AgNet DEMO

Category: Top Posts

  • West: Hope to be Stabilizing Influence During Time of Uncertainty

    By Clint Thompson

    Effective July 1, the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) will have a familiar face to serve as interim dean.

    Joe West

    Joe West, who recently retired as assistant dean from the UGA Tifton campus, just hopes he can be a stabilizing influence during a time of uncertainty in the Ag industry in Georgia.

    “People know me. I’m fortunate enough over my career that I’ve been in several different jobs and worked in Athens, so I know a lot of the key folks at the University of Georgia,” West said. “Already having that network of University of Georgia leadership and having their support is important. Talking with the leadership in Ag. We’ve got so much uncertainty in our industry. It’s really, really suffering right now. We as a college need to figure out what’s our role, what we can do to try to help this industry and help our farmers.”

    West will take over for Sam Pardue, who will retire June 30. West has also agreed to work half time in May and June in preparing for his new role.

    Georgia’s state colleges and universities have been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. All have moved to online instruction for the rest of the semester. But West said research remains a priority and will continue to be under stricter guidelines.

    “Social distancing and things like that, we’re certainly observing,” West said. “As I understand it, our vice president for research, David Lee, has been, to the extent he can in keeping our people safe, he’s been very helpful in letting our field people get their research plots in. He’s come to understand how important timing is and that if we don’t get a crop in by a certain time, it’s a loss for us from a research standpoint. We’re not totally shut down. We’re getting some research in the fields, and again, ensuring that our people are safe. You can be in a tractor by yourself and be socially isolated.”

    UGA CAES coordinates research on three experiment stations and eight research and education centers throughout the state on various crops, including fruit and vegetables.

    For more information, see UGA CAES Newswire.

  • Drought Still a Problem for Florida

    The latest map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows how dry conditions are in Florida and in parts of southern Alabama and Georgia.

    By Clint Thompson

    Even with much-needed rainfall this week and more expected this weekend, Florida remains in a drought; severe in some cases. The southern portions of the state and along the peninsula will remain drier than normal for the foreseeable future, according to Pam Knox, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension state climatologist, .

    “I’ve been watching the drought in Florida because we’ve had issues along the south border in Georgia. I know things have been worse in Florida. I heard David Zierden (state climatologist for the Florida State University Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies) give a talk about it this week. He thinks it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better,” Knox said. “I have a friend in Miami, and they’ve been setting records for the number of days in the 90s. I don’t see for most of the peninsula of Florida that they’re going to have big relief soon.”

    Much of the central part of the state, including Polk County and Hillsborough County, is classified in a severe drought or ‘D2’ status, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, The majority of Florida is in ‘D1’ status or classified in a moderate drought.

    “Eventually the rainy season will come, and they’ll get some relief at that point. But in the meantime, it’s going to be pretty hard on producers, especially those who are growing forage or who need fairly moist conditions,” Knox said. “I don’t think there’s going to be short-term relief from the drought in the Florida peninsula.”

    In the northern part of Florida, as far west as Escambia County, across the state to Nassau County, conditions are a little better but still classified as abnormally dry, which is also the case for the southern part of Georgia.

    “It looks like to me the next couple of weeks are going to be fairly wet, not continuously wet, but I think we’re going to get two or three storms that will go through and bring us some rain,” Knox said. “For those areas, I think there will be some relief. But I think farther south in Florida, the front may not get that far and so they may be stuck in the warm and fairly dry air for at least the next couple of weeks until we switch into more of a summertime pattern.”

    The northern parts of Georgia and Alabama remain fairly wet as vegetable producers, especially those in Alabama, try to get their plants in the ground.

    According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Mobile County and Baldwin County remain in moderate-to-severe drought status along the Gulf Coast.

