AgNet DEMO

Category: Vegetables

  • FMC Launches Avaunt eVo Insect Control Formulation to Tackle Key Pests Affecting Fruit, Vegetable Growers

    Advanced formulation of the only Group 22 insecticide for agricultural use delivers improved control and performance consistency. 

    Squash is one of the crops that respond well to Avaunt eVo insect control.

    PHILADELPHIA, July 14, 2020 – FMC has just released and made available for immediate use a new insecticide formulation, Avaunt eVo insect control, in a range of crops including brassicas, pome and stone fruits, cucurbits, leafy vegetables, low-growing berries and dried and succulent beans.

    Avaunt eVo insect control is an advanced formulation of Avaunt insecticide that provides improved mixability and rainfastness, an expanded label and an updated package size for easier handling.

    “This is the next evolution of our indoxacarb-based insecticides for specialty crop growers. Avaunt insecticide has been a proven tool, and now we’ve evolved the formulation to enhance its capabilities,” says John McCool, FMC insecticide product manager. “Strengthening existing technology is another way FMC is continuing to bring innovation to the market and advance agriculture.”

    Avaunt eVo insect control delivers effective control of labeled Lepidopteran pests, including several species of weevils, beetles and other chewing and sucking pests. Its expanded label also allows for higher application rates in certain crops, as well as new crop additions including dried and succulent beans, low-growing berries and small fruit vine climbing subgroups.

    The new formulation delivers significantly improved residual control, mixability and rainfastness. Avaunt eVo insect control is completely rainfast once it has dried on vegetation.

    “Enhancing these three attributes directly translates to better overall performance in the field,” explains Hector Portillo, insecticide product development manager for FMC. “For example, when we look at Avaunt eVo insect control trials nine days after the initial application, we’re still getting 80-90% control; a 10-20% improvement in control over the original Avaunt insecticide during the same post-application window.”   

    In addition to better performance, the improved mixability of Avaunt eVo insect control equates to less downtime and greater flexibility for growers. The product dissolves faster in the tank than the original Avaunt insecticide and other wettable granular insecticides. It also has a reduced mixing process, which alleviates the requirement for a set mixing cadence. 

    Strong, Resilient Rotational Tool

    Indoxacarb, the active ingredient in Avaunt eVo insect control, belongs to the unique and proven oxadiazine class of chemistry in IRAC Group 22. Indoxacarb is the only Group 22 insecticide labeled for this crop and pest spectrum, making Avaunt eVo insect control an ideal rotational partner for growers.

    “Being this is the only mode of action registered for use in this segment, it’s a strong fit in crops where growers make multiple insecticide applications per season. It provides rotational flexibility to help growers manage resistance and protect existing chemistries from resistance development,” Portillo states.

    Avaunt eVo insect control is a resilient option for growers operating under hot, intense environmental conditions since it is unaffected by pH, UV, high sunlight and temperature, which are the primary factors for insecticide breakdown and failure.

    For more information about Avaunt eVo insect control, visit your FMC Star Retailer or ag.fmc.com to learn more. 

  • Technology to Improve Vegetable Production

    Figure 1. Initial design of the low-cost robotic sprayer for precision weed control in vegetable production: main components of the smart sprayer (A) and self-reconfigured and self-adjustable design for easy field deployment in a variety of vegetable fields (B).

    By Yiannis Ampatzidis

    Vegetable growers face a variety of challenges, including pest and diseases, labor shortages and climate change. How can new advancements in technology help growers address these challenges? Can technology improve crops, reduce production costs and protect the environment? How can technological innovations be incorporated into traditional farming to improve production practices?

    In the last few decades, several “smart” technologies have been developed for vegetable production and processing. However, growers are confronted with a variety of challenges when considering adopting new technology or adjusting existing technology. Growers are being offered solutions that might not work in their specific production system or might not be economically feasible. This article presents examples of state-of-the-art technologies that may be used in vegetable production today or in the near future!

    SIMPLIFY SURVEYING

    Field surveys for disease/pest scouting and to assess plant stress are expensive, labor intensive and time consuming. Since labor shortage is a major issue in vegetable production, small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with various sensors (remote sensing) can simplify surveying procedures, reduce the labor cost, decrease data collection time and produce critical and practical information.

    For example, recently UAVs and remote sensing have allowed growers to constantly monitor crop health status, estimate plant water needs and even detect diseases. The precision agriculture team (@PrecAgSWFREC) at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) developed a cloud-based application called Agroview (http://agroview.farm/login.php).

