AgNet DEMO

Category: Vegetables

  • Georgia Peanut Commission Adding Own Flavor to Farmer’s Produce Boxes

    By Clint Thompson

    The Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) is adding its own flavor to produce boxes being sold this week by Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, Georgia.

    For the second straight week, Lewis Taylor Farms is selling boxed produce to consumers in South Georgia. The orders of self-quarantine amid the current coronavirus pandemic means there’s a lack of a foodservice market. This has led to a sharp decline in demand for fresh fruits and vegetables. These include those grown at Lewis Taylor Farms.

    Last week’s produce box at Lewis Taylor Farms.

    Don Koehler, GPC executive director, said the commission donated four packs of peanuts and recipes to be included in this week’s box. This allows consumers to cook quesadillas and stir fry as well as blueberry crisps with items they purchased from Lewis Taylor Farms.

    “The things all of those recipes have in common, besides having produce out of that box, was that the fact we had peanuts and peanut butter in them,” Koehler said. “In a stir fry, you think about it, a lot of oriental food has some kind of nuts in it. Peanuts are pretty common in those places. That was about 20 minutes from the refrigerator to the plate to do that whole stir fry.”

    Koehler said the recipes are simple with common ingredients that most everyone will already have in their kitchens.

    “The thing that we know is, the folks that get that box are going to their kitchen to cook. If we can get them to think about using peanuts as an ingredient, then it’s a win for all of us,” Koehler said.

    This Week’s Produce Box

    This week’s box will feature turnips, broccoli, yellow squash, onion, blueberries and cabbage.

    Last week, Lewis Taylor Farms offered collard, kale, zucchini, onion, strawberries and broccoli. People drive to Lewis Taylor Farms on Wednesday and receive their produce without getting out of their car.

    Once they’re ready for harvest, watermelon, cantaloupe, eggplant, cucumber and bell pepper could be included as well.

    Lewis Taylor Farms grows more than 6,500 acres of produce each year.

  • Alabama Farmer: I Think Everybody’s Eyes Have Been Opened

    Fresh market produce for sale.

    By Clint Thompson

    Alabama fruit and vegetable farmer John Aplin has experienced a 500% increase in his strawberry customers this year. He believes it’s due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its effect on people’s buying habits.

    “I know that we all didn’t get a 300, 400 or 500% increase in people who buy fresh fruits and vegetables this year,” said Aplin, who farms in Geneva County. “The virus does not affect our foods, but it is affecting the way people are buying food. I think after all of this is over with, we’re going to see a big difference in the way people are buying food. People are going back to, I don’t know, the 70s and 80s styles of buying food. Folks are beginning to talk about canning and preserving food.”

    Apling has already started harvesting his first variety of peaches, which are three weeks early. Tomatoes are also early this year and expected to be ready in two to three weeks. He’s hoping other crops will soon be ready as well.

    “Folks come to buy one thing. If we don’t have it, they buy something else,” Aplin said.

    “I think everybody’s eyes have been opened. Something could happen and you might need to be storing up for the winter. You might need to be saving a little bit of money instead of spending it all and living paycheck to paycheck. I think when it’s all over with, you’re going to see a huge change in people buying local. You can tell just by talking to customers, that they are even more concerned about where their food comes from. How many hands have touched their food before they put it on their plate?

    “I think that’s everybody’s mindset right now. They’re wanting something close by where they know where it came from.”

  • Florida Department of Agriculture Awarded $850,000 in USDA Research Funding

    Tallahassee, Fla. – On Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced $9.5 million in funding to 11 collaborative, multi-state projects that seek to boost the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) was awarded $850,816 to support research related to improvements in lettuce resistance to Bacterial Leaf Spot (BLS), funded through the Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP).

    commissioner
    Nikki Fried
    Florida Agriculture Commissioner

    “As the nation’s second-largest producer of specialty crops with a year-round growing season, Florida is an ideal environment for agricultural research and innovation,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “This funding is particularly important with Florida-grown lettuce facing losses up to 75 percent due to COVID-19. We look forward to working with state and federal partners to eradicate pathogens and diseases that threaten our valued agriculture commodities.”

    The full list of grant recipients and projects may be viewed here.

    U.S. lettuce production is estimated at nearly $1.9 billion, making lettuce one of the leading vegetable crops in the nation. The funding awarded to FDACS is in partnership with the University of Florida, the Pennsylvania State University, and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. The research will study disease resistance and diversity to improve lettuce cultivars against BLS through breeding, genetics, and study of the BLS-lettuce interaction.

