Whitefly infestations are higher than normal in certain areas across South Florida, according to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline. Scouts have reported adult whiteflies are present on all crops in southwest Florida. Nymph populations are starting to build and becoming high enough to create sooty mold. Population levels are moderate on beans in the Everglades Agricultural Area but …
Citrus Variety Research Update
The Florida Citrus Commission on March 15 heard an update on four sponsored projects under the New Varieties Development and Management Corp. (NVDMC). Peter Chaires, NVDMC executive director, provided the updates: Additionally, two early-maturing OLL clones were propagated and offer real potential to replace Hamlin. Fourteen high-soluble-solids OLL clones were identified as well as two 20-year-old Hamlin trees in the Orie Lee Alligator Hamlin …
UF Blueberry Specialist: Growers Cautiously Optimistic This Harvest Season
By Clint Thompson Blueberry harvests are well under way across Florida. After a year that’s seen producers challenged with multiple weather events, like Hurricane Ian last September, Hurricane Nicole last November and multiple days of cold temperatures during Christmas week, growers are optimistic about this year’s crop. Phil Harmon, professor and Extension plant pathologist at the University of Florida (UF) …
Don’t Miss The Florida Grower Citrus Show!
The 2023 Florida Grower Citrus Show is not your average trade show. In less than one month, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Ft. Pierce will host the show. Seminars will be packed with …
Speaker Spotlight: Scott Adkins
This year, AgNet Media is expanding the Florida Grower Citrus Show to include vegetable seminars. Scott Adkins, U.S. Department of Agriculture research leader, will be talking about what’s new in vegetable viruses and detector dogs during the afternoon breakout session. Adkins will discuss new and emerging problems that come with Florida’s sub-tropical climate. His talk will highlight a new way …
Drought Expanding Across Southeast
Dry conditions are expanding across the Southeast region. Abnormally dry conditions are widespread across southern Alabama. Southwest and southeast Georgia are anywhere from abnormally dry to moderately dry, while southern Florida is either moderately dry or severely dry, according to last Thursday’s release of the U.S. Drought Monitor. Alabama’s dry conditions start as far west as Washington and Mobile counties …
April Crop Insurance Deadline Approaches
The final date to apply for Florida citrus tree and fruit crop insurance coverage for the 2023 crop year is April 15. Current policyholders who wish to make changes to their existing coverage also have until the April 15 to do so. Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk …
UF/IFAS Receiving Favorable Comments with Blueberry Growers Guide App
By Clint Thompson The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Blueberry Growers Guide phone app has drawn rave reviews from the people who need it the most – Florida’s blueberry producers. Doug Phillips, UF/IFAS blueberry Extension coordinator at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, discussed the app, which started a couple of years ago. “I …
Alabama Hemp Production: Active Group of About 75 Growers
By Clint Thompson Alabama’s hemp meetings this winter generated interest among returning growers and those hoping to produce the crop for the first time. Katelyn Kesheimer, Auburn University assistant professor and Extension specialist, discussed the state of the industry, which attracted between 10 and 30 growers at five different meetings in January. “We definitely have a much smaller but more …
North Florida Melon Producers Escape Bullet From Recent Frost Events
By Clint Thompson North Florida watermelon plants appear to have survived frost events in the past two weeks. Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) regional specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, described what growers are observing in the fields. “I think so far, the frost last week, the one that probably touched up …