  • USDA Approves Florida’s State Hemp Program

    commissioner
    Nikki Fried
    Florida Agriculture Commissioner

    Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture formally approved Florida’s state hemp program, clearing the way for Florida growers to begin cultivating hemp later this month. Agriculture Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried, who will oversee Florida’s state hemp program through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), offered the following statement:

    “After months of incorporating feedback from the public, growers, and industry stakeholders, we are thrilled that Florida’s hemp industry officially begins now. I thank the USDA for their swift review and approval of our state hemp program. By working closely with our farmers, processors, retailers, and consumers, Florida’s state hemp program will become a model for the nation, will set a gold standard for this emerging industry, and will create billions in economic opportunity for Florida. As our economy deals with the impacts of COVID-19, this approval will give our agriculture industry a new alternative crop for many years to come.”

    Growing in Florida: With the state hemp program’s rules now filed for adoption and approved by USDA, FDACS will begin accepting applications to grow industrial hemp on April 27, the first day authorized under the state filing timeframe, online at FDACS.gov/Cannabis. More information about growing hemp in Florida may be found here.

    Commissioner Nikki Fried has been a consistent champion of Florida’s emerging hemp industry, appointing in 2019 the state’s first-ever Cannabis Director, hosting five workshops and public hearings across Florida on hemp state rulemaking, and working ahead of USDA to finalize rule development. Earlier this week, FDACS had submitted the state’s hemp program to USDA for review and final approval.

    Florida Department of Agriculture

  • Vidalia Onion Crop on the Smaller Size

    Photo courtesy of M & T Farms, Lyons, GA, and Vidalia Onions.com

    By Clint Thompson

    Bob Stafford, manager of the Vidalia Onion Committee in Vidalia, Georgia, believes weather during the growing season has impacted this year’s Vidalia onion crop.

    “We planted 9,373 acres and lost some to hail and we lost some to too much water. We had a bad growing season. We’ll have a good promotable supply, but they’ll be a little on the smaller size,” Stafford said. “We’ll have more mediums than normal. The consumers are still going to get a very good product.

    “Our crop is generally over 90% jumbos but this time we’re going to have a lot of large-mediums and small jumbos.”

    Today is the scheduled packing date for this year’s Vidalia crop. Stafford said the packing date is when you can start using the Vidalia Onion trademark, and it ensures the customers that the onions are mature.

    This is the second straight year there has been considerably less Vidalia acreage produced.

     “We started downsizing last year so we’ve planted the 9,300 acres for two years. We ordinarily go up to about 12,000 acres,” Stafford said. “What we decided to do, we wanted the same yield off of less acreage. We wind up every year selling between 5 and 7 billion bushels. We just want to get that many off of 9,000 acres. It’s all about yields per acre is what we’re after; higher yields, less acres.”

    Stafford is not worried about this year’s market for onions compared to how other commodity markets have dropped amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

    “(Florida produce farmers) grew a lot of product for schools and restaurants and so forth. When this pandemic closed them down those products were just left hanging. Our product, there’s been a world shortage of onions because since this pandemic, people are cooking at home and the onion being a staple for the cooking, it’s managed to keep up pretty well with the supply,” Stafford said. “It hasn’t affected us that much. It has affected us some but not as much as some other commodities.”

  • Managing Nematodes in Potatoes

    By Ashley Robinson

    There are a variety of nematodes that damage Florida potatoes. These plant-parasitic nematodes are small, microscopic roundworms that feed on plant tissue, causing severe damage to growers’ crops.

    Pictured are potatoes.

    To combat nematode populations, researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have been testing new nematicide products.

    ONGOING FIELD TRIALS

    Nematicide application is one of the main management strategies available to growers in potato production. Zane Grabau, assistant professor of nematology at UF, is one of the researchers experimenting with new nematicide products at the UF/IFAS Hastings Research Station.

    “Most of our nematode research continues to center on testing new nematicide products.  Growers rely heavily on a few nematicides, so new chemistries are always useful,” Grabau says.

    There are two field trials taking place at the research station, one of which is testing Nimitz, a newer, liquid nematicide that contains the active ingredient fluensulfone. According to Grabau, they have done a lot of work with Nimitz over the past few years.

    “Nimitz is a little bit different as it is a non-fumigant, so it’s put out as a liquid, making it a little bit easier for growers to work with,” Grabau says.

