“We are so excited to announce Bay and Lake Pharmacy as our first pharmacy partner,” stated Jammie Treadwell, co-owner of Treadwell Farms. “They truly care about the community and the people who live here. By carrying our Treadwell Farms hemp CBD extract product line, they will make a lasting impact on those who are looking for a more natural option for their body’s wellbeing.”
Treadwell Farms officially launched the first of its CBD product line in May 2020, in tandem with the announcement of receiving one of the first hemp cultivation licenses in Florida. After receiving its food permit in February 2020, the company was able to process the first of its high potency, artisanal CBD line – 1200mg bottles of Essential Blend Hemp CBD Extract Oil and Citrus Spice Hemp CBD Extract Oil. Both are infused with organic MCT oil and Sunflower Lecithin. The Citrus Spice Extract also contains organic Orange, Cinnamon, Turmeric and Ginger.
“We are excited to be working with a locally-owned CBD company who’s embodies high quality and production of its products,” said Gordon Punt, registered pharmacist for Bay Pharmacy. “Treadwell Farms high potency CBD, combined with essential oils, provide a unique product to offer our patients. Supporting local businesses is important to us, especially supporting our local farmers. We’re looking forward to a successful future – together – with Treadwell Farms.”
All the Treadwell Farms CBD Hemp Extract tincture droppers come with .25mL, .50mL, .75mL, and 1mL measurements to help manage dosage intake. “We approach our products with purposeful intent – especially for the clients of our trusted partners like Bay and Lake Pharmacy,” said Jammie Treadwell, co-owner of Treadwell Farms. “Each bottle contains 1200mg of CBD, and that’s a beautiful thing because it means you’re receiving high potency, high-quality CBD oil every time. It’s also by design because it makes dosing easy – 10mg per quarter dropper.”
All Treadwell Farms products are produced in the company’s processing facility in Umatilla, Fla. The company’s ultimate plan is to be a cultivator of the hemp industry for the region by advising local farmers through the planting, harvesting, and processing of the plants, and then ultimately extracting the cannabinoids (CANNA-BIN-OIDS), including CBD, from Florida-grown hemp plants for packaging and sale.
For more information about Treadwell Farms, visit www.TreadwellFarms.com. Follow the Treadwell Farms blog, which provides insightful information about CBD and the hemp plant – amongst other details throughout the year. Follow on Facebook and Instagram at Treadwell Farms.
The nation’s essential agricultural industry has worked relentlessly through the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure food is put on the tables of American families. Agricultural employers recognize that the health and safety of their employees are imperative to the success of their operations. These employers also recognize consumer demand for fresh, safe and nutritious produce. For years, agricultural employers have adhered to strict policies assuring the health, hygiene and safety of their employees. Now, these employers have implemented even more protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 46th annual Agricultural Labor Relations Forum presented by the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation, Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE), spoke about essential protections for agricultural workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marsh says growers have been doing a great job following the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines for agricultural workers by promoting safety on and off the farm.
Across the agriculture sector, employers have instituted best practices including social distancing, enhanced hygiene and sanitation stations and procedures, special COVID-19 employee training, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and limitation of non-essential visits and travel.
In addition to following CDC guidelines, industry members are also calling for the federal government to take additional steps and devote new resources to help growers protect their employees.
Alternative housing structures to facilitate greater social distancing, accessible and timely COVID-19 testing resources, and prioritizing PPE and future vaccine distribution for the food and fiber supply chain are among the list of items that the agriculture industry would like to see addressed.
Since hotels aren’t always available in rural communities, housing with more rooms and more beds would allow for additional social distancing among employers.
The NCAE published a frequently asked questions document for H-2A employers regarding COVID-19 issues. See the document.
Ashley Robinson, AgNet Media communications intern, wrote this article.
According to the UGA Extension blog, Pam Knox, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agricultural Climatologist, said the impacts for the Southeast from soon-to-be Hurricane Delta remain the same, with the biggest effects in Alabama, western Georgia and western end of the Florida Panhandle.
A stronger storm means that storm surge along the coast is likely to be higher than it would be if the storm were weaker. By the time it makes landfall Friday night, it should be moving pretty good, which will reduce the amount of rainfall at any one location. You can get updated information from the National Hurricane Center.
Delta developed six weeks earlier than the only other time we have had a storm Delta back in 2005, another very active year.
Early results on low-chill varieties are expected next year from an olive research grove in Hardee County.