    The USDA Specialty Crop Multi-State Program (SCMP) offers grants to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops by funding collaborative, multi-state projects that address the following regional or national level specialty crop issues: food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion.

  • Specialty-Type Melons Under the Microscope in Alabama

    A honeydew growing in a field in this file photo.

    By Clint Thompson

    Alabama produce farmers may soon have more options to choose from. This is due to ongoing research from Alabama Extension vegetable specialist Joe Kemble.

    Kemble is researching a melon trial this year that encompasses everything but watermelons and cantaloupes. It’s an expansion upon last year’s trial. He hopes to present relevant date at the annual Fruit and Vegetable Conference in November.

    “I’m doing a larger scale this year just to provide a lot more detailed information and provide growers with an option. Cantaloupes are good but we can also do honeydews and crenshaws and some of these other types of melons as well,” Kemble said. “The seed companies over the last dozen years have come up with a lot of improved varieties. In Alabama or in the Southeast in general, they tend to be challenging crops to grow because most of them don’t have a lot of disease resistance. But companies are spending a lot more effort developing varieties that perform better in the Southeast. I’m looking at adaptability and all things associated with fruit quality.”

    Local Markets

    These type of specialty melons should sell well in Alabama as well. The state’s produce farmers market their crops mainly to farmers markets and roadside produce stands.

    “It’s not the type of things you’re going to be growing lots of. Some of them, frankly, their shelf life is not good enough to take them and ship them. It’s going to be for local consumption,” Kemble said. “We’ve got a lot of farmers’ markets in Alabama, roadside markets and (Community Supported Agriculture) CSAs. I think some of these specialty type melons could fit in pretty well with those types of production.”

    Kemble’s second year of research features 20-plus varieties at two locations and will be replicated.

    “I’ll be collecting a lot of very detailed data to use for growers meetings,” Kemble said.

  • UGA Extension, Georgia Department of Agriculture seek to help farmers get produce to public

    University of Georgia/Georgia producers eager to sell fresh produce are being connected with buyers who need their products through UGA Extension partnership with Georgia Grown.

    By Maria M. Lameiras for CAES News

    Georgia farmers and agricultural producers eager to sell fresh produce and other products are being connected with consumers and other buyers who need their products through a new partnership between University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Georgia Grown program.

    Because of disruptions to the industry triggered by the COVID-19 crisis, many agricultural producers in Georgia — particularly smaller growers and producers — are experiencing difficulties getting their products out to those who can use them.

    Through its Georgia Grown Ag-products Industry Promotion and E-commerce Promotion programs, Georgia Grown — a state membership program designed to help agribusinesses thrive by bringing producers, processors, suppliers, distributors, retailers, agritourism and consumers together — will waive all membership fees for the service until July to help producers affected by the crisis.

    “The first step is facilitating connections between consumers and growers. There are many people who are looking for fresh produce and cannot find it, and we have producers who have produce and cannot sell it,” said Laura Perry Johnson, associate dean for Extension at UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

    Types of Products

    Types of agricultural products that qualify for the program include everything from vegetables, fruits and other produce. Also included are seafood, meats, dairy, poultry products and any other agriculture-related products, such as honey and prepared foods.

    “We are getting a lot of interest from many types of buyers, including consumer, wholesale, food banks and some restaurants,” said Matthew Kulinski, deputy marketing director for Georgia Grown. “This is a good way for producers who normally sell to restaurants to have a new outlet for their produce.”

    Georgia farmers who are keeping regular hours, providing curbside pickup, home delivery or e-commerce sales during the COVID-19 crisis can join the programs. They can visit the Georgia Grown Ag-Products Industry Promotion or Georgia Grown E-Commerce Promotion pages and fill out forms that will add their information to a statewide database of producers. It will be shared with consumers and buyers.  

    UGA Extension will support the program through its network of county agents and specialists throughout the state.

    “This is a grassroots effort that starts with all of our Extension agents, specialists and coordinators who have the relationships with these growers, producers and farmers,” said Johnson. “We are working on several different ways to get this information out to producers and consumers, including our Extension website emergency resources page and through traditional and social media. Together we can make this into something that will not only help agriculture in Georgia but the people who need access to fresh food as well.”

    Georgia Grown also provides a Pick your Own list of all producers who offer that option on their farms. This is for consumers who are interested in picking their own produce.

    View the list of farms and markets by county at extension.uga.edu/ag-products-connection. 

  • North Carolina Extension Seeks Help With Survey

    town hall

    North Carolina Cooperative Extension seeks help from farmers with a short survey. As producers fill out the survey, it will help Extension assess the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the specialty crop (fruit and vegetable) and agritourism industry in North Carolina. The survey will help shape Extension’s response.