    Over the past three years of working with Nimitz, Grabau’s results showed that the nematicide performed at or near the level of the one most common fumigants, Telone II, for managing sting nematode. It’s one of the most problematic and common nematodes in the area.

    In addition, they’re also experimenting with Majestene, a bionematicide to control nematode populations. Majestene is a certified organic product, formulated of dead bacteria that produce chemicals toxic to nematodes. In terms of application, Majestene is very similar to a chemical nematicide as it is biologically based.

    “Since it’s our first year testing it, we don’t really have any data yet, but we’re hoping to be able to see how it performs. For this year, the way we’re looking at it is as a potential supplement to a fumigation application,” Grabau says.

    ADDITIONAL MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

    Although nematicide applications are the most effective way to manage nematodes, there are additional management strategies. Crop rotation of less susceptible crops, cultural and tillage practices, and use of nematode-free seed potatoes are additional strategies for growers to consider on top of nematicide applications.

    “One of the big things we encourage growers to do is to try and practice crop rotation when they can,” Grabau says. “This could either be with cash crops or cover crops. It’s just important that they are considered a poor host for nematodes or not a host at all.”

  • N.C. State Specialist: Bumper Crop in Strawberries This Year

    By Clint Thompson

    The country’s No. 3 state in strawberry production is expecting a “bumper crop” this year, according to Mark Hoffmann, North Carolina State small fruits Extension specialist.

    Basket with fresh strawberries isolated on white background.

    “If the weather holds up, it’s going to be one of the best strawberry years in a long time,” Hoffmann said. “It’s a bumper crop right now.”

    Hoffmann made the comments before Thursday when a cold front moved through the area. Up until this week, though, the weather had been ideal for strawberry production.

    “We had good weather. We had a relatively mild winter. We didn’t have a lot of frost going on, just a few events where we had to cover. We’ve had a pretty good year so far, for strawberries,” Hoffmann said.

    While the crop appears to be bountiful, there is some uncertainty regarding sale of fruits and vegetables amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Hoffmann appears confident his state’s strawberry producers will not have problems selling their crop.

    “With the whole COVID-19 situation, it’s very different right now. It looks like operations that can sell directly to customers, the direct-to-customer sales is something that’s picking up right now,” Hoffmann said. “Right now, I don’t think there’s a problem getting strawberries a home.”

    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.

    “It’s a great industry. I would say in the Southeast, it has a very good infrastructure. We have wholesalers and shippers. We have growers that have more than 100 acres. One has 150 acres of strawberries,” Hoffmann said. “I would estimate we have 300 to 400 growers in the state.”

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

  • DHS, USDA Move to Protect American Farmers and Ensure Continued Flow of Food Supply

    Department to Temporarily Amend Certain H-2A Requirements During COVID-19 National Emergency

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security, with the support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has announced a temporary final rule to change certain H-2A requirements to help U.S. agricultural employers avoid disruptions in lawful agricultural-related employment, protect the nation’s food supply chain and lessen impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.

    These temporary flexibilities will not weaken or eliminate protection for U.S. workers. Under this temporary final rule, an H-2A petitioner with a valid temporary labor certification who is concerned that workers will be unable to enter the country due to travel restrictions can start employing certain foreign workers who are currently in H-2A status in the U.S. immediately after United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) receives the H-2A petition but no earlier than the start date of employment listed on the petition.

    To take advantage of this time-limited change in regulatory requirements, the H-2A worker seeking to change employers must already be in the United States and in valid H-2A status.

    Additionally, USCIS is temporarily amending its regulations to protect the country’s food supply chain by allowing H-2A workers stay beyond the three-year maximum allowable period of stay in the U.S. These temporary changes will encourage and facilitate the continued lawful employment of foreign temporary and seasonal agricultural workers during the COVID-19 national emergency.

    Agricultural employers should utilize this streamlined process if they are concerned with their ability to bring in the temporary workers who were previously authorized to work for the employer in H-2A classification.

    At no point is it acceptable for employers to hire illegal aliens.

    This administration has determined that continued agricultural employment, currently threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, is vital to maintaining and securing the country’s critical food supply chain. The temporary changes announced by USCIS provide the needed stability during this unprecedented crisis,” said Chad F. Wolf, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security.