    Agroview can process, analyze and visualize data collected from UAVs and other aerial platforms (e.g., small planes and satellites). This technology utilizes machine learning (an application of artificial intelligence) to detect single plants and assess plant size and stress. Agroview and UAVs were initially used to create plant inventories in citrus (see a video demonstration at https://twitter.com/i/status/1202671242647490560) and to detect specific diseases in vegetables with high accuracy. Early detection and eradication of infected plants is crucial to controlling disease and pest spread throughout the field.

    SMART SPRAYERS

    Most conventional sprayers apply agrochemicals uniformly, even though distribution of pests and diseases is typically patchy, resulting in waste of valuable compounds, increased costs, crop damage risk, pest resistance to chemicals, environmental pollution and contamination of products. Contamination can be related to run-off after application, discharge from drainage and off-target deposition of spray due to wind (spray drift). This contamination can be significantly reduced through optimization of spraying technology.

    Spray drift of agrochemicals occurs during every application and accounts for a loss of up to 50 percent of the agrochemical used. Minimizing the negative impacts of agrochemicals (and spraying technologies) is a major global challenge.

    More than 90 percent of the acreage of crops in the United States are being sprayed with herbicides. It is estimated that $26 billion is spent on herbicides (more than 3 billion pounds) each year. This overuse of chemicals creates herbicide-tolerant weeds and approximately 250 known species of resistant weeds.

    In recent decades, several smart technologies have been developed for pest detection and for optimizing spraying applications. These new spraying technologies have shown an important improvement in efficiency and safety by adopting the latest advances in electronics, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.

    One example is the See & Spray machine developed by Blue River Technology (www.bluerivertechnology.com) for weed control in arable crops. See & Spray utilizes computer vision and AI to detect and identify individual plants (such as cotton) and weeds and then applies herbicide only to the weeds. See how this technology works at https://youtu.be/gszOT6NQbF8. This machine can reduce the required quantity of herbicide by more than 90 percent compared to traditional broadcast sprayers. However, this technology was designed for arable crops and might not be a cost-effective solution for specific vegetable production systems.

    Another low-cost smart sprayer has been designed and developed by the UF/IFAS team for precision weed management in vegetables. In the initial evaluation experiments, smart technology was able to accurately detect and distinguish weeds from crops and apply chemicals only on specific weed(s), thus avoiding crops and areas without weeds. See a video demonstration of this technology at https://twitter.com/i/status/1045013127593644032.

    Recently, the precision ag team, in collaboration with Abhisesh Silwal (Carnegie Mellon University) and Panos Pardalos (UF), received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Research Foundation (award #2020-67021-30761) to improve and fully automate this smart sprayer. This novel robotic sprayer (or fleet of sprayers) was designed to be self-reconfigured and self-adjustable for easy field deployment (Figure 1). With this design, the robot can reconfigure itself (Figure 1b) to manage weeds in a variety of vegetable fields (e.g., with different row spacing and raised bed sizes).

    ROBOTIC HARVESTING
    Figure 2. Harvest Croo Robotics harvester for strawberries

    Fresh-market vegetables are quickly perishable and virtually 100 percent are hand-harvested. Vegetable growers face increasing shortages of laborers, which in turn, drive up harvest costs. Mechanical and robotic harvesting systems for vegetable growers could simultaneously decrease their dependence on manual labor, reduce harvesting costs and improve overall competitiveness in the market.

    In one example, Harvest Croo Robotics, a Florida company, is developing a robotic harvester for strawberries that does not require growers to radically change the way they currently grow crops. This technology successfully harvested berries during the 2019–20 season. It could address the labor shortage problem and increase grower profit. 

  • GFVGA Executive Director: Grateful For CFAP Revisions

    By Clint Thompson

    The first round of revisions made by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the commodities covered under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) benefited Georgia’s vegetable producers.

    Kale was one of the commodities added to CFAP.

    Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) Executive Director Charles Hall was appreciative of the consideration given to the crops his organization petitioned for.

    “Some of our January to April crops, GFGVA petitioned for the mustard, kale, collards and turnip greens to be added to that. We provided the documentation,” Hall said. “We’re very grateful that along with several other states that were in the same situation as we were to be able to show that there was a 5% drop in the pricing during that time. We’re glad of that.”

    In a press release, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced an initial list of additional commodities that were added to CFAP on Thursday, and that the USDA made other adjustments to the program based on comments received from agricultural producers and organizations and review of market data. Producers can submit applications that include these commodities today, July 13, 2020. 

    USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting through Aug. 28, 2020, applications for CFAP, which helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic. USDA expects additional eligible commodities to be announced in the coming weeks.

    “There’s still a problem with watermelons, primarily the Florida watermelons. Florida Fruit and Vegetable and the National Watermelon Association filed comments on the watermelon. Georgia Fruit and Vegetable didn’t because we did not have crop there at that time,” Hall said.

    One crop that benefited from last week’s decision was blueberries. Based on the USDA’s original assessment of the impact of coronavirus on the industry, blueberries were eligible for Categories 2 and 3 for CFAP relief payments. The crop was one of seven currently eligible commodities to be added to Category 1 of CFAP.

    Hall said since Georgia blueberry farmers did not start harvesting until April 12, the impact will be felt more with Florida growers.

    “There was really only about three days that our blueberries were on the market before we got past the deadline of April 15. Florida had blueberries in that timeframe and did file the NOFA comments and definitely added to the benefit of blueberries,” Hall said.

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

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

  • Clemson Extension Provides Crop Updates

    Clemson Extension agents provided updates in The South Carolina Grower this week about the status of various crops being produced throughout the state.

    Coastal

    Zack Snipes reports, “Summer crops are all but about done. The afternoon thunderstorms, humidity, and heat have just about finished off the tomato and watermelon crops. Growers are getting fields ready for the fall season now. Consider putting up deer fencing now before crops are planted.”

    Midlands

    Justin Ballew reports, “We got some more rain early in the week, and the sky was overcast most of the week. Downy mildew finally showed up here in cucumbers. Even though it’s been found all over the coast, it took a while to make it this far inland this year. The dry weather we had most of June may have had something to do with that. Anyone growing cucurbits from now through the fall definitely needs to be applying preventative fungicides. Lots of fields are transitioning from spring crops to fall crops right now. We’re still picking sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, etc.”

    File photo of hemp.

    Lalo Toledo reports, “Sweet potatoes are in the ground and thriving. Please be aware of any pest activity and disease activity. Weeds are becoming a problem, especially in organic operations. However, there are several options to suppress weeds. Please contact your extension agent for information on chemical and cultural practices. Hemp is having trouble taking off with so much heat, and weeds are gaining ground on it. Peppers are doing great with some minor bacterial lesions.”

    Pee Dee

    Tony Melton reports, “Poured rain every day last week – awful.  Processing peas are ready to harvest but cannot get a dry period to burn down to harvest. Need to get second crop processing peas planted before August if fields will ever dry out – don’t forget to control thrips early and do your best to keep deer out of fields. Processing tomatoes & peppers are being harvested. Pickling cucumbers are continually being harvested and replanted. Sweet potatoes are planted, most have been laid-by, many have vines covering beds, and some are starting to size potatoes. We may have some insect damage on roots since it is difficult to get bifenthrin applied and plowed-in. Hopefully, the Lorsban will control insects, and since it is too wet to plow until the rain can wash the bifenthrin into the soil to keep the sun from degrading it. Don’t forget the boron on sweet potatoes.”

    Upstate

    File photo of peaches.

    Kerrie Roach reports, “Peaches are the showstopper this week in the Upstate! Even with what appears to be late cold damage causing split pits and some varieties not to ripen, the peach crop is still booming. Apples are maturing on schedule and growers should begin harvesting early varieties over the next few weeks. With limited and spotty rain events over the last seven days, irrigation has been vital for vegetable producers…. but heat and humidity (despite the overall lack of rain) have increased the need for fungicide cover sprays, as we’ve seen various fungal activity picking up across the board.”

  • Additional Fruits, Vegetables Eligible for CFAP

    Washington, D.C., July 9, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced an initial list of additional commodities that have been added to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) on Thursday, and that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) made other adjustments to the program based on comments received from agricultural producers and organizations and review of market data. Producers will be able to submit applications that include these commodities on Monday, July 13, 2020. 

    USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting through Aug. 28, 2020, applications for CFAP, which helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic. USDA expects additional eligible commodities to be announced in the coming weeks.

    “During this time of national crisis, President Trump and USDA have stood with our farmers, ranchers, and all citizens to make sure they are taken care of,” said Secretary Perdue. “When we announced this program earlier this year, we asked for public input and received a good response. After reviewing the comments received and analyzing our USDA Market News data, we are adding new commodities, as well as making updates to the program for existing eligible commodities. This is an example of government working for the people – we asked for input and we updated the program based on the comments we received.”