By Michael O’Hara Garcia
With weather and soils similar to the Mediterranean Basin, olives grow in Florida and throughout much of the southeastern United States.
Currently, Florida has approximately 800 acres of olives under active cultivation by 60 to 80 individual farmers in 20 counties. The groves range from backyard hobby plots with several trees to high-density commercial operations of 100 or more acres.
There are two modern olive mills, and several Florida nurseries propagate olive trees for fruit and ornamental purposes. A few miles over the Florida line, the Swiss agricultural management firm, Agrigrada, operates a 4,000-acre olive grove near Colquitt, Georgia, and a 300-acre olive grove and a modern olive mill serving growers near Valdosta, Georgia.
PRODUCTION AND VALUE
Thought to originate in the Fertile Crescent (Syria, Iraq and Iran), olive is the world’s oldest known continuously cultivated crop. For thousands of years, olives were gathered in the wild. The oil was crudely extracted by crushing fruit between stones and sieving or straining the pulp. Today, olive oil is a major commodity traded throughout the world and prized for its gastronomic and heart-healthy characteristics.
Michael O’Hara Garcia (left) and Don Mueller show off freshly harvested olives at Greengate Olive Grove in the Florida Panhandle.
Spain is by far the largest producer of olive oil, followed by Italy and Greece. In the United States, olives are commercially grown in California, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Arizona, Georgia and Florida. There are hobby and experimental olive plantings in Louisiana and Alabama.
The United States consumes 80 to 90 million gallons of olive oil per year or about 1 liter per person. Domestic farmers, going at full throttle, produced less than 5 percent of total annual consumption.
European Union market data from 2019 reveal 1 liter of olive oil sells for $5.56 or $21 per gallon. California Olive Ranch, the largest U.S. producer, retails 1 gallon of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) for $67.36.
Organic certification brings even higher prices. Braggs organic EVOO (imported from Greece), sells for $70 per gallon. Apollo, a top California producer, retails its Mistral and Sierra organic blends for the equivalent of around $200 per gallon. Mistral oil is based on the Ascolana, an olive variety currently producing at Greengate Olive Grove near Marianna in the Florida Panhandle.
NEED FOR RESEARCH
Although the olive grows in Florida, it has been considered more of a curiosity than a commercial crop. While the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and Florida A&M University have olive observation plots, and agribusiness giants like Mosaic and Lykes Brothers have small experimental groves, little formal research on Florida olive cultivation is available to support industry development.
Bill Lambert shows an olive graft in a Hardee County research plot that includes 45 olive varieties under trial.
With the notable exception of work by the UF/IFAS Department of Entomology and Nematology, most information on the UF/IFAS Extension website dates from 2012 and is focused on California olive research and production. The Texas A&M University website provides significantly more information on growing olives in the Southeast.
The Florida Olive Council, a non-profit grower organization, conducts some research, and the Hardee County Industrial Development Authority has several thousand olive trees at its research facility near Wauchula, Florida.
Erroneously, some fear Florida’s humidity harms olive pollination, summer storms damage the olive crop, or disease prohibits profitable cultivation. While extreme weather impacts all crops, UF/IFAS researchers determined principal pests and diseases like olive fly, olive knot and peacock spot are not found in Florida.
The main problem cultivating olives for commercial purposes in Florida is the availability of varieties adapted to lower latitudes where there is less winter chill. Olive varieties (Arbequina, Koroneiki, Manzanilla, etc.) commonly used in commercial operations are native to northern Mediterranean countries like Spain, Italy and Greece (38° to 41° north latitude), where 300 to 400 hours of winter chilling are common. Olives must accumulate enough chill hours between November and March to bloom. A chill hour is one hour between 32 and 45° F.
While northern Mediterranean varieties grow throughout Florida and reliably produce in the Panhandle, they rarely bloom and fruit south of Interstate 4 (27° north latitude).
As Florida searches for a solution to citrus greening, many acres below Interstate 4 are fallow, and farmers need an alternative crop to augment citrus. New crop ideas like industrial hemp are popular, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests returns on industrial hemp are between $116 to $475 per acre compared with Florida citrus at $2,800 per acre and California olives at $2,688 per acre.
Responding to the need for olive research, the Hardee County Industrial Development Authority enlisted the support of the Florida Olive Council and UF/IFAS to begin research developing a market-viable, “low-chill” olive for southern Florida.
