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  • Florida Farmer: It Needs to be Fair

    Almost a month after testifying before the U.S. International Trade Commission, Florida vegetable farmer Marie Bedner is optimistic about potential change to imports of cucumbers and squash flooding the domestic market.

    “I am optimistic. They’re listening to us. The fact that we had these hearings, the one back in August for the bell peppers and this one for the cucumbers and the squash, I am optimistic and hopeful that there will be some kind of relief for us,” Bedner said.

    Bedner was one of numerous farmers from Florida and Georgia who testified on April 8 that imports from countries like Mexico are hurting the domestic market.

    “I was glad I got to voice my opinion and then also my neighbor Dick Bowman was on the call, too. We were able to get our thoughts out there and especially dispute some of the other facts that were out there, like having hurricane damage that’s affecting our numbers and labor issues and other facts that are not true,” Bedner said. “I was very pleased with that aspect of it.”

    Ways to Help

    While the USITC is not expected to make a decision until December, Bedner already has ways that the government could help with this escalating problem.

    “It needs to be fair. It’s not a fair playing field at this point,” Bedner said. “Two of the (remedies) would be a volume control and price control. Those two triggers need to be put in place.”

    Both are factors in how imports are being dumped in the United States.

    Large quantities of imported produce, such as peppers, cucumbers or anything else, are brought into the country with no set price. They are imported to New York, for example, and the buyer sets his own price for what they’re willing to pay. Mexico is willing to sell for whatever it can get because it is backed by government subsidies.

    “We can’t compete with that. We need a minimum to get our return back on our boxes. We’re just not able to do that. It’s an ongoing problem,” said Bedner, who added that it happens weekly.

    The more the problem continues, the more likely Southeast farmers will not be able to compete and be forced to retire prematurely.

    “That’s something that we’ve said before that we’re going to be relying on a third-world country for our produce, which is sad when right where we are in Palm Beach County, we were the winter vegetable capital of the world before NAFTA. We have great land here that can grow to provide for all of the U.S,” Bedner said.

  • Sneak Peek: May 2021 VSCNews Magazine

    By Ashley Robinson

    The future of weed control is here. The May issue of VSCNews Magazine provides the inside scoop on all things weed control.

    First up, Yiannis Ampatzidis, an assistant professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) covers the future of precision weed control. Using artificial intelligence, Ampatzidis has shown that new spraying technologies are a significant improvement in efficiency and safety.

    Weeds are problematic throughout the entire year in Florida. Peter Dittmar, associate professor at UF in Gainesville, shares pre-emergent herbicides, post-emergent herbicides and nonchemical weed control for blueberries.

    In addition, Ramdas Kanissery, an assistant professor and Ruby Tiwari, a Ph.D. graduate student, both at the UF/IFAS SWFREC, discuss a pesky weed of vegetable production.

    Cutleaf evening primrose is an annual weed, or sometimes a biennial, commonly found throughout vegetable farms in Florida. The weed is a heavy seed setter and the seeds can remain viable in the soil for several decades. It creates a seed bank in the soil for future infestation if not managed properly. Together, Kanissery and Tiwari discuss management options.

    Switching gears, the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season is on the horizon, and now is the time to prepare. Pam Knox, agricultural climatologist at the University of Georgia, talks all things hurricane prep and recovery for fruit and vegetable growers.

    Lastly, in the Organic Corner column, Tiffany Bailey, owner, and Ida Vandamme, farm manager, at Honeyside Farms in Parrish, Florida, share their top secrets to successfully sell your products online.

    Find all these articles and more in the next issue of VSCNews magazine.

    To receive future issues of the magazine, subscribe here.

  • North Florida to Feature More Late-Season Watermelons

    North Florida watermelons will be in supply later than normal, says Branford, Florida producer Laura Land. Land, who is also a member of the Florida Watermelon Association, says there will be more late-season watermelons this year in North Florida.

    “The increase in acreage that I’m seeing here in the North Florida area is pretty much that later crop,” Land said. “They’ve got their early crop like they’ve been having them, about the same acreage. Then they’ve put in 40 to 80 more acres for some later crops.”

