Fruit, Vegetable Outlooks Highlighted During Alabama Ag Outlook Conference

Clint ThompsonAlabama

The Auburn University College of Agriculture and Alabama Cooperative Extension System Farm and Agribusiness Management Team recently hosted the Alabama Agricultural Outlook Conference in Montgomery on Dec. 13. It featured speakers from across the Southeast. Agricultural enterprises and systems in the Southeast were highlighted. Will Jordan, with AgNet Media, visited with Wendiam Sawadgo from Auburn University to discuss fruit and …

Drought’s Impact on Alabama Pecan Crop

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Alabama’s prolonged drought in the late summer and fall impacted the size of this year’s pecan crop, according to Bryan Wilkins, Auburn University research associate. But the lack of rainfall actually helped the quality of this year’s crop in Mobile and Baldwin counties. “It’s cut the size of the nuts, but from what I’ve been seeing, it …

Hemp Outlook in Alabama

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Hemp applications are currently being accepted for Alabama producers, with the final day to apply set for Jan. 15, 2024, at 5 p.m. (CST). Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University assistant professor and Extension specialist, discussed what can be expected from hemp production in the state next year. “We’re probably going to see the same consistent growers we’ve seen …

Adapting to Change is Name of the Game in Ag

Clint ThompsonAlabama, Specialty Crop Industry Magazine

By Clint Thompson Adaptation equals survival in the specialty crop sector. If producers are not willing to adapt to the changing agricultural times, their livelihoods will be significantly impacted to the point of extinction. That mindset has elevated one Alabama grower’s business over the last 30 years. “If you cannot adapt in this business, you will not survive,” said John …

Christmas Tree Grower: Weather Events Led to Challenging Production Season

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson Weather events last Christmas and this fall have made Christmas tree production difficult this year, according to one Alabama producer. “The production was a challenge. That’s my best word, and I think I’m probably speaking for every Christmas tree grower in our neck of the woods, in this part of the Southeast,” said Steve Mannard, with Fish …

Lingering Drought Impacting Agricultural Work in North Alabama

Clint ThompsonAlabama

By Clint Thompson The lingering drought is affecting some areas worse than others. It is especially dire in North Alabama where extreme dry conditions start as far south as Hale and Bibb counties stretch northward. Parts of Colbert, Lauderdale, Madison, Jackson and Dekalb are experiencing an exceptional drought. Eric Schavey, regional Extension agent in Northeast Alabama, discussed the impact the …

Alabama Agricultural Outlook Conference Slated for Dec. 13

Clint ThompsonAlabama

AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — Specialty crop producers need reliable information as they look toward 2024. To fill this need, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s farm and agribusiness management team — in collaboration with faculty in Auburn University’s Colleges of Agriculture and Forestry, Wildlife and Environment — is hosting the Alabama Agricultural Outlook Conference. The conference is Dec. 13 in Montgomery, Alabama …

AFVGA Tour Visits Sites in Georgia, Florida

Web AdminAlabama, Fruit, Leafy Vegetables, Vegetables

By Clint Thompson The Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) toured farming operations in Georgia and Florida last week. It allowed its attendees, young and experienced, to build camaraderie while learning from fellow growers in the Southeast. Blake Thaxton, executive director of the AFVGA, discussed the importance of the week-long tour, which included stops at Lewis Taylor Farms, a …

USDA AFRI Grant to Allow Researchers to Help Southern Blueberry Growers in States Like Alabama

Web AdminAlabama, Blueberries

A nearly half-a-million-dollar grant will allow Auburn University professors and Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station researchers to help blueberry growers in states like Alabama where growing the fruit has its challenges. Funded by a $497,827 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the project is titled, “Expanding Southern highbush blueberries to underserved regions of the …

Sweet Grown Alabama Under the Spotlight at Expo

Web AdminAlabama

By Clint Thompson Sweet Grown Alabama is under the spotlight this week at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie, Georgia. Alabama is the spotlight state during the three-day event, which has allowed attendees, numbering close to 50,000, the opportunity to explore the diverse agricultural landscape that is Alabama production. Marlee Jackson, publications director at Alabama Farmers Federation, described what it …