After installing several thousand mature olive trees on an old citrus grove, the Hardee County researchers secured 45 olive varieties from the USDA olive germplasm in California. Varieties were selected based on geographic origin. The researchers wanted olives adapted to areas around 27° north latitude.
100-year-old olive trees are growing in Ruskin, Florida.
In June 2018, the Hardee research team grafted 45 varieties from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel and several countries in the southern hemisphere (Chile, Peru, Argentina and southern Australia) onto mature olive trees at the 20-acre Hardee County research farm near Wauchula, Florida.
Bill Lambert, executive director of the Hardee County Economic Development Council, hopes to see some early results next year. “It takes at least three years for the grafts to mature enough to bloom, so we expect to start looking for our low-chill candidates next year,” Lambert said.
In addition to the grafting experiment, Lambert is in discussions with UF/IFAS to explore developing a low-chill variety using a new gene-editing process called CRISPR-Cas9.
Kevin Folta, a noted UF/IFAS genetic scientist, has begun basic research. He hopes to get the program fully funded soon. “The science is there, we just need to get to work,” he said.
The greatest risk of whiteflies to fall vegetable production are the viruses they can transmit, according to Meade McDonald, Syngenta Insecticide Product Lead. That’s why growers need to utilize every weapon in the arsenal this year to combat a threat that is reaching its highest infestations since 2017.
“Using multiple modes of action and using as many tools that are available to the grower in his toolbox is really important to prevent tolerance and resistance from manifesting to these pests,” McDonald said.
Virus Vectors
Whiteflies can transmit the cucurbit leaf crumple virus and cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus. According to University of Georgia crop loss estimates for fall 2017, these viruses caused between 30% and 50% of crop loss in squash and cucumbers and nearly 80% of crop loss in snap beans.
“This is a difficult to manage pest. Growers need as many tools as possible to control this pest. Controlling whiteflies is what I would call, it requires a programmed approach. There’s no one single crop protection product that a grower can use and deploy and have successful whitefly control. It’s going to take multiple modes of actions, multiple sprays,” McDonald said.
“I think growers in the Southeast are using a soil-applied insecticide; whether it be a neonic or a diamide, it is a great way to start the season strong and keep populations low. That has to be followed by timely in-season foliar applications of products like IGRs or a foliar diamide. Minecto Pro is one of our new products. It’s a great alternative to soil applied neonics.”
McDonald said a soil application is best followed by multiple foliar applications on 7 to 10-day intervals. That is what it is going to take to keep populations low and prevent viral transmission.
Environment Conducive to Whiteflies
Southeast growers can produce a spring and fall crop thanks to an environment that’s conducive to growing crops year-round. However, that makes certain cucurbits like squash especially vulnerable to whitefly pressure.
When temperatures don’t get cold enough to kill off the wild hosts, as was the case this past winter; then whitefly infestations are primed to be high and out of control earlier than normal.
“When you think about fall vegetable production in the Southeastern United States, when growers go in and plant fall vegetable crops, they’ve really got to be concerned about whiteflies. They’ve got to be ready to anticipate and be proactive,” McDonald said.
“The environment, simply in the Southeastern United States for the pest to manifest and for populations to build is just simply ideal. You’ve got ideal host crops almost year-round for whitefly populations not only to survive but thrive. We know these late summer, early fall temperatures enable that life cycle to speed up and populations can really be explosive this time of year, especially.”
Clemson Extension agents provided updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state.
Weekly Field Update 10-5-20
Coastal
Zack Snipes reports, “The cooler weather and lots of rain have brought out the diseases. I saw some watermelon diseases last week including gummy stem blight. We need to protect our foliage just a few more weeks to finish off those melons so keep at the spray programs if you can. Whiteflies continue to hammer us in all crops this fall. Strawberry planting is just about upon us. Rains and wet ground have slowed some farms from laying plastic. Remember that pre-plant fertility and herbicides are critical to spring success. Spartan and Devrinol are the only two pre-plant herbicide options this late in the season. Other products require a 30-day wait period. Let me know if you want me to come check your strawberry plugs before you plant them.”
Gummy stem blight on watermelon foliage. Photo from Zack Snipes.
Rob Last reports, “Fall crops are looking good in this area with good development in brassicas and beets. Insect and disease activity remain moderate, however, with cooler weathers and rainfall, scouting will be critical to success for these crops. Adult moths are very active at present, so be on the lookout for eggs and caterpillars. Plastic is down and awaiting strawberry planting in the next week.”