    Changes to CFAP include:

    Adding the following commodities: alfalfa sprouts, anise, arugula, basil, bean sprouts, beets, blackberries, Brussels sprouts, celeriac (celery root), chives, cilantro, coconuts, collard greens, dandelion greens, greens (others not listed separately), guava, kale greens, lettuce – including Boston, green leaf, Lolla Rossa, oak leaf green, oak leaf red and red leaf – marjoram, mint, mustard, okra, oregano, parsnips, passion fruit, peas (green), pineapple, pistachios, radicchio, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, fresh sugarcane, Swiss chard, thyme and turnip top greens.

    Kale is one of the commodities included in the CFAP revision.

    Expanding for seven currently eligible commodities – apples, blueberries, garlic, potatoes, raspberries, tangerines and taro – CARES Act funding for sales losses because USDA found these commodities had a 5% or greater price decline between mid-January and mid-April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, these commodities were only eligible for marketing adjustments.

    Determining that peaches and rhubarb no longer qualify for payment under the CARES Act sales loss category.

    Correcting payment rates for apples, artichokes, asparagus, blueberries, cantaloupes, cucumbers, garlic, kiwifruit, mushrooms, papaya, peaches, potatoes, raspberries, rhubarb, tangerines and taro.

  • GFVA Executive Director: It Was a Pretty Good Season

    By Clint Thompson

    Photo by Clint Thompson/Watermelons on sale at the farmers market in Cordele, Georgia. Watermelon producers in Georgia had a good year with strong prices.

    Georgia’s fruit and vegetable growers had their share of obstacles this growing season but emerged mostly unscathed with a productive season, according to Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Association (GFVA).

    He credits alternative marketing outlets for helping products get sold in a timely fashion.

    “Because of the Food Box program that the USDA had and the Georgia Grown to Go, there was a lot of product that was taken off the market,” Hall said. “Mexico had problems weather wise and production wise, so we did not have as heavier imports as we normally have. There was Mexican product on the market. They did not have the quantity of product coming in as they normally do.

    “Prices stayed good most of the season, and demand stayed strong most of the season. Overall, it was a pretty good season.”

    Pleasant Surprise

    A good season was not always a guarantee, especially after Florida growers struggled during the early part of harvest season to sell their produce amid the coronavirus pandemic. And they also struggled with Mexican imports.

    “Somebody told me that it’s very, very unusual when your prices in June are better than your prices in April. That’s the trend we would like to see to continue,” Hall said. “This has just been a strange year. If you had told me in March that I would have made the statement I just made, that growers had a pretty good year, I would have said you were crazy. Things coming out of Florida in March and early April, it looked bad. It really did.”

    Prices stayed up and supply stayed strong for Georgia farmers, who needed a year like this season.

    “We needed to have a decent year. Our guys for the last, two, three years, they’ve been devastated. Having a better year in 2020 has certainly been good for folks,” Hall said.

  • Picking Varieties With Profit Potential

    citrus expo

    By Gene McAvoy

    Choosing which variety to plant is one of the most critical decisions that a commercial grower must make each season.

    Variety selection is a dynamic process. In the past, some varieties retained favor for many years. More recently, with advances in plant breeding and the incorporation of new and improved traits for disease resistance and other horticultural characteristics, there is a trend for older varieties to be supplanted by newer cultivars after only a few seasons.

    “Profit” may be the only word needed to describe the importance of variety selection. Profit potential depends on selecting varieties suited to the farm and your target market.

    Selecting the proper variety may be an opportunity to expand a market or overcome certain production obstacles.

    Growers would be wise to heed the old saying: “There is nothing more optimistic than a seed catalog.”

    DO YOUR HOMEWORK

    Study and use reliable results from local performance tests, including on-farm trials, other growers’ experience, vegetable and seed trade literature and university studies. Discuss results of university and seed trade variety trials with the people who performed them.

    On-farm trials will help identify varieties that may be potential candidates for production.

    START SMALL

    When trying new varieties, do so on a small-scale basis but make it a fair test by growing them under the same conditions likely to be encountered in the field. Whether the new varieties work or not, the process of testing them will provide valuable information.

    RECORD RESULTS

    “Mental notes” on yield or overall performance are usually not as accurate as actual measurements. Keeping accurate records of yield and other data is important but often overlooked. To gain the most benefit from on-farm trials, results should be recorded and documented.

