problem for growers in the Southeast.
Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, fears ants will continue to be a nuisance since hemp plantings will continue through July.
Katelyn Kesheimer
“I think it’s going to be a struggle all season long because there’s so many different plantings going in. We’re still seeing hemp go in the ground,” Kesheimer said. “The field I was in (Wednesday) had pretty extensive damage. They seem to do their worst damage, like most insects, when the plants are really young and vulnerable. They’ll just tear through those stems, or the plants can’t establish a good root system.
“What I’m seeing now is they’ll kill a plant and just move to the next one pretty quickly. You can see this pattern as they move their mounds. They make these mounds around the base of the plant as they’re feeding.”
Weather Affects Hemp Plants
Hemp plants are especially vulnerable right now considering the unpredictable weather patterns the Southeast has experienced in the last couple of months.
“It got really warm pretty early and then we had that cool, wet May. Things slowed down a little bit and I also think stressed out the plants. I’m seeing that in a few different crops,” Kesheimer said. “That makes them more vulnerable to insect attack; you can’t really fight off feeding damage or even a pathogen if you’re stressed out from up-and-down weather, which the plants don’t really like.”
Kesheimer stresses that ant damage is not isolated to hemp plantings in Alabama.
“We see fire ant issues in hemp all the way far north as North Carolina. It’s very widespread. I’ve gotten calls from growers in Louisiana with caterpillars and ants,” Kesheimer said.
Ants really are destructive during periods of excess moisture. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Georgia and Florida are drought free and only pockets of South Alabama and North Alabama are abnormally dry. The region has received its share of rainfall recently.
“I’m not complaining that we’re getting rain, but the ants really like it. After the rain, you’ll have these big mating swarms that fly around; the females will drop to the ground and lose their wings and attempt to start a new mound. They’re going to spread and go through fields with this weather we’re having. It’s not great,” Kesheimer said. “I’m recommending that people bait and treat individual mounds depending on their situation, how big their farm is. We need to do something. Otherwise, you’re going to lose a lot of yield.”
The Industrial Hemp Commission will hold a public meeting via conference call so members can review and approve applications, and hear an update on the North Carolina Farm Act and State plan.
The meeting will be held on Friday, June 12 at 10 a.m. Access to the conference call can be made at http://go.ncsu.edu/industrialhemp or by calling 1-929-205-6099 (U.S. toll) or 1-699-900-6833 (U.S. toll). The meeting ID is 997-8091-4021. Participants will be prompted to enter their name and email address to enter the meeting via the website or prompted for unique participant ID for the call. They should press # to access the call.
Read more at: https://hemp.ces.ncsu.edu/2020/06/nc-industrial-hemp-commission-meeting-june-12-2020/?src=rss
For N.C. Industrial Hemp Commission questions, contact Beth Farrell at 919-707-3014 or beth.farrell@ncagr.gov. For questions about the N.C. Industrial Hemp Program, go to Industrial Hemp Pilot Program in North Carolina.