Growers are ready for strawberry planting. Photo from Rob Last.
Midlands
Justin Ballew reports, “The weather has been pretty fall-like and enjoyable over the last week. The cooler temperatures and high amounts of recent moisture have diseases like powdery mildew, downy mildew and anthracnose increasing. Caterpillar activity has increased in the last week as well. Be sure to rotate modes of action when spraying for caterpillars. Strawberry growers are ready to plant and will probably start within the next week.”
Powdery mildew has been picking up on fall cucurbit crops. Photo from Justin Ballew.
Sarah Scott reports, “Daytime temperatures have been mild with cooler night temps. Early last week, areas saw anywhere from trace amounts to 2 inches of rain. Low spots in fields may remain wet and this could lead to potential problems. Peppers are looking good as well as eggplant and late squash. Brassica crops are having some issues with aphids causing leaf curling. Pecans are beginning to fall as well. Scab seems to be particularly bad this year, most likely because of wet weather during critical spray times for fungal management in late June and July.
Pecan scab has been rough this season. Photo from Sarah Scott.
Pee Dee
Tony Melton reports, “Greens are growing fast with cool temperatures; however, beans, peas, pickles and sweet potatoes have slowed down with these temperatures. Most sweet potatoes need to find a home. We are using a lot of potassium phosphide to keep down root rot especially on greens. Most growers also use it as a dip for strawberries transplants or put through drip system as soon as they plant. Getting ready to plant strawberries as soon as the transplants get here.”
Upstate
Kerrie Roach reports, “Clear skies since Tuesday with cool fall temperatures at night and warm days has consumers looking for all things fall. Growers with pumpkins, gourds, mums, corns stalks, and/or anything fall-related have been busy keeping up with demand. Agritourism demand/opportunities have picked up significantly in the last few weeks. Apples are in peak season with Stayman being one of the current varieties available.”
Andy Rollins reports, “Upstate peaches are finished up for the year, but muscadines are still being harvested, although slowing some and strawberry planting is in full swing. I was called to examine poorly growing peach trees at an upstate farm. The majority of trees were dying from the most devastating disease of peach ‘Oak Root Rot.’ There was gumming at the base and I was fully expecting a greater peach tree borer problem but closer examination and cutting of the below ground bark revealed the Oak Root Rot fungus growing at the base of the trees. When pushing your older peach trees up be sure to examine the main roots for the sign of this disease which is the white to yellowish fungal growth deep inside of the bark below the soil level. There are a few other fungi that can have a similar symptom but they tend to grow just on dead tissue and don’t grow as deep into the wood of the tree. There are some things you can do about it, but proper identification comes first.”
Gumming and yellowish white fungal growth at the base of a peach tree from oak root rot. Photo from Andy Rollins.Poor tree growth as the result of oak root rot. Photo from Andy Rollins.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture Produce Safety Team is offering a virtual two-day Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training via Zoom on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 from 8 a.m.-noon.
Any produce grower who grows, packs, harvests and/or holds covered produce, makes more than $25,000 in annual produce sales (on average, based on the past three years of sales), and does not qualify for a Produce Safety Rule exemption is required to attend this training under new federal regulations.
This PSA Grower Training course satisfies the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in §112.22(c), which requires ‘At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.’
A new report covers the increasing popularity of e-commerce and the unprecedented rise of in-home consumption triggered by COVID-19, including the continued growth of fresh fruit and vegetable sales.
Pictured is the strawberry cultivar, Keepsake.
United Fresh Produce Association released its Q2 2020 issue of FreshFacts on Retail this week. The report measures retail price and sales trends for the top 10 fruit and vegetable commodities and other value-added produce categories. The report says growth continues in fruit and vegetables as sales surge across categories driven by consumers seeking versatile cooking and salad staples for home meal preparation, and healthy home snack options.
Meanwhile, packaged salads are a top-selling organic produce commodity, followed by apples and strawberries. Consumer response to value-added fruit remains muted, while value-added vegetable sales grew. Products typically consumed in group settings declined, while products that are more challenging for consumers to handle and prepare at home drove consumer interest.
(From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)
UGA photo/Symptoms of Alternaria leaf blight first appear on older leaves as small, dark spots that gradually enlarge with concentric rings. Brassica crops, including broccoli, collard and kale, are all susceptible to this plant disease.