    With good records, growers can identify which varieties will perform best in which fields in which season (early, mid or late) and other production conditions (e.g., climate, disease and insect pressure).

    TRY SOMETHING NEW

    Following the maxim “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” growers sometimes identify and stick with favorite varieties. This approach is understandable, but it shouldn’t prevent a producer from trying new varieties.

    Production and market forces increasingly demand that growers establish identities in the marketplace, partly through supplying unique, high-quality products. For growers, changes in consumer preferences can dictate adoption of new and unique varieties to distinguish themselves in the market.

    KNOW YOUR MARKET

    Research the market to clarify what is valued and accepted. Growers should know their target market and be prepared to grow what the market dictates. Keep in mind that most markets tend to see yield as the grower’s concern and quality as theirs.

    In evaluating a new cultivar, these important selection factors should be considered:

    • Marketability: The harvested plant product must have characteristics desired by the packer, shipper, wholesaler, retailer and consumer.
    • Maturity needed to match the cropping season, supply the market and reduce the risk of weather-related crop failure
    • High marketable yield potential
    • Dependable resistance to diseases, insects, stress and physiological disorders (e.g., blossom-end rot)

    In pepper, these qualities include pack-out, shelf life, shape (blockiness), number of lobes, color (both mature color and shade of green for immature fruit), size, firmness and pod wall thickness. More recently, some markets are interested in nutritional quality and taste.

    The tomato market seeks many of these same qualities, including color, shape, flavor, firmness, pack-out, shelf life and shipping and ripening characteristics.

    Variety evaluation should be an ongoing process for growers who wish to remain profitable and competitive.

  • UGA Entomologist: Whiteflies Not as Bad as 2017 But Still Bad

    File photo shows whiteflies infesting fall cucurbits.

    By Clint Thompson

    University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist Stormy Sparks confirmed this week that whiteflies are back with a vengeance on susceptible vegetable crops and Georgia’s cotton, which is still just a few weeks old.

    “I’ve been holding off a long time on saying it looks bad. But about a week ago, it’s just hard to say it doesn’t look bad,” Sparks said. “There’s still some things that could happen, but I saw some populations in some cantaloupe that you don’t usually see for another month or two. They’re already treating some cotton, apparently.

    “We’re probably a month behind 2017, but we’re at least a month ahead of our normal year.”

    Sparks said in May that whiteflies were already present in Georgia vegetables.

    Why So Early?

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

    “We already had the populations, there’s no doubt about that, earlier than normal in some areas, particularly coming out of kale. There’s a lot of things that can happen as far as weather and everything else that can impact it. There’s still some things that could happen to keep it from getting as bad as it did in 2017,” Sparks said. “If they get to a certain level, those rain events don’t have the same impact than they would at lower populations. I think we’re probably far enough long now that they’ll rebound fairly rapidly. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

    Rain is expected all week in South Georgia, but Sparks believes a tropical storm-type system is what is needed to suppress whitefly populations.

    UGA cotton entomologist Phillip Roberts said farmers are already treating for whiteflies in cotton which is month to a month and a half earlier than normal.

    What Can Be Done?

    Sparks, Roberts and other specialists continue to preach sanitation with whitefly management. Farmers have done better in recent years in getting rid of their vegetables once they are done harvesting. That needs to continue this summer.

    “If the vegetable growers get rid of those crops that are infested, if you’re done with them; if you get done with watermelon fields and cantaloupe fields … get rid of them. Don’t let them keep reproducing. The cotton guys just need to be keeping an eye on infestations and don’t let them build up there,” Sparks said.

    Whiteflies migrate from winter vegetables to spring vegetables to agronomic crops, like cotton, to fall vegetables and back to winter vegetables. Whiteflies cause feeding injury issues in vegetables and transmit two new viruses: cucurbit leaf crumple virus and cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus. Vegetables like squash, zucchini, cucumber, cantaloupe and snap beans are highly susceptible to these viruses.

  • Three Georgia Farmers Market Locations Could Be Spared

    UGA picture/Watermelons being researched on the UGA Tifton Campus. 6–6-17

    By Clint Thompson

    The revised budget cut requirements from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget and the State Legislature may have spared the state farmers market locations in Cordele, Thomasville and Savannah.

    Julie McPeake, Georgia Department of Agriculture Chief Communications officer, confirmed that as a result of the budget cut requirement from 14% to 10%, the State Legislature provided funds to support the transition of ownership of the Cordele, Thomasville and Savannah farmers markets to their respective local governments.

