Organic Vidalia Onion Industry: Challenges in Sour Skin Management

Web AdminGeorgia, Onion, Top Posts

Vidalia onions are famous for their mild-sweet flavor and are a favorite of consumers and chefs across the U.S. Due to this popularity, there is also significant demand for organically-grown Vidalia onions.  Soil-borne bacterial diseases like sour skin and slippery skin caused by Burkholderia sp. impact quality and yield of organic onions in Georgia. The pathogens are soil-borne. Current organic …

Pandemic Fuels Some of ’20’s Most-Searched UF/IFAS Extension Information

Web AdminCoronavirus, Florida, Top Posts

December 15, 2020 By: Kirsten Romaguera, 352-294-3313, kromaguera@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The coronavirus pandemic occupied space in everyone’s minds this year, prompting online searches about any variety of topics related to it. The year’s most popular UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publications were no exception, with two of the top 10 being brand-new documents related to food safety and the coronavirus. In …

Freeze Protection for Fruits and Vegetables

Web AdminFruit, Leafy Vegetables, Top Posts, Vegetables, VSCNews magazine, Weather

By Pam Knox and Tim Coolong Untimely freezes can cause tremendous problems for fruit and vegetable crops. Fall freezes quickly put an end to the growing season for most fruits and vegetables. If freezes come earlier than expected or before the crops are ready for harvest, they can provide a devastating blow to yields and reduce the value of the …

Chill Hours a Concern for Peach Producers

Web AdminAlabama, Georgia, Peaches, Top Posts

Peach trees need chill accumulation every fall and winter to produce a substantial crop the following season. Edgar Vinson, assistant research professor and Extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at Auburn University, is concerned Alabama producers may be lagging behind. “We’re still a little concerned about having enough chill by the end of this month. Typically, we’d like to …

Mexican Imports Lead to Bad Fall Season for Georgia Vegetable Producers

Web AdminGeorgia, Top Posts

Georgia’s fall vegetable crop did not produce profits like growers had hoped for. Mexican imports had a lot to do with that, says Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. “It certainly was not as good for us as the spring was. While we had good early prices on squash and cucumbers, once the Mexican …

A Stressful Living: UF/IFAS Meeting a Need

Web AdminFlorida, Top Posts, Weather

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network Program connects farmers, ranchers and others with agriculture-related jobs to programs designed to combat stress. The University of Florida/IFAS is one of more than 50 partners joining the effort in the Southeast. Kendra Zamojski, family and consumer sciences regional specialized Extension agent, will lead the UF/IFAS team which encompasses …

Christmas Tree Sales Up Amid Ongoing Pandemic

Web AdminAlabama, Christmas trees, Top Posts

Christmas tree sales are booming this year, and COVID-19 may be a reason why. Both Frank Wadsworth, owner of Wadsworth Christmas Tree Farm in Wetumpka, Alabama and Jeremy Pickens, Alabama Assistant Extension Professor in Horticulture at Auburn University, agree that the recommendations that people social distance themselves and stay quarantined has left many with the longing to get outside and …

Cautious Optimism: Low Interest Rates Present Opportunities for Farmers

Web AdminAlabama, Florida, Georgia, Top Posts

Interest rates are low and should remain that way for the foreseeable future. Adam Rabinowitz, Assistant Professor and Extension Economist at Auburn University, says vegetable and specialty crop producers may have an opportunity to capitalize. “Interest rates are extremely low, and they are forecast to remain low. That is certainly an opportunity to where if there’s interest on any kind …

USDA NIFA Offers Grants for Hemp Supply Chains & Rural Development

Web AdminHemp, North Carolina, Top Posts

Written By Marne Coit According to N.C. State Extension, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), has announced a new round of grant funding that specifically includes support for hemp projects. The Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) Competitive Grants Program is intended to fund projects related to research, extension and education. The purpose of AFRI’s Sustainable Agricultural …

Getting to the Bottom of Blossom-End Rot

Web AdminDisease, Georgia, Tomatoes, Top Posts

By Maria M. Lameiras for UGA CAES News Home gardeners and commercial farmers alike can attest to the disappointment of seeing a beautiful tomato ripening on a vine, only to discover that the fruit has dark, sunken pits at the blossom end of the fruit. Called blossom-end rot (BER), this physiological disorder is prevalent in fruit and vegetable crops, including …