    Additional acreage in North Florida could challenge South Georgia for the market in mid-summer. Both regions are hoping to duplicate last season’s success, where there were high yields and high prices for farmers.

    “Normally we try to be through before (Georgia) ever gets started. Georgia acreage doesn’t seem to have increased a lot. It’s staying pretty level. This (North Florida) area seems to be dropping their time back so that they’re coming in a little later,” Land said. “There seems to be a pretty good acreage. Crops all look very good. It’s acreage that’s scattered in all different ages.

    “Looks like from the 15th of May through the 15th of July, they’ll have watermelons here in North Florida.”

    Land said farmers in her region normally want to be done before the end of July, but some were still planting as of last week. That followed a freeze during Easter weekend that killed some watermelon plants. Farmers were forced to replant.

    “I think maybe acreage in the north Florida area has gone up a little bit but considerably little. It’s pretty much the same people that’s been growing watermelons, may have added 40 more acres,” Land said. “It could just be how their land worked out. Everybody in the watermelon business knows that no two years are ever the same. There’s a new challenge every year.”

    Current Market

    Land said prices are around 30 cents per pound right now with not a lot of availability. Watermelons are available mainly just in the South Florida area, around Immokalee. Land said producers in the Lake Placid, Arcadia regions should start harvesting this week or at least by the first of May.

  • Twig Dieback: What to Look for and How to Protect Peaches

    Photo by Alabama Extension

    While peaches can be a sweet summertime treat, if trees are impacted by twig dieback, that can leave a sour taste in producers’ mouths.

    Plant diseases cause the twigs, branches and shoots of a peach tree to die. Alabama Cooperative Extension System Plant Pathologist Ed Sikora offers tips about what causes twig dieback, its symptoms and how to manage the disorder in peach trees.

    Why Does it Happen?

    Either bacterial blight disease or blossom blight disease lead to twig dieback. They are not uncommon to producers who contend with these diseases every spring. Bacterial blight is a bacterial disease that can cause dieback of twigs. Also known as brown rot, blossom blight – caused by a fungal pathogen – is a fruit tree disease that can also cause twig dieback in the spring, as well as fruit rot later in the production season.

    Symptoms

    Infected leaves can dry up and cling to their sticky branches. Cankers can also form at the base of the leaf buds and flowers. Especially in the spring, gummy sap can often be found exuding from these cankers.

    During wet weather, brown-to gray spores of blossom blight can appear on dead flowers, indicating the fungal disease is the cause and not bacterial blight. If these spores are lacking, however, the Auburn University plant diagnostic lab can confirm which disease is the culprit.

    According to Sikora, trees that are growing under stressful conditions are more susceptible to both diseases.

    If weather is cool and wet, bacterial blight thrives. Blossom blight is associated more with warm, moist weather.

    Management

    The first step in management of twig dieback is removing infected twigs from infected trees. Sikora advises pruning out affected tissue during dry weather to avoid the spread of bacterial blight, blossom blight or other pathogens.

    It’s also important to disinfect pruners between trees. Soak the pruners in a 70% alcohol solution or a 10% bleach solution.

    Later in the season, untreated blossom blight can lead to fruit rot, also known as brown rot. Once this occurs, it is crucial to remove and destroy all the affected fruit from the ground. This will reduce the spread of the pathogen.

    “If affected fruit remains on the ground, fungal spores produced on the fruit surface can spread to healthy fruit in the tree,” Sikora said.

    More Information

    For more information, see the Alabama Extension content piece Causes of Twig Dieback in Peach Trees at www.aces.edu. People can also contact the Extension commercial horticulture agent that serves their area.

    Source: Alabama Extension

  • Georgia Farmer: It’s Just a Mess Right Now

    South Georgia vegetable farmer Bill Brim had a couple of days to survey the damage following more than seven inches of rainfall on Saturday. The Tifton, Georgia producer’s response was simple: “It’s just a mess right now.”

    Photo shows water along Lower Ty Ty Road in Tifton, Georgia.