    N.C. State IRB approved the survey. Also, Extension specialists in the Department of Horticultural Science at N.C. State University conducted the survey. It is done in collaboration with the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and the N.C. State Local Foods Initiative.

    Extension asks that all farmers fill out this voluntary and anonymous survey. It will be open from April 23 through May 7.

    In a previous story ran in VSCNews, Chris Gunter, an N.C. State Extension specialist, reported that the vegetable crop in North Carolina looks “fabulous” so far.

    Mark Hoffmann, North Carolina State small fruits Extension specialist, also reported that he expects a bumper crop this year. Hoffmann is optimistic that 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.”

  • Georgia Farmer Thinking Inside the Box

    Workers at Lewis Taylor Farms pack boxes with fresh produce.

    By Clint Thompson

    One South Georgia farmer is thinking inside the box when it comes to moving this year’s fruit and vegetable crop.

    Like his brethren in Florida, Bill Brim’s farming operation has been impacted by the orders of self-quarantine amid the current coronavirus pandemic. The lack of a foodservice market led to a sharp decline in demand for fresh produce including those grown at Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, Georgia, where Brim is a co-owner.

    With excess fruit and vegetables, Brim decided to offer boxed fruit to consumers in the South Georgia area. Brim was overwhelmed by the response last week.

    “We just started last week. We did like 350, I think. Next week we’ve already got over 700,” Brim said. “It’s crazy. We could wind up with 1,000 before it’s over with. We’re looking forward to it because we need to move some produce. We’re so far down on greens and stuff like this. Our revenue stream has come to nothing because of the coronavirus.”

    What’s offered?

    Last week, Brim offered collard, kale, zucchini, onion, strawberries and broccoli. People drove to Lewis Taylor Farms on Wednesday and received their produce without getting out of their car.

    Fresh produce in a box ready to be sold in Tifton, Georgia.

    “They lined up out here. We had masks on and gloves on and toted it to the car. They dropped a $20 bill into a box and kept going,” Brim said. “It makes you feel good to know that people in this country are like that. But everybody wants fresh produce, too, and this is a good way for them to get it.

    “We’re just trying to generate some income because we’re so way down.”

    Brim said this marketing outlet is not set up for all farming operations. It is hard to capitalize on unless you are big enough and have got enough product and different kinds of products. This week’s box will feature turnips, broccoli, yellow squash, onion, blueberries and cabbage.

    Brim is not a blueberry farmer, but he is a staunch supporter of other growers like himself. He buys blueberries from another producer in Lakeland, Georgia.

    “We like to use all of our product, but you’ve got to change it up a little bit,” Brim said.

    Watermelon, cantaloupe, eggplant, cucumber and bell pepper could be included as well, once they’re ready for harvest..

    To place an order for this week’s box, fill out an order form. All orders must be placed by Sunday night.

    Lewis Taylor Farms grows more than 6,500 acres of produce each year.

  • N.C. State Extension Specialist: Vegetables Look Fabulous

    By Clint Thompson

    Chris Gunter

    North Carolina vegetables look “fabulous,” according to Chris Gunter, N.C. State Extension vegetable production specialist. In fact, the main concern appears to be having enough workers in place to pick the crop once harvest season begins. And also how to keep their labor force safe amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

    “They’re more concerned about how it’s going to impact their workers. How are they going to get farm workers here? How are the workers going to be impacted? What precautions should they take in order to protect their workers once they’re here?” Gunter said.

    He said that many of the farm workers who report to work every year are having less difficulty getting through the border entry process this season compared to those who are new.

    “Those farms that have had workers and are getting the same workers back, their workers are starting to arrive now,” said Gunter. He emphasized that farming operations are taking all the precautions they can to protect their workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

    “They’re trying to social distance, physically distance each other when they’re working. If that’s not possible, then taking precautions, like wearing a cloth face covering or frequently cleaning and sanitizing their hands or surfaces that they touch.”

    Farmers are mostly harvesting greens right now along with mainly cool-season vegetables.

    Sweet potatoes are the state’s No. 1 vegetable. There are also a significant amount of cucumbers, along with bell peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupes and watermelons.

    “Our crops are just a little bit behind Florida and (Georgia). Our strawberry season looks very strong so far (as well). All we need is to get rid of some of this rain and get people out buying fruits and vegetables,” Gunter said.

