AgNet DEMO

Category: North Carolina

  • Sweet Market for Melon Farmers

    UGA file photo/Shows watermelons being researched on the UGA Tifton Campus. 6–6-17

    By Clint Thompson

    Watermelon prices are holding strong for Southeast farmers, according to one South Georgia producer. Terrell Rutland believes extenuating circumstances could help extend the strong market, currently at 20 cents per pound, for growers an extra few weeks.

    “Anything north got frost bit about the first of May. Florida is through so that kind of puts us in the driver’s seat right now,” said Terrell Rutland, who grows 50 acres in Tift County, Georgia and Cook County, Georgia. “Every year, the very first people to pick in Georgia might get 20 cents, but generally, the majority of the crop is sold around 15 cents. It’s good in that respect.”

    It’s especially good for Southeast farmers since it appears their melons are the only game in town right now.

     “(The Carolinas and the Midwest) always plant three or four weeks behind us but this year they planted, go two or three weeks and the frost killed them, and they planted again. That threw them another three weeks behind. I really wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t get some imported melons to catch some slack up,” said Rutland.

    He began harvesting this year on June 4, the earliest he’s ever started.

    “When they put on, they grew. They made melons quick. It was kind of shocking, I’ve never had none to grow off that quick. About half of mine, I do put on bare ground and I put about half of them on plastic. The bare ground melons are not ready yet. The cold really affected them a lot worse than it did the ones that were on raised plastic,” Rutland said.

    Rutland expects to harvest three days per week through July 4.

    Decrease in Acreage

    Acreage is down in Georgia this year. According to Samantha Kilgore, executive director of the Georgia Watermelon Association, acreage is projected to decrease this year to 19,000 acres. It would mark a significant drop from previous years’ harvests.  According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, from 2016-2018, Georgia averaged a harvest of just more than 23,000 acres.

    Rutland already projects additional acres next year, however.

    “It’ll probably be many folks who want to grow watermelons next year where you can’t sell them for a dime a pound. It’s the way that usually works,” Rutland said.

  • USDA Trade Mitigation Purchases to Feed People in Need and Aid American Farmers Surpass $2B

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it has purchased more than $2.2 billion of meat, fruits, vegetables, specialty crops and dairy products in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 in its ongoing efforts to feed people in need and assist American farmers and ranchers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations.

    Perdue

    USDA is on target to reach its fiscal year goal of about $1.4 billion of trade mitigation purchases in the next phase of fiscal year purchasing, which ends Sept. 30. The purchases were made through the Food Purchase and Distribution Program (FDPD), one of USDA’s three programs in its Support Packages for Farmers. Most of the food purchased is provided to states for distribution to nutrition assistance programs such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program and child nutrition programs.

    “Over the past two years, USDA has issued more than $2 billion in payments to American farmers, ranchers and producers for U.S.-grown food that is used to help Americans in need,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “Early on, President Trump instructed USDA to make sure our farmers did not bear the brunt of unfair retailiatory tariffs. Our farmers work hard and the most productive in the world, and we crafted the FPDP to help protect them. The FPDP represents just one of the many ways USDA is working hard to fulfill its mission to do right and feed everyone.”

  • N.C. State Specialist: Best Strawberry Season Ever

    florida
    File photo shows strawberries harvested and packaged.

    By Clint Thompson

    Mark Hoffmann, North Carolina State small fruits Extension specialist, had high praise for this year’s strawberry crop.

    Mark Hoffmann

    “This is the best strawberry season ever in North Carolina. I’ve only been here for three years but that’s what all people are telling me; they’ve never had such a good strawberry season,” Hoffmann said.

    It appears a relatively mild spring, absent of major frost events, helped growers prolong this year’s growing season. Hoffmann estimated that last week should have wound up the state’s harvest.

    “We got lucky. With the exception of late April and the one frost event in May, we didn’t have a lot of really cold events. We had one time where we had a lot of snow but that was there just for one day. I think that was in late February, early March,” Hoffmann said. “After that, we went through three frost events, which is very unusual. We usually have much more than that.”

    Hoffmann Sensed Bumper Crop

    Hoffmann sensed a couple of months ago that North Carolina farmers were ready to experience a bumper crop, if the weather held up.