By Josh Paine for UGA CAES News
A new multistate project will bring together researchers from the University of Georgia and partner universities to fight Alternaria leaf blight and head rot in broccoli, a plant disease that thrives in warm temperatures and humidity.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded a $2.7 million Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grant to UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty to study the Alternaria pathogens’ biology, population structure and fungicide resistance.
Due to developing fungicide resistance, Alternaria blight and head rot have severely impacted brassica production, according to Bhabesh Dutta, an associate professor of plant pathology and UGA Cooperative Extension vegetable disease specialist who is leading the multistate project.
The team’s research will build on previous surveillance work done in finding fungicide alternatives. Previous efforts to limit losses in fields have not been successful, possibly as a result of recent shifts in pathogen population and increasing resistance against fungicides.
The disease is a long-term threat that affects all brassica crops, which include cabbage, collards, kale and mustard greens. The fungus causes water-soaked spots on the head of the vegetable and dark, sooty, circular spots whose centers can fall out, leaving a shot-hole appearance.
The team of research and extension faculty will work to triangulate the disease by characterizing the pathogen or pathogens, host and environment. They will also develop diagnostic tools for identifying Alternaria sp., screen commercial varieties, and evaluate production practices including nitrogen levels and irrigation, which is how the disease spreads. The team will use what it learns to conduct economic assessments.
“The ultimate goal is to give a practical management option to stakeholders, ultimately limiting losses to this disease,” said Dutta.
Broccoli is a high-value crop that can be affected by a number of diseases. Head rot has been a particular concern in Georgia since late 2015, but it has been reported up the East Coast since 2013. Economic losses of up to 20% have been reported in some cases.
“Growers tend to overuse fungicides that are effective and, more often, that leads to the development of resistance,” explained Dutta. “Efforts to limit losses in fields and storage have not been successful, likely due to recent shifts in pathogen population and potential resistance development to ‘Quinone outside inhibitor (QoI)’ fungicides. This project will aid in developing molecular diagnostic tools for detecting QoI resistance in Alternaria, understanding the population structure of the pathogens, and developing management strategies that will reduce losses in broccoli across the production chain, maximizing productivity and profitability.”
Other UGA faculty members working on the grant are Pingsheng Ji, professor of vegetable diseases and applied microbiology; Andre da Silva, assistant professor of horticulture and Extension vegetable specialist; Tim Coolong, professor of horticulture; and Greg Colson, associate professor of agricultural and applied economics. Researchers from Virginia Tech, Cornell University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln will collaborate with the group.
An advisory panel of industry professionals, growers and other experts will provide guidance to the project, reinforcing the Eastern U.S. brassica industry as a team.
The production of brassica crops is a profitable industry for Georgia farmers. According to the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, the state farm gate value for cabbage alone was nearly $42 million in 2018. Colquitt County is the largest producer of brassicas in the state, followed by nearby counties including Thomas, Grady, Echols and Tift.
For more information on the UGA Department of Plant Pathology, visit plantpath.caes.uga.edu.
MAITLAND, Fla. (Oct. 2, 2020) – The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association has named Aaron Troyer, president of Troyer Brothers in Fort Myers, as its chair for 2020-22. David Hill, president of Southern Hill Farms in Clermont, was named vice chair.
In addition, FFVA members voted to appoint three new directors to the board: Jon Esformes of Pacific Tomato Growers, Chris Moore of Alico Inc., and Ron Mahan of Tamiami Citrus. The appointments were made at the association’s board of directors and annual membership meetings on Sept. 29.
Troyer, who served as the board vice chair for the past two years, said his mission will be to “protect and defend Florida specialty crop agriculture” and to continue work on pandemic-related issues as well as trade relief measures to remedy harm suffered by producers from unfair Mexican trade policies and practices. He praised outgoing Chair Paul Allen of R.C. Hatton in Belle Glade for his service and for presiding during the extreme challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
FFVA President Mike Joyner said, “Aaron Troyer is an outstanding leader and will do an excellent job guiding FFVA over the next two years as we continue our very important work on trade, workforce, legislation and other issues.”
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association is a full-service organization serving Florida’s grower-shipper community since 1943. FFVA represents a broad range of crops: vegetables, citrus, tropical fruit, berries, sod, sugarcane, tree crops and more. Its mission is to enhance the business and competitive environment for producing and marketing fruits, vegetables and other crops. Follow FFVA on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