    For more information, see the USDA website.

  • UF Surveys to Identify Impact of Pandemic on Florida’s Agriculture Industry

    By Kirsten Romaguera, kromaguera@ufl.edu

    Florida Strawberry
    Vance Whitaker in a strawberry grove at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.
    Photo taken on 01-17-17.

    GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With agriculture and marine industries occupying a large portion of Florida’s economy, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) wants to better understand how measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are impacting these sectors.

    Starting today, faculty from the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics (FRE) department are deploying surveys to UF/IFAS Extension agents and industry professionals to capture this important information.

    “We strongly encourage all businesses in the agriculture and marine sectors to complete the survey,” said Christa Court, director of the Economic Impact Analysis Program, who is leading the effort along with fellow FRE assistant professors John Lai and Andrew Ropicki. “Broad participation from operations throughout the state involved in agricultural production, processing and transportation, as well as marine industries, will result in the most accurate picture of how this crisis is affecting these parts of the state economy.” 

    The Assessment of COVID-19 Impacts on Florida surveys are designed to encompass agricultural production, processing and transportation as well as several marine sectors. The five surveys cover:

    1. Agriculture and aquaculture production, processing and transportation (includes crop production, forestry/timber, nursery and greenhouse operations, agritourism, beekeeping, etc.)
    2. Commercial fishing
    3. Charter/For-hire operations
    4. Seafood wholesale dealers
    5. Marine recreation support businesses

    UF/IFAS faculty are familiar with the challenge of conducting such broad surveys. Similar surveys are typically deployed after weather-related events like hurricanes or winter freezes. In those cases, UF/IFAS Extension agents collect data to report back the situation in their respective areas.

    To capture the wide range of unique and far-reaching impacts caused by COVID-19, faculty have updated the survey instruments, further harmonizing that data collection process.

    The Assessment of COVID-19 Impacts on Florida surveys include background information about the business (operations, revenues, employment, and market channels); current status (open or closed, business changes if open, or reasons for closure if closed); impacts (change in revenues, employment, customer base, products/services offered); willingness to participate in potential follow up or similar surveys related to COVID-19 or other disasters. 

    The first round of surveys is scheduled to close May 15, although Court said there will likely be follow-up surveys conducted as the COVID-19 situation continues to develop.

    The surveys can be accessed at these links:

    Previous analyses for similar event impacts can be found at the Economic Impact Analysis Program website: fred.ifas.ufl.edu/economicimpactanalysis/. 

  • Georgia Peach Crop Primed for Success

    Pictured is a file photo of peaches that were harvested.

    By Clint Thompson

    Georgia’s peach crop is primed for a productive season. Hopefully, the market will oblige, says Dario Chavez, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension peach specialist.

    “We think, in general, the majority of the varieties did have enough chill (hours). The ones that we think may have some issues with chill are the later varieties, the higher-chill varieties. We really didn’t get a freeze this year for peaches. That’s different from previous years,” Chavez said. “Overall, I have been looking at the plants and I see good fruit growing from the early varieties. The late varieties are still a little too early because the fruit is just starting to swell”.

    “A variety for example like Julyprince that is a popular variety in Georgia and South Carolina, it’s looking very nice. We have a block of Flavorich, one of the first varieties that come in May, it has a nice crop, too.”

    Georgia is one of the top peach-producing states in the country. According to UGA Extension, Georgia produces more than 130 million pounds of peaches every year. There are two commercial peach-growing regions in Georgia. The central region is the largest with about 1.6 million peach trees, which comprises 75% of the state’s production. The southern region produces about 30 million pounds of peaches annually.

    While this year’s crop provides peach growers a sense of optimism with a little more than a month away from harvest, there is uncertainty regarding how the peaches will fare in the current market. Many fruit and vegetable markets are struggling right now amid the coronavirus pandemic. Chavez is hopeful that won’t be the case for his peach producers.

    “Sadly, with all of this situation with the virus, we hope the market doesn’t get spooked or anything like that because we’re seeing a good crop right now,” Chavez said.