  • UGA Researcher: Vegetable Morphology Key in Helping Plant Breeders

    University of Georgia/UGA researcher Esther van der Knaap working in the greenhouse.

    By Clint Thompson

    University of Georgia plant biologist Esther van der Knaap has studied genes in vegetables for more than 20 years. She believes the more information that scientists can obtain about a vegetable’s morphology; referring to its size and shape; the better equipped plant breeders will be in creating new and better cultivars.

    The lack of knowledge on morphological traits often hampers the efforts by plant breeders to create improved types. More information would greatly assist in the development of new cultivars in a variety of crops. That’s where van der Knaap’s work factors in.

    “For breeders, when they develop a new variety, they need to maintain the proper shape and size of the produce, in addition to any novel trait that makes the new variety superior over an older variety. You can create new tomato varieties that are resistant to any disease that we’re facing right now. But if the new variety doesn’t produce a fruit with the proper dimensions, nobody will likely pick it up,” van der Knaap said. “Consumers wouldn’t recognize it and processors can’t process produce that is too large or too small or with unusual shapes. The morphology of produce is incredibly important.”

    University of Georgia

    Gene Knowledge

    The knowledge of the genes has advanced the efficacy in tomato breeding programs because it enables the creation of improved cultivars that feature the appropriate dimensions of the produce. She discovered the different genes that aide in the development of tomato fruit shapes also influence other vegetables. These include potato tuber shapes, as well as the shapes of melons, cucumbers, leaves and grains.

    Size and shape are important components because they are what consumers identify with when purchasing certain vegetables in grocery stores or at the farmer’s markets.

    “In tomatoes, the smaller shapes like grape tomatoes or the cherry tomatoes are used more for salads. If you want to make sauces and soups, you purchase the roma tomatoes. Everybody uses tomato slices on hamburgers, and for those you take the large beefsteak tomatoes. They are nice for slicing. Consumers recognize produce and each type has a specific culinary purpose,” van der Knaap said.

    She communicates her research findings in publications so that breeders can use the knowledge to develop better cultivars.

    “You always have to create better cultivars when it comes to yield and drought or disease resistance. There are always new diseases emerging in plants and we have to stay ahead of them,” van der Knaap said. “Fortunately, in most cases, there’s always a better crop variety around the corner. We need to stay ahead of diseases as diseases emerge very rapidly, as we know now with COVID-19.  Plants are no different from people when it comes to being susceptible to diseases that can be devastating.”

  • Food Safety a Top Priority in Alabama Produce Industry

    By Katie Nichols, Communications Specialist/Alabama Cooperative Extension System

    Food safety is an important component in the Alabama produce industry.

    AUBURN University, Ala. – With Alabama’s growing season in full swing, produce growers are working to ensure continuing food safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC, USDA and FDA agree that there is no indication the virus can infect consumers through food or food packaging.

    Good Agricultural Practices

    Alabama Extension food safety regional extension agent Kristin Woods said the produce industry uses Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to help protect against foodborne illness.

    Woods said that many growers go through voluntary audits to verify that fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled and stored as safely as possible to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards.

    “Food system workers — including harvesters, packers, processing line workers and others — are critical to  a safe and consistent food supply in the U.S.,” Woods said. “In fact, a Department of Homeland Security issued guidance recognized agricultural production, food processing, distribution, retail and food service as well as allied industries workers as essential workers.”

    Health of Agricultural Workers

    Woods said worker health is crucial to a stable supply.

    “Farms already have food safety protocols in place to preserve the safety of freshly harvested products, but now there are also enhanced procedures to protect employees from the virus,” she said. “These procedures protect workers during harvest and in packinghouses so that producers can keep food flowing from farm to table.”

    Woods said consumers should know some key facts about the produce industry.

    • Food system workers are highly trained. These workers undergo extensive training to prevent the hazards that cause foodborne illness. They have the knowledge to assess risks on the farm, during processing, at retail and in the kitchen.
    • If a worker tests positive for COVID-19, they go home. Individuals who come in contact with an infected person should self-quarantine.
    • Processing facilities have enhanced procedures to frequently clean and sanitize high-traffic surfaces. This virus, like others, can survive on surfaces for an extended time making cleaning and sanitizing vital.
    • There is no food shortage in the U.S. Shoppers may see empty grocery store shelves in the short-term. However, many packinghouses are shifting gears from food service accounts to retail accounts. This switch takes time to see on the grocery store shelf.

    Woods encourages shoppers to exercise patience instead of stockpiling.

    “Shifting our food supply from foodservice to retail in a short amount of time is not an easy job,” she said.

    To read the whole story, see food safety.