    Brim was one producer impacted by the excessive rainfall, high winds and some hail damage throughout Saturday in South Georgia. What started in mid-morning didn’t end until late that night. It was a devastating day for some growers.

    “We had some damage a little bit everywhere. We had some ponds that burst or washed off the back ends, we had a little bit of hail on some squash. It didn’t hurt the bush that bad, just dinged up the squash itself,” Brim said. “We just had a lot of rain, that’s the problem.

    “We got hurt all over a little bit. I think overall we’ll be okay. Our tree seedlings where we’ve got them on these pivots, it washed a bunch of seed out on them. We won’t know what the damage there’s going to be for another 10 days.”

    Flash Flooding

    Brim said of the seven-plus inches his farm received, three inches dropped in about an hour. Flash flooding was also a concern throughout the area.

    “All the field roads are washed away. Sewer pipes are overflowed. It’s just a mess. Something that we’ll have to get fixed; just cost you more money to fix it,” Brim said. “I’ve heard some guys that have got bare ground watermelons that (the weather) really hurt them pretty bad. They had hail down in Lake Park, real bad hail down in Lake Park that tore up cabbage and squash.

    “You get seven inches of rain, it’s just unbelievable what it does,” Brim added.

    According to the University of Georgia Automated Weather Network, Tifton, Georgia received 6.36 inches on Saturday.

  • Be on Alert: Gray Mold in Strawberries Can be Devastating

    Alabama Extension photo shows gray mold in strawberries.

    One of the most common diseases of strawberries has already been observed this year in Alabama. Gray mold, also known as Botrytis blight or Botrytis fruit rot, can devastate a crop and cause millions in lost revenue if not managed, according to Alabama Extension.

    No part of the strawberry plant is immune from the disease. Gray mold can affect the leaves, stems, flowers and crowns of the plant. Its wide host range and ability to over-winter in an infested field makes gray mold a challenge to manage.

    The main symptom to look for is fruit rot. A light gray or brownish lesion will develop near the fruit stem. Over time, a grayish, fuzzy mass of spores will spread and cover the entire fruit. Gray mold can also cause post-harvest rot, developing after harvest while still in storage.

    The best management practices include:

    1. Start with healthy transplants. Obtain plants from a reputable nursery.
    2. Use sanitation. Remove dead and infected plant material to reduce the pathogen population.
    3. Allow sufficient spacing between plants. This allows good airflow through the canopy and dries the foliage and fruit quicker.
    4. Avoid over-fertilization. Too much nitrogen can increase fruit rot amid favorable weather conditions.
    5. Early and regular spray. Start fungicide sprays early.
    6. Crop rotation. Rotating strawberries with other crops for two to three years reduces the disease in a field.

    Source: Alabama Extension    

  • Citrus Interest Growing in North Florida, South Georgia

    Interest in citrus continues to spike in North Florida and South Georgia. Georgia acres have doubled over the past year. North Florida has increased by another 300 to 400 this spring, says farmer Kim Jones, who owns a citrus packing facility in Monticello, Florida.

    “We’re seeing a whole lot of acres being planted. It’s hard to get trees. We’ve had some difficulties getting trees for Georgia growers and Florida growers,” Jones said. But there’s still a lot of demand and a lot of interest in planting them; a lot of cleaning up being done and wells put in and irrigation put in.

    “I’ve got 2,000 trees I can’t get. They won’t be here until next April. I ordered them in 2019 and won’t get them until next year.”

    Acreage

    Jones estimates North Florida acreage is up to around 1,200 to 1,300 acres. South Georgia’s acreage is around 2,000 acres. The acreage is increasing amid the Citrus Greening era that has devastated the crop in the rest of Florida.

    “We’re worried about it, but hopefully counting on there being a solution or a remedy to that before long. We’re just hoping and praying that’s the case,” Jones said. “It is a factor. We got it in Perry. We got it all along the Gulf Coast in East Point and Apalachicola and Panama City; those areas through there that have homeowner trees. No commercial groves yet.”

    Jones believes that since most of the citrus groves are isolated and spaced out, they should be able to fight the disease pretty good. Everybody is watching out for Asian citrus psyllids, which vectors Citrus Greening.

    “There’s not much that won’t kill a psyllid,” Jones added. “We’re not doing preventative sprays, but we’re already having to spray for the other insects; it helps keep them at bay.”

  • UGA Encourages Cleaning of Equipment to Reduce Spread of Neopestalotiopsis

    Neopestalotiopsis spots and pepper-like fruiting structures in spots (photo from Mark Frye; Wayne County Cooperative Extension Service)

    Neopestalotiopsis Fruit Rot is devastating strawberry fields in Georgia and Alabama.

    In an effort to reduce the pathogen’s spread, University of Georgia (UGA) Extension is encouraging strawberry producers to make sure farm equipment is clean before moving from field to field.

    According to the UGA Extension strawberry blog, washing equipment with soap and water after use in a field with the disease, may or may not be sufficient enough to kill the pathogen. But it needs to be done to reduce the spread through the removal of dirt, debris and plant residues left on the equipment.

    Equipment sanitizers can also be considered as well. Cleaning and disinfecting shoes should also be considered. They are also considered a potential means of disseminating the pathogen.

  • Impact: UF Study Focuses on How Soil Health Impacts Citrus, Other Tree Crops

    How can changes in soil health impact citrus and other sub-tropical tree crops? That’s a question UF/IFAS researchers hope to answer in a four-year, $500,000 project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

    Specifically, they will examine how quickly soil health can change in Florida’s sub-tropical sandy soils and how changes in the soil’s health might impact yield.

    “Our goal is to help producers by finding out what cover crops do to soil health in Florida groves,” said Sarah Strauss, assistant professor of soil microbiology in the UF/IFAS soil and water sciences department and the lead investigator on the grant project. “While there’s a lot of interest in soil health right now, much of the research and metrics for assessing it are not based on sub-tropical sandy soils like we have in Florida. In order to determine if soil health is improving, growers need to know what the best parameters are to measure. That includes determining which indicators are the most useful for monitoring the soil health of tree crops.”

    Sometimes, though, impacts may not be observed for several years. Strauss and her team want to know what indicators can be measured only once a year or more frequently that might show progress even if yield hasn’t changed yet. This would provide grove management information to producers in a more timely fashion.

    Research Specifics

    The team will first measure soil physical, biochemical and microbial parameters involved in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling at two Florida citrus groves. This provides a detailed assessment of the changes to the soil environment and microbial groups with cover crops. After measuring cover crop impacts on soil in the groves, scientists will see which soil health indicators can carry over to the non-citrus setting. They will also share Florida-specific information with producers.

    “In vegetable or row crop systems, cover crops are planted during the fallow season for a few months and then the cash crop will be planted in the same field. That’s not the case for a tree crop, and in Florida, we can keep cover crops growing in the middle of rows between the trees all year,” said Strauss, a faculty member at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. “So, metrics for how quickly things change in the soils for a tree with cover crops may be very different than in a vegetable or cotton field.”

    Strauss said they will also compare results with some commercial soil tests to see how indicators relate to what is currently available on the commercial level. Many commercial tests may not provide suggestions or recommendations specific to tree crops.

    “Ultimately, this study will provide a list of meaningful soil health indicators that Florida producers can use to meet their unique needs in sub-tropical tree fruit systems,” she said.

    Source: UF/IFAS

  • Vidalia Onion Harvests Underway

    Photo by Clint Thompson

    Vidalia onion harvests are underway in Georgia. It has been great harvest conditions for producers in the Southeast Georgia region. G&R Farms in Glennville, Georgia is one of the biggest Vidalia onion producers in the area. Pictured are photos from Thursday’s harvest.

    Photo by Aubrey Shirley/UGA

    G&R Farms will continue harvesting through mid-May.

    April 19 was the pack date this year for Georgia Vidalia onions. An advisory panel comprised of industry leaders determined that April 19 be the first day of the year consumers could buy Vidalia onions.

    Growers first dig onions and let them field cure. Then they’ll clip the onions and send to the grading house to be packaged and boxed up.