    “Some people had a very mild winter. If you put some row covers on your berries, you had like pretty early bloom. We actually had bloom on the berries in January. If you kept those blooms and kept row covers over the berries and plants, you would start picking in February,” Hoffmann said.

    Prices also remained strong. Growers benefited from consumers wanting to buy local.

    “If you sell in a farm stand or sell on a farmer’s market, consumers tend to pay more than they would in the grocery store because it’s local and we grow different cultivars here; the flavor is different,” Hoffmann said.

    Hoffmann estimates that strawberries in North Carolina generates $26 million per year, which makes it the third largest in the country behind California and Florida.

    For more information about strawberry production in North Carolina, see N.C. State strawberry website.

  • Blueberry Farmer: It Was Really Like Salt in the Wound

    Florida Producer Sounds Off on Lack of Category 1 Status in CFAP

    By Clint Thompson

    Blueberries were left out of Category 1 status in CFAP.

    While the blueberry industry was surprised as to how it was not eligible for Category 1 status in the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), one Florida grower remains equally as dumbfounded.

    “I was shocked when it came out. I was literally like, jaw on the ground, going how did we get left out of this deal?” said Ryan Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida and is one of the state’s blueberry leaders. “It wasn’t a great year for us. And then to get left out of Category 1, it was really like salt in the wound.”

    According to https://www.farmers.gov/cfap/specialty, eligible specialty crops in CFAP are broken down into three categories:

    1. Had crops that suffered a five percent-or-greater price decline between mid-January and mid-April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,
    2. Had produce shipped but subsequently spoiled due to loss of marketing channel, and
    3. Had shipments that did not leave the farm or mature crops that remained unharvested.

    Blueberries Not Included

    However, blueberry farmers were not included in Category 1 status, like many other specialty crop commodities, such as almonds, beans, broccoli and cabbage for example. Atwood insists that Category 1 is where most of the farmers were impacted when the coronavirus pandemic hit in mid-March.

    “For Florida blueberry growers, we got screwed man. We got left out of Category 1. What that was, they compared the average price of blueberry sales. But the problem is, the government, not knowing what they were doing, compared April 6 to the 10, to January 6 to the 10. Well, January 6 to 10 is the peak of the Chilean imports season. The whole United States is flooded with blueberries at that time. The Florida season, historically, we’re on the fringe edge of when North America starts. We’re in a good spot, usually,” Atwood said. “If you look at historically, we were off as much as 50% on the average price of our sales during a good part of our season. They blew it man, I don’t know how else to say it. We’re hoping that we get put back in it on Category 1.”

    Comment Period

    When the USDA issued CFAP on May 21, it allowed for a comment period. This could lead to amendments being made to the guidelines set forth for blueberry producers. That is what industry leaders are hoping for.

    Atwood farms 56 acres of blueberries, manages another 350 acres and is part-owner of the largest packing house in the Southeast United States. He said the market impact from the pandemic was where he suffered the most.

    “For me personally, I can’t speak for everyone in the industry, I picked all of my fruit, it was just that price was not good,” Atwood said. “It all stacked up in the coolers for 7 to 10 days until people started to figure out that life wasn’t ending, and they could go to work. By the time the world went back to normal, there was a surplus of everything out of there. Unfortunately, when that happens, that’s the only way to move that surplus from the marketer side of it, they just lower the price.”

    USDA is accepting applications through August 28, 2020. Learn more at farmers.gov/cfap.

  • Was Your Crop Not Eligible for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program?

    United States Department of Agriculture

    town hall

    Was your crop not eligible for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), or COVID-19? There is still a chance to try to get that crop on the list of eligible commodities. (Stephanie Ho and Latrice Hill, FSA Director of Outreach)

  • N.C. Peach Season Kicks off Summer Season

    Pictured are baskets of peaches.

    North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

    RALEIGH – The first day of summer may be right around the corner, but fresh North Carolina peaches are already available at farmers markets and roadside stands across the state. While not a bumper crop, local growers do expect to have plenty of peaches through Labor Day.

    “North Carolina grows more than two dozen varieties of peaches,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Growers are harvesting clingstone peaches now and will begin harvesting freestone varieties later this month. No matter which you prefer, peach lovers should be able to find plenty of peaches this summer.”

    Most of the peaches grown in North Carolina are sold directly to consumers at peach orchards, roadside stands and farmers markets. N.C. peaches are tree-ripened when harvested giving them a fresher and sweeter taste than store-bought peaches. While the majority of peaches are grown in the Sandhills, consumers can find peach orchards in about two-thirds of the state’s counties.

    This year, growers are taking special precautions in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Roadside stands have required employees to wear protective gear such as masks and gloves. In addition, many growers have installed protective plastic shields at their registers to protect consumers.

    To find local peach orchards near you, go to  www.buyncpeaches.com.

  • Farmers Need CFAP Funds as Quickly as Possible

    By Clint Thompson

    Perdue

    U.S. Secretary of Ag Sonny Perdue understands the quick turnaround needed for farmers looking to benefit from the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Especially for those producers in Florida. Some are already thinking about next season and need CFAP funds in place to proceed accordingly.

    “Cash flow’s critical. When this food service industry stopped, it just stopped. It put a real dent in a lot of people’s revenue stream. They had produce packed and ready to go. Orders were cancelled. It was a problem,” Perdue said. “But again, I think (CFAP) will help. It’s very important that people come on in and apply so we can get the money to them as quickly as possible.”

    CFAP payments are already being issued. The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) began taking applications May 26. The agency has received over 86,000 applications for this important relief program.

    According to farmers.gov, FSA will accept applications through August 28, 2020. Through CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion in financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a 5%-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.

    In a previous VSCNews story, Florida farmer Paul Allen talked about leaving 2 million pounds of green beans and about 5 million pounds of cabbage int he field. All because of limited marketing opportunities. The coronavirus also impacted commodity markets, as Florida blueberry farmer Ryan Atwood attests.

  • Are Tiny Bugs Hiding Inside Your Strawberries?

    Basket with fresh strawberries isolated on white background.

    By Ashley Robinson

    A few weeks ago, a viral TikTok video took the internet by storm, showing what appeared to be little worm-like bugs crawling out of fresh strawberries soaked in salt water. Since that video surfaced, many consumers have recreated the video showing similar results. Now, some consumers are panicking. Is this safe? Have we unknowingly been enjoying bugs in our strawberries? Should we stop eating strawberries all together?

    Should You Be Concerned?

    The short answer is no. To put it simply, this can happen. However, it is very unlikely.

    But here’s the million dollar question, what is really happening in the viral TikTok phenomenon?

    According to Hannah Burrack, an entomologist at North Carolina State University, the consumer was actually performing a technique that growers use to test for spotted wing drosophila (SWD), an invasive small fruit fly.

    “A consumer posted a video of what is actually a recommended test for growers to determine whether or not they have possible concern with SWD infestation. This consumer did this with fruit she bought from the grocery store and she observed small larvae coming out of the fruit,” Burrack says. 

    Burrack assures consumers that their fruit are safe to eat.

    “It’s possible that consumers find small larvae emerging from their fruit when soaked in salt water. But it’s pretty unlikely given that all of our farmers are aware of the potential issues associated with SWD, they are actively managing them and they are sampling their fruit before they sell to consumers or wholesalers,” Burrack said.

    If growers are monitoring for SWD, then why are consumers seeing larvae emerging from their fruit after being soaked in salt water?

    Drosophila larvae look alike. But since growers and wholesalers inspect for SWD regularly and do their best to keep SWD out of our food supply, the larvae that consumers are seeing are most likely fruit flies that could have been buzzing around the grocery store or inside the consumer’s home.

    “It’s very likely that the larvae they are seeing originated post-harvest, after the fruit left the farm, especially if they are tiny larvae.” Burrack says. “There are a whole bunch of drosophila flies that are naturally occurring in the US that can attack the fruit once it’s been harvested, unlike SWD which is invasive.” 

    Is it Harmful To Eat These Bugs?

    No. The idea of eating bugs may be unappealing, but if you’ve ever eaten fruit before you’ve more than likely eaten a bug at some point.

    In addition, experts don’t recommend soaking your fruit in salt water. A regular rinse will do just fine.

    Burrack also mentions that you should keep your berries in the fridge. Refrigerating your berries will allow them to last longer and will keep the berries protected from the fruit flies that are buzzing around your counter.

  • Exposure Risk Among Agriculture Workers and Employers

    Picture by Alabama Extension News/Shows workers harvesting produce.

