By Brandon Crumsey for UGA CAES News To prune or not to prune, that is the question. Pruning is an important part of maintaining plant health and maximizing plant productivity. This is often a topic that brings fear and confusion, but pruning is, in fact, a beneficial and routine task. Ornamental plants in the home landscape are pruned for several reasons, including maintaining …
Prize-Winning Pumpkin Weighs in at More Than a Quarter Ton
By Austin Clark for CAES News More than 25 pumpkins were submitted to Georgia 4-H’s 2020 statewide pumpkin-growing contest, with the largest pumpkin, cultivated in north Georgia’s Union County, weighing in at a whopping 548 pounds. All Georgia 4-H youth were encouraged to participate by submitting one pumpkin for consideration. Participants took their entries to their local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension office …
Popular UF/IFAS Vegetable Gardening Guide Available in Spanish and as an App
November 10, 2020 By: Brad Buck, 813-757-2224, bradbuck@ufl.edu With COVID-19 lingering, it might be a good time to use your green thumb to grow some vegetables in your garden. While you’re at it, you can get help from the UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide — now also in Spanish — and as a downloadable web app. Because we’re nearing the …
Clemson Extension Agents Provide 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. Weekly Field Update – 11/9/20 Coastal Zack Snipes reports, “It seems like we experience fall and summer in the same day this time of year. I visited a few farms and saw residual damage from whiteflies (silver leaves, virus, and stunted …
Lobbyist: We Have to Send a Common Message
One governmental lobbyist believes agricultural groups and organizations need to tackle issues together and not depend on Congress to devise its own playbook with topics that are trending across the country. This would lead to more touchdowns rather than missed opportunities. Bob Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington, D.C., …
GATE Renewal Now Open
Annual renewal for the Georgia Agriculture Tax Exemption (GATE) program is now open. Eligible farmers can renew their GATE card for 2021 online starting Friday, November 6, 2020, by visiting https://forms.agr.georgia.gov/GATE/. GATE cardholders who are to renew in 2021 will automatically be placed on the new three-year renewal program and will receive their renewal invoice in 2024. All current cards will …
How Low Are Pecan Prices Compared to Previous Years?
Pecan prices are devastatingly low for Georgia producers. But how low are they compared to what farmers are used to this time of year? South Georgia pecan farmer Randy Hudson puts it in perspective. “We’re seeing prices anywhere from 30% to 50% less than what they’ve been the last three years,” Hudson said. “It makes a big difference. Of course, …
New Findings on Growing Hemp in Florida
By Tory Moore As the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Industrial Hemp Pilot Project research continues, growers around the state have begun growing hemp on their own farms. Researchers from the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) in Apopka have important considerations for Florida growers contemplating or currently growing hemp. Research lessons learned and …
Farm Share Wants to Buy Your Produce
Farm Share, a nonprofit organization that distributes food to those in need, is looking for Florida farms with bulk produce available for purchase immediately. The organization received funding from the CARES Act to use for food purchases for distribution to families affected by the pandemic. If you have bulk produce available for purchase, contact John Delgado, Farm Share’s inventory operations …
UF/IFAS Extension Farm Labor Education Program Online in English, Spanish
By: Lourdes Rodriguez, 954-577-6363 office, 954-242-8439 mobile, rodriguezl@ufl.edu FLORIDA. – The fall crop season is underway in Florida and over the next few months, an increase in the farmworker population will help plant, maintain, and harvest our crops in the Sunshine State. Agriculture is an essential industry where farmworker safety is paramount to the successes underlying timely and efficient crop production activities. …