    Chavez said in his blog in mid-February that if growers expect to have a potentially good crop, varieties must meet certain chill portions at a minimum by Feb. 15. He said middle Georgia was close to 50 chill portions. This means that, overall, conditions are like last season.

    • 650 chill hours need ~ 30-35 Chill portions
    • 750 chill hours need ~ 35-40 Chill portions
    • 800 chill hours need ~ 40-45 Chill portions
    • 850 chill hours need ~ 45-50 Chill portions
    • 950 chill hours need ~ 50-55 Chill portions

    Chavez emphasized in his blog that if a specific variety from last season had issues during bloom (either delayed or extended), because of weather conditions, then it’s more than likely going to be a similar situation this year.

  • UF/IFAS Extension Agent Emeritus Defends Florida Farmers

    By Clint Thompson

    Gene McAvoy

    Already a difficult production season for Florida’s fruit and vegetable producers, some are unjustly being criticized for trying to manipulate the market and get government handouts, says Gene McAvoy, UF/IFAS Extension agent emeritus.

    He defended growers and their farming operations amid scrutiny about criticism for not being more gracious with their crop.

    “It is a very complex and tragic situation.  It is easy to make suggestions without a thorough understanding of the matter,” McAvoy said. “What many people fail to realize is that picking, packing, cooling, storing and transporting vegetables costs money, and growers who have already lost millions of dollars are understandably reluctant to throw good money after bad.”

    Many farmers have had to disk their produce in the field because markets have dried up due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. McAvoy said the collapse of the food service sector affects 60% to 80% of fresh vegetables produced in Florida.

    “Not only can’t they afford to harvest the crop, they can’t afford to maintain it irrigate, fertilize, and spray for pest and diseases. Without these inputs, crops rapidly deteriorate and become a breeding ground for insects and diseases and threaten the small percentage of nearby crops for which a market remains,” McAvoy said. “Destruction of the crop prevents this from happening and protects the remaining fields.

    McAvoy pointed out that many farmers have donated to local food banks and Meals on Wheels programs. They have been overwhelmed with demand due to a rise in unemployment. Here are a few examples:

    • Over the past few weeks, Wish Farms in Hillsborough County, Florida has donated 220,000 pounds of fresh strawberries — equivalent to 241 pallets/nine semi-trailer loads — to feeding Tampa Bay and the United Food Bank in Plant City, Florida.
    • Growers in Immokalee, Florida donated more than 3 million pounds of vegetables to the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, “overwhelming their ability to store, transport and distribute the produce,” McAvoy said.
    • Farm Share, a food-distribution non-profit organization, works with more than 2,000 food pantries, churches, schools and other nonprofits throughout Florida. The agency is running at maximum capacity, despite having 25 refrigerated trucks, six warehouses between 10,000 and 35,000 square feet and nearly 50 drop-sites from Jacksonville to Florida City, Florida.
    • Pacific Tomato Growers recently donated 42,000 pounds of tomatoes to Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, helping supply 100 food pantries and agencies,
    • DiMare Farms donated 400,000 pounds of tomatoes to Florida food banks
    • U.S. Sugar provided more than 120,000 servings of fresh, locally-grown green beans to South Florida churches, healthcare providers and food banks. 
    • RC Hatton has been a generous donor of green beans, sweet corn, and other crops to Feeding South Florida

    “Very few people comprehend the quantities of food we are dealing with, this time of year at the peak of harvest. Growers in South Florida collectively ship 50 to 60 million pounds of vegetables across the country,” McAvoy said. “With the closure of hotels, restaurants, schools and cruise ships, sales have declined as much as 80%.”

    Vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers and squash are highly perishable with a shelf life of only 7 to 10 days under ideal conditions. Heading into the fourth week of this crisis, much of what was in the field is ruined.

    “Farmers work hard to grow this food, putting in a lot of time, money and sweat equity. Nothing breaks their hearts more than to see their efforts go to waste,” McAvoy said. “If people really want to help, they can help in the recovery effort through cash donations to food banks so that they can finance efforts to recover this food before it spoils.”