RALEIGH – The popular Peach Dessert Contest is making its return to the lineup of the North Carolina (N.C.) State Farmers Market Peach Day festivities Thursday, July 13. With N.C. peaches in season, it’s a great time for home cooks to feature the juicy fruit in sweet and savory dishes any time of day. All ages and skill levels are …
GFVGA Executive Vice President: Peach Producers Remain Optimistic Despite Year
By Clint Thompson Farmers are a resilient group of individuals. They have to be to get back up off the mat following one challenging blow after another. For Georgia’s peach growers, they will need to be if they hope to survive a devastating ’23 season. Chris Butts, executive vice president of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), discussed …
Don’t Miss the Deadline: Peach Commodity Commission Nominations Due by May 26
Any peach producer interested or knows someone that is interested in serving on the Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commission for Peaches need to remember that nominations are due by Friday, May 26. Nomination forms can be found at – agr.georgia.gov/cpf, under the nomination form tab or by emailing andy.harrison@agr.georgia.gov. Nominations will be accepted through email or by mail at Andy Harrison, …
Adaptability Vital for Peach Producer
Risk mitigation through variety diversity helps Titan Farms succeed. By Clint Thompson Adaptability fuels Titan Farms’ success as a national leader in peach production. It will be the key for Chalmers Carr as his South Carolina-based farming operation navigates the current challenges facing peach producers. “There are generational farms where people may not want to have the same risk profile. …
Georgia’s Peach Crop to Be ‘Very, Very Short’
By Clint Thompson One of Georgia’s most popular and well-known agricultural commodities is expected to be down in production this year. The sweet taste of Georgia’s peach crop is expected to be in limited supply. The March freeze events devastated the state’s crop, according to Robert Dickey, producer in Musella, Georgia. “The peaches, unfortunately, are not looking well. The last …
Florida Peach Crop Expected to be Undersized This Season
By Clint Thompson Florida’s peach producers are well underway in harvesting this year’s crop. The peaches this year are undersized, due mostly to the warm spring leading up to harvest, says Jose Chaparro, associate professor in the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). “Down south in central Florida they’ve already been picking U-F Sun and U-F …
Uncertainty Surrounding Alabama’s Peach Crop
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. – Alabama’s peach crop is deficient in necessary chill hours this year. There is some uncertainty regarding the upcoming harvest season, as Alabama growers are currently evaluating the state of their crop. Seasonal temperatures play a key role in providing the best size and flavor of peaches through chilling hours. Edgar Vinson, an Alabama Extension commercial horticulture …
Diversification: Secret to Specialty Crop Success
By Clint Thompson Drew Echols attributes his success to not putting all of his eggs in one basket. The fifth-generation farmer who co-owns production on more than 600 acres in northeast Georgia is not afraid to adjust his farming practices to fit the current needs of specialty crop production. INCREASING ACRES, CROPS AND MARKETS“I looked at a lot of these …
UGA Peach Specialist Confident Despite Chill Hour Shortage
By Clint Thompson One University of Georgia (UGA) peach specialist is confident about this year’s crop despite falling short of chill hour accumulation. Dario Chavez, UGA assistant professor with an emphasis in peach physiology and breeding, discussed Georgia’s crop at the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association annual meeting on Thursday, Feb. 9 in Gulf Shores, Alabama. “In Georgia we’re …
New Chemistry Labeled for Peach Producers
By Clint Thompson Southeast peach producers will be interested to know that the bifenthrin product, Brigade 2EC, now has a supplemental label for peaches, along with pome fruits and pomegranates, according to the University of Georgia Extension Peach Blog. Bifenthrin is a pyrethroid, making it a broad spectrum insecticide that is effective against multiple insect pests, especially stink bugs and …