    “In May, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget (OPB) requested that state agencies present a plan to cut 14% of their budgets for fiscal year 2021. The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) operates with a very efficient budget, forcing very difficult decisions to reach the requested budget cuts, including a proposal to close multiple state farmers markets,” McPeake said. “However, following a revision of revenue estimates, OPB and the State Legislature reduced budget cut requirements from 14% to 10%. As a result, the Legislature provided funds to support the transition of ownership of the Cordele, Thomasville, and Savannah farmers markets to local governments effective April 1, 2021.” 

    Impact From Coronavirus Pandemic

    Locations in Augusta, Cordele, Macon, Savannah and Thomasville were on an initial list to be cut. McPeake said the locations in August and Macon are still scheduled to be off the GDA’s books for 2021, but she didn’t have a timeline for any transition.

    It is unfortunately a necessary evil that had to be considered during this recession which is a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

    “With the 14% budget cuts that were requested, you’ve got to make some decisions. Unfortunately, some of those tough decisions require looking at hard numbers. When you have some markets that are having trouble to turn a profit, that’s one of the first places you’ve got to turn to, to save that money,” said Paul Thompson, marketing director for the Georgia Department of Ag, in early June.

    The different farmers market locations vary in what commodities are sold there. In Cordele, the self-proclaimed “Watermelon Capital of the World,” it is known for watermelons and cantaloupes being bought and sold this time of year.

    July 1 began the new fiscal year.

  • UF’s Angle: We need to have a more resilient marketing system

    By Clint Thompson

    A second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is inevitable. Perhaps we are already in it, just a few months ahead of the fall forecasts that most projected would coincide with flu season.

    J. Scott Angle, NIFA portrait, Oct. 31, 2019. USDA Photo by Preston Keres

    But you can pencil in COVID-19 as another challenge farmers will have to face this fall, especially as preparations are already underway for the fall crop which will be planted in a few months.

    Scott Angle, the newly-named vice president for agriculture and natural resources at the University of Florida/IFAS, believes growers can learn a lot from their first bout with this pandemic, which occurred in the midst of fruit and vegetable harvests in March and April.

    “Whether this fall in the next phase or the next pandemic, we better make sure we’re ready. We certainly have learned a lot of lessons. We learned a lot of lessons about how to social distance. I still think we need more research in that area because we don’t have all the answers, but we understand that’s where disease transmission can occur,” Angle said. “We have some ways of protecting workers. Whether or not those are the best methods, I don’t know if anyone knows at this point. Most of our social distancing and protective methods at least on some level are just common sense. We certainly need some research for that.

    “I think we all understand that our economies have to keep running and mostly we just have to keep producing food. We don’t really have a choice, to say we’re going to shut down the farm for a year or two years or until we get a vaccine. We’re going to have find smarter ways to do the things we did last year.”

    One Adjustment

    Angle admits a big adjustment must be how farmers can adjust their marketing strategies when the demand for produce is disrupted. For example, when the coronavirus pandemic struck in mid-March, it forced restaurants to shut down across the country. These are major buyers for farmers in Florida and Georgia. When restaurants were not buying produce, farmers in Florida struggled to find a home for their fruits and vegetables.

    In early April, Paul Allen, president of R.C. Hatton Farms, said he left about 2 million pounds of green beans and about 5 million pounds of cabbage in the field. Florida farmer Kim Jamerson said in late March that her produce business would lose 100% of their production costs, along with packing and shipping costs if things did not improve.  

    “I was on a conference call with some food manufacturers and they were joined by farmers who were saying the exact same thing, when the markets dried up, they had to pivot very quickly and sometimes would be in a matter of days. In fact, some of them said, ‘I just want to donate my food to a food bank or pantry,’ and even that they weren’t able to do very easily,” Angle said. “We need to have a more resilient marketing system that can pivot a lot more quickly.

    “One good example would be, these food pantries need it and need it now more than ever because their needs have gone way up. Could there be an intermediary to step in and pay the farmers and get that food over to the food pantries for these charities?”

    Similar Idea

    Jamerson had a similar idea right after the pandemic became problematic for Florida growers. She reached out to the office of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (Fla.) and spoke to one of his aides about the government helping its farmers by purchasing their crops and distributing the food to its citizens since many are unemployed. Back in March, she had not heard back from Rubio’s office.