    No evidence indicates that livestock, crops, or products handled by workers involved in production agriculture are sources of COVID-19 infection. However, close contact with coworkers may contribute to spreading the virus.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Labor have provided guidance and recommendations for agriculture owners and operators. Agriculture employers can adapt these same guidelines and recommendations to protect workers at their work sites or in specific work operations.

    Distinctive factors that affect farmworkers’ risk for COVID-19 in production agriculture workplaces include the following:

    • Distance between workers. Farmworkers often have close contact with one another both in fields and indoors. Workers may also be in close contact at other times, such as when clocking in or out, during breaks, when sharing transportation or in shared housing.
    • Duration of contact. Farmworkers often have prolonged close contact with coworkers on the work site, during transportation, and in some housing. Continued contact with potentially infectious people increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
    • Type of contact. Farmworkers may be exposed to COVID-19 through respiratory droplets in the air, such as when workers who have the virus cough, sneeze, or talk. Exposure could also occur when workers have contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, such as tools, equipment, tractors, workstations, toilet facilities, or break room tables, and then touch their mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes. Touching your eyes is not considered to be the main way the virus spreads, but more continues to be learned about how this virus spreads.

    Other factors that may increase risk among some workers include the following:

    • Sharing transportation such as ride-share vans or shuttle vehicles, carpools, and public transportation.
    • Living in employer-furnished housing and sharing living quarters, cooking and eating areas, bathrooms, and laundry facilities with fellow workers.
    • Living in crowded and multigenerational housing.
    • Contact within households and families and with fellow workers in community settings in areas with ongoing community transmissions.
    • Mobility of the workforce, including migrant workers, who, in moving from farm to farm, can potentially spread the virus among communities.
    • Poor access to clean water for hygiene purposes throughout the day.

    Farm owners and operators can prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19. Owners and operators should develop a COVID-19 assessment and control plan to protect themselves and farmworkers, in accordance with the CDC Interim Business Guidance for Businesses and Employees. The CDC also provides guidance on how to develop a plan, screen and monitor workers, manage sick workers, and address the return to work of an infected worker.

  • UGA Entomologist: Potential Is There for Whitefly Outbreak

    By Clint Thompson

    It is too early to say if this year’s whitefly impact on vegetables and cotton will rival 2017. But University of Georgia (UGA) Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist Stormy Sparks insists the potential is there.

    Sparks estimates that the whitefly population is about the same as a month ago. There have been some reports of populations existing primarily in kale. But there’s also low populations in winter crops that are still out there; namely cabbage and collards.

    “The only reports I’ve had of anybody talking about any significant populations have been in kale,” Sparks said. “We haven’t heard of any populations in spring vegetables yet of any significance.”

    Growers should have a better idea of this year’s whitefly effect next month once all the cotton has been planted and starts to grow.

    File photo shows whiteflies on a cucurbit crop.

    “The potential is there. I was on the phone call (the other day) with everybody that does whitefly stuff. Everybody was talking about how it looks like 2017. The truth of the matter is the potential is there, but until you go through the weather conditions to see what happens with weather with management with those crops and management of those crops, you don’t really don’t know what happens,” Sparks said. “(UGA cotton entomologist) Phillip Roberts has for decades been telling me, if he sees whitefly populations in cotton in July, we’re in trouble. You’ll find whiteflies in cotton. But it’s really if you get into populations that are of concern in July, it’s going to be ugly.”

    In 2017, whitefly populations showed up as early as May and June.

    Whitefly Background

    While colder temperatures do not eliminate whiteflies, they do kill many of their wild hosts. They also slow population development in cultivated hosts. Warmer temperatures this winter allowed for larger whitefly populations to overwinter and become mobile earlier.

    Whiteflies cause feeding injury issues in vegetables and transmit two viruses: cucurbit leaf crumple virus and cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus. Vegetables like squash, zucchini, cucumber, cantaloupe and snap beans are highly susceptible to these viruses. Commercial cultivars that have resistance or tolerance to these pathogens are not available.

    Sparks and other specialists continue to preach sanitation with whitefly management. He said farmers have done better in recent years in getting rid of winter vegetables once they are done harvesting. That needs to continue with the spring crops once they are done.

    “When you’re done with it, get rid of it. And that’s irrespective of what crop it is or the population level